CONCORD, CA (Apr. 25, 2025) — De La Salle and Clayton Valley Charter have been the local standard-bearer high school baseball programs in the past few decades, but last spring saw them finish with less than normal success.

The Spartans have ruled the roost in North Coast Section baseball, reaching the Section championship game in Division I every year since 2011 including winning six straight titles from 2016-2023 before they were dethroned in a historic 1-0 extra inning defeat to Granda-Livermore last May in a game that took two days to decide.

Among the four schools to defeat DLS for a NCS championship was College Park in 2015.

And noticeably missing from those NCS playoffs last spring were the Ugly Eagles who ended the 2024 season with the program’s first losing overall and league records in the 21st Century.

This spring De La Salle is currently ranked fourth in the Bay Area and Clayton Valley Charter is back to its winning tradition with the 10th place ranking in the latest prep poll.

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Baseball league season is just revving up in the Diablo Athletic League as College Park won its opening doubleheader round with a pair of one-run victories over Campolindo. CVCHS got its DAL Foothill division schedule underway last week vs. Alhambra.

The six teams in both DAL divisions play home and away games each week against one school with the league schedule wrapping up May 15.

College Park’s tall righthander James Voorhies took up pitching six months ago and threw a Friday night no-hitter earlier this month at Burlingame High as the Falcons won 5-0. The game was a 1-0 affair until the sixth inning when College Park put four runs across the plate.

The senior Voorhies, who catches when he is not on the mound, struck out 14 and walked two batters in facing two over the minimum 21 in the seven-inning game. Voorhies is committed to Cal State Northridge in the fall. He ended the game with his 14th strikeout. His no-no effort earned him the Bay Area News Group reader’s vote as Boys Athlete of the Week.

De La Salle lost its first two games of the season but is on a nine-game winning streak since. The second of those two losses was an NCS championship rematch with Granada in Concord. The teams may hook up again in the East Bay Athletic League playoffs on the final week of the regular season May 13-16.

Granada is currently No. 2 in the Bay Area, two spots ahead of the Spartans. EBAL schools Dublin, Livermore and Foothill are also in the top 20.
The NCS playoffs run May 20-31. NorCal Regional games conclude the season June 3-7.

Jay Bedecarré

Sports and Schools Editor at The Concord Clayton Pioneer | sports@pioneerpublishers.com | Website

Jay Bedecarré is a long-time resident and writer in Concord and Clayton. He began his newspaper writing career while still a senior at Mt. Diablo High School and he has been part of The Pioneer since its inception in 2003. Jay also operates Bay Area Festivals, presenting events around the San Francisco Bay Area including Bay Area KidFest annually in Downtown Concord.