Surgery to repair ligament damage in the elbow is scary for any pitcher, young or old. Teenagers, in particular, wonder if they’ve been given a road block to future success. Right-hander Julian Garcia was stuck in the St. John Bosco dugout last season recovering from his surgery while cheering on his team as it won the Southern Section Division 1 championship.
On Friday night, before a packed crowd of 4,762 at Cal State Fullerton’s Goodwin Field, Garcia was throwing pitches so hard — 95 mph — and so precise — zero walks— that healthy pitchers might want to start volunteering for InternalBrace surgery to be like him. He struck out 14 and gave up one hit to lead the Braves to a 2-0 win over Norco and a second consecutive Division 1 title.
“This is what every high school team plays the season for to win this championship,” Garcia said. “It was something that shattered my heart last year that I didn’t play. I told my teammates for the last three outs, ‘Let’s do it.’”
The pitching duel for the first four innings was nothing short of spectacular. Garcia had eight strikeouts and only gave up a first-inning double to Codey Brown. Jordan Ayala of Norco retired the first 10 batters and had six strikeouts without giving up a hit. He finished with 10 strikeouts and gave up three hits.
Moises Razo led off the fifth inning for St. John Bosco with his team’s first hit. A walk gave the Braves two runners aboard with none out. After a strikeout, the runners moved up to second and third following a passed ball. That enabled Miles Clark to hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Razo for the game’s first run.
All the predictions before the game that a single run might decide looked true. As good as both teams’ hitters have been performing this season, these two pitchers were throwing at a level that even major-league scouts could appreciate.
“He looked really good,” Norco third baseman Jayden Serna said of Garcia. “He had his best stuff. It’s tough. It hurts right now.”
Jack Champlin gave Garcia an insurance run in the sixth with a booming RBI triple off the wall in left field, only the Braves’ second hit of the game.
Norco (28-5) was seeking its first baseball title and should be the preseason favorite in 2027 with eight starters returning next season. St. John Bosco (27-5), under coach Andy Rojo, had a much tougher challenge this season in trying to repeat, but in the playoffs, its experienced players kept delivering and players like each other so much that they voted to keep playing in next week’s Southern California Regional tournament instead of joining their club teams.
Garcia is committed to Long Beach State but his performances in the last month must intrigue pro scouts. Rojo just appreciates the redemption Garcia earned. He was the losing pitcher in a 1-0 game his sophomore year, had to overcome his injury and returned to peak form to deliver a pitching performance that will be remembered and admired for years.
“For me, it’s the story of the year,” Rojo said. “It was the arc of redemption. He deserved that moment.”
Division 9
Webb 12, Rolling Hills Prep 6: Sophomore Aidan Kaushal finished with two triples, a double and four RBIs while senior Alec Kaushal added three hits to help Webb win the Division 9 championship. Geoffrey Yang pitched 6 1/3 innings of relief after Rolling Hills Prep opened the game with four runs in the first. Jake Levin had three hits for Rolling Hills Prep.
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