April 28, 2025
By Loren Kopff • @LorenKopff on X
In the brief existence of the Suburban Valley Conference, the Norwalk High baseball program has gone from the summit to the deepest end of the valley and now back to in between. In 2023, the Lancers carved through the Mid-Cities League, winning all 15 games, posted a 23-5 overall record and advanced to the CIF-Southern Section quarterfinals.
Last season, the promotion to the tougher Gateway League resulted in three wins overall and 0-12 in the circuit. Now, the Lancers are back in the comparable Mid-Cities League and following a four and a half-inning, 13-0 win over Lynwood High last Friday, they officially locked up third place and a berth in the upcoming CIF-SS divisional playoffs. The purple and gold improved to 13-8, 9-4 and have two games remaining in the regular season. The 13 victories are the third most since 2022 and the 12th time since 1999 the program has reached double digits in victories.
“I’m kind of excited about the turnaround the guys have had since last year,” said Norwalk first-year head coach Jose Rodriguez. “Their season wasn’t as desirable…but they turned it around and had some good wins. We’re getting better as this stretch of the season is going on [and] we’re just trying to close it out. They’re not the toughest opponents, but I’m making sure the guys are taking care of business.”
In addition to the 10-win turnaround with two games left against fourth place Firebaugh High this week, the season is that more special considering Rodriguez was hired less than a week before the first game of the season. And only three players return from last season-senior catcher Israel Molina, senior right fielder Angel Martinez and senior pitcher and third baseman Cesar Urueta.
“It just goes to show that we have some good, young talent and not only am I happy for the remaining part of the season, but I’m happy for the years to come,” said Rodriguez. “We have a good group of freshmen and sophomores to build the program, especially since this is my first year that I can actually build something here for a long time.”
Against Lynwood, three sophomores and two freshmen were among the starting 10 including sophomore pitcher David Ibarra, who faced 20 batters, allowed three hits and struck out nine batters. He is the third Norwalk pitch to have thrown a complete game this season. After a scoreless first inning, Norwalk sent nine batters to the plate and scored half a dozen runs.
Junior second baseman Dominic Castillo led off the frame with a single to the right field gap and sophomore shortstop Edwin Figueroa was safe on an error. Both would score on a triple down the left field line from freshman right fielder Jared Brammer, who then in turn stole home for a 3-0 lead.
In the next inning and up 6-0, Brammer doubled in Figueroa with one out and scored when sophomore left fielder Benjamin Castellanos reached on a fielder’s choice. Two pitches later, freshman pinch hitter Marcus Castillo smacked a three-run home run. The last two runs were scored with two outs in the fourth when Figueroa and Martinez had back to back doubles, followed by a run-scoring single from junior pinch hitter Daniel Albidrez. Of the 15 players to come to the plate in the game, 13 reached base safely with Brammer having the best performance, going two for two, scoring twice and driving in three.
“I think our strength is definitely our defense,” said Rodriguez. “We have good, young outfielders who can go get the ball and we have some infielders who can play as well.
Before taking the job, Rodriguez did not know anything about the program other than the winless mark in the Gateway League where the Lancers were facing Downey High, Gahr High, La Mirada High and Warren High in which they were outscored 138-7 by those teams. In the nine league wins this season, Norwalk has outscored Dominguez High, Firebaugh, Lynwood and Paramount 99-8.
This is the first head coaching job for Rodriguez at the high school level, though he played at Warren and was on the coaching staff there as well as at Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary High. Norwalk’s regular season finale will be at Firebaugh on Friday.
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