Milestone Man

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Palisades High baseball coach Mike Voelkel reached a number few coaches can last Friday at North Venice Little League. The Dolphins beat Western League rival Hamilton 7-4 to give their coach his 300th victory with the blue and white and afterwards he took it in stride, as he had the previous 299.

“It’s great… a big milestone in California and losing one year to COVID,” said Voelkel, now in his 18th season at Palisades after having relocated to Southern California from the state of Washington, where he coached at Hoquiam and Aberdeen high schools in Grays Harbor County in the 1990s. “It just means that I’ve been doing this awhile. Down here teams play year-round so being able to practice over a longer period of time makes a huge difference. Also, there are more schools in LA than in the Pacific Northwest so there’s more talent since more kids are playing.”   

Voelkel entered the 2025 season two wins shy of 300 and crept to within one of the mark after Palisades’ 6-1 triumph over Kennedy on March 1. On Friday, Ian Sullivan (four innings) and Max Miller (three) handled the pitching while Andreas Konnari got two hits to pave the way to victory. Palisades, despite not being able to play or practice at George Robert Field as a result of the Palisades Fire, began the season with back-to-back lossses to reigning league champion Venice. The teams will meet a third time April 23.    

Since taking the reins from Tom Seyler in 2008, Voelkel has piloted the program to 20 or more wins six times. Under his leadership, the Dolphins have made the playoffs every year except 2013 and last year marked the first time they failed to make the highest division.

Voelkel has posted an exceptional record in league play, guiding the Dolphins to 11 league crowns, including a 72-game winning league streak from 2017 to 2024. Palisades advanced to the City Open Division championship game at Dodger Stadium in 2019 and has made the semifinals at USC twice under Voelkel, in 2014 and 2023.