Results tagged “Yucaipa High School Thunderbirds Baseball Team” from Yucaipa Now

YUCAIPA - The #1 seed Yucaipa Thunderbirds (25-2 overall, 13-1 Citrus Belt League Champions) representing the Citrus Belt League drew a home game on Thursday in the CIF Southern Section Division II Baseball Playoffs against the winner of the wild card game between Righetti and Crescenta Valley on Tuesday.

Righetti (13-13 overall, 10-8 league) of Santa Maria plays in the Pac-7 league where the Warriors finished in fourth place. Crescenta Valley of La Cresenta competes in the Pacific League where the Falcons placed third with a 9-5 record, 16-9 overall.

Game time is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. at Thompson Field, Home of the Thunderbirds.

Yucaipa won the 2009 Citrus Belt League Championship with a 23-0 win over Eisenhower Thursday. It's was the Thunderbirds first outright league championship since 2003.
By Bob Otto / Staff Photographer

YUCAIPA - They took second in 2008, third in '07, another second in '06, and they tied for the league title in 2005. But winning an outright Citrus Belt League baseball championship has been a slippery mountain to climb for the Thunderbirds.

But on Thursday the drought came to an end as Yucaipa overwhelmed the Eisenhower Eagles, 23-0, to claim the undisputed CBL Championship - a championship the Thunderbirds last held in 2003. The win improves Yucaipa's league record to 13-1, 25-2 overall, While Eisenhower finishes its season at 1-13 CBL, 2-19 overall.

"Our goal this year was that we wanted to start off with a league championship," said Jeff Stout, now in his 33rd year as head coach of the Thunderbirds. "We've not won league in the past few years and we've had to play a wildcard round (in CIF Southern Section Division II Playoffs), or we've had to play a pretty formidable team early and we've been exiting."

File Photos / Bob Otto Staff Photographer

YUCAIPA - The Thunderbirds baseball team finds itself flying high these days as USA Today has the T-Birds ranked #4 in the nation among the "Super 25" high school baseball teams.

The USA Today's Top Four

1. Jesuit of Tampa, FL (19-0)
2. Lakeland, FL (16-0)
3. Bellaire, Houston, TX (17-1-1)
4. Yucaipa ( 14-1)
The T-Birds only loss came on April 8th, 4-5, to Torrey Pines of Rancho Buena Vista in the San Diego Lions Tournament where the T-Birds finished 3-1.

While #4 in the nation is fantastic, Yucaipa also claims the #1 spot in the CIF-SS Division II Coaches' Baseball Ranking as of April 6.

1. Yucaipa
2. El Toro
3. Crespi
4. Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks
5. Palos Verdes
6. Upland
7. Arcadia
8. St. Francis
9. San Luis Obispo
10. Vista Del Lago

However, Yucaipa will have its hands full this week with three Citrus Belt League foes trying to shoot them down from their lofty perches. On Tuesday, Yucaipa hosts Redlands (9-6, 2-2 CBL); Thursday they host Fontana (8-7, 3-1 CBL); and on Friday they take on the always tough and current CBL leader Redlands East Valley (8-4, 3-0 CBL) at REV.

Yucaipa currently has a 2-0 record in CBL play. All three games are scheduled for 3:15 p.m.