PaliHi Baseball, Softball Wrap Up Seasons

The competitive Western League baseball season came right down to the wire last week, but Palisades High finished tied for fourth at 7-5 and missed the playoffs for the first time in head coach Mike Voelkel’s six seasons.
Entering this season, PaliHi had lost just three Western League games under Voelkel, but was plagued by injuries and close losses throughout the year. The Dolphins closed their season with a 3-0 win over University, with junior Holt Maybank striking out seven over five innings in his first start of the season. Pali lost to University earlier in the week.
“We had inconsistency with our play and our approach,” Voelkel told the Palisadian-Post. “It was a multitude of variables, and we weren’t able to control what we needed to control. In the end, we just didn’t have enough wins.”
Voelkel will have a strong class of juniors moving up to replace several key departing players like pitchers Spencer and Harrison Simon and outfielder Sam Wasserman. Pitcher/first baseman Cade Hulse, pitchers Anthony Polous and Maybank, infielder Harrison McElroy and outfielder Julian Hart will provide a solid core.
“If we’re going to have a championship pedigree team, a season like this should motivate us to fill the cracks of what we missed and improve the things we did well,” Voelkel said.
Hamilton won the Western League title by finishing 9-3, one game ahead of both Venice and University.

Softball Earns No. 15 Seed in Playoffs

The Pali softball team finished the season with a flourish, routing University, 17-2 and 10-4 last week, only to draw defending City champion El Camino Real in the first round of the City Section playoffs.
The Dolphins, who went 13-6 overall and 9-3 in Western League play under first-year head coach Manuel Flores, played at second-seeded El Camino on Tuesday after the Post’s press deadline. El Camino entered the game 21-6 on the year.
The Dolphins will lean on senior outfielder and captain Amber Flores in the playoffs, as well as junior pitcher/outfielder Taymar Cox, junior outfielder Lily Lack and senior pitcher Alexis Muir.