ESCONDIDO — After a humbling winter-league season and a 5-6 start to the regular season, La Jolla Country Day School senior center fielder Jackson Norum said “it has been one step at a time.”
After a 10-3 win over Classical Academy on Wednesday, those steps have led LJCD to a brink of the Coastal League championship with an eye on moving into the top four for the Division 1 playoffs. They are currently sixth in the 12-team division.
“We have an amazing culture on this team,” said Norum, who bats leadoff for the Torreys and is committed to play college ball at Cal. “We have a young team, but we have great coaching. If you don’t play team baseball, embrace the team concept, tutor the young players, you don’t play.”
Norum and fellow senior Santino Grasso set the table for the Torreys, winners of three in a row and seven of their last nine, as they improved to 14-10 overall and 9-3 in league play. With three league games to play, LJCD leads Classical Academy (10-14, 6-5) by two full games, Bishop’s by one and Santa Fe Christian by two.
“Winning the league is no guarantee, but we’re playing well, getting hot,” said LJCD coach John Edman. “We have a team that is young to varsity baseball.
“Two of our pitchers (Matthew Onaitis and Elias Hanley) are freshmen. And we have other young guys in key spots. But I’ve never had a team that comes to practice every day looking to get better, eager to work. And our seniors (Norum, Grasso and shortstop Ryder Tootell) have a lot to do with that.
“If you had seen us in winter ball, you’d say there was no way this team could challenge for a league title. But here we are.”
Norum tripled, singled and walked on Wednesday; he drove in two runs and scored twice.
Grasso, batting second, singled, walked, drove in a run and scored one.
“We knew we’d be a young team, but we also knew we had some talent,” Grasso said. “So it was up to the seniors to step up and lead. I think it has helped because all those young guys have gotten better. Heck, we’ve all gotten better.”
Junior Josh Rock hit a three-run home run, singled and scored twice for the Torreys.
Sophomore Mitch Circuit homered, singled and drove in two.
Jamie Onaitis, a junior right-hander, improved to 5-3 on the season with six strong innings, striking out six and allowing just one earned run.
Dylan Perry had a single and double for Classical Academy, a Division 2 team for the playoffs.
Sammy McNemar slugged a long, two-run homer for the Caimans.
Catcher Trevor Hoff, who is hitting .354 with four homers and 18 RBIs, didn’t play for Classical Academy after taking a number of pitches off the mask earlier in the week.
“That’s really too bad,” Edman said. “He’s a really good player. But we can only worry about ourselves.”
The Torreys host Classical Academy on Friday, then finish the league season next week with a pair of league games against Maranatha Christian.
Classical Academy has three games next week against Francis Parker while Bishop’s has two games against Parker and three against Santa Fe Christian to finish the regular season.
