MSN_061319

28 | June 13, 2019 | Malibu surfside news sports
malibusurfsidenews.com
Athlete of the Week
10 Questions
with Chase Kelly
Kelly made Second Team
All-League as a member
of the Malibu High School
baseball team.
When and why did you
start playing baseball?
I started when I was 7
and with T-ball in the city
of Malibu. Then I started
doing Little League.
Easton Lucas, a native of Simi Valley, delivers a pitch during his stellar 2019 campaign
after which he was named Second Team All-Conference. Jeff Golden/Pepperdine
Athletics
Waves baseball players
What do you like most
about it?
I like hanging out with
my friends and spending
time. I met some of
my best friends in Little
League and it’s something
that I enjoy.
Do you have any
superstitions before a
game?
I don’t think so, I’m not
really into any superstitions.
What is your favorite
sports moment?
When I was in Little
League, there was a game
we played that went into
extra innings. I was pitching
with this other kid and
we [both] pitched 12 innings.
It was a lot of fun.
What is one thing
people don’t know
about you?
I work with the California
State Park as a lifeguard.
If you could have any
superpower, which
would you have?
I would want to be Captain
America and his superpowers.
What would you do if
you won the lottery?
I would travel and buy
a couple surf boards. I
would donate whatever
was left.
If you could play any
other sport, which
would it be?
Surfside News File Photo
I would play basketball;
that seems pretty fun.
What is one thing on
your bucket list?
I want to go to Australia,
that would be pretty cool.
If you could be any
animal, which would
you be?
I really think pelicans are
really cool. That probably
sounds weird, but they get
to hang out.
Interview by Assistant Editor
Michal Dwojak
selected in latest draft
Submitted content
For the eighth year in a
row, Pepperdine had multiple
baseball players selected
in the MLB Draft.
Easton Lucas, a local
product out of Simi Valley,
was the Waves’ highest
drafted player, taken in the
14th round by the Miami
Marlins.
Other Waves drafted
were: Quincy McAfee
(Cincinnati Reds, 26th
Round), Jonathan Pendergast
(Baltimore Orioles,
28th Round), Wil Jensen
(Oakland Athletics, 28th
Round) and Matthew Kanfer
(Los Angeles Dodgers,
26th Round).
Lucas was a breakout star
in his final year as a Wave,
putting together the best
season of his career. As the
steady Saturday starter, Lucas
went 5-4 overall and 4-2
in conference play, striking
out 57 batters against WCC
opponents, tied for second
best in the conference. In
league play, he put up a
3.32 ERA and walked only
nine batters. He picked up
his first postseason honor
as he was named to the
All-West Coast Conference
second team.
McAfee was second on
the team in batting average
as a junior, hitting .310 in
47 games. He led the team
in doubles for the second
year in a row with 15 and
was third in total hits with
58. In his career, McAfee
started 147 of the 149
games he played in and
had a career batting average
of .275. He was named
to the WCC All-Freshman
team in 2017 and the All-
WCC second team in 2018.
One of the most dominant
pitchers in the WCC
over the past two seasons,
Pendergast backed up his
2018 WCC Pitcher of the
Year campaign with another
rock solid season.
The senior from San Diego
went 7-3 on the year with a
3.51 ERA. He was second
on the team in strikeouts
with 64 over 76.2 innings.
Jensen did not get too
much action this year, just
5.1 innings pitched, due to
coming back from Tommy
John surgery last year. In
those five innings, he struck
out three batters. Last year,
he was on pace for an outstanding
season, going 5-0
with a miniscule 0.74 ERA
over 48.1 innings before
going down to injury.
Kanfer wrapped up his
career in Malibu with one
of his best seasons.
One of two players to
start and play in all 49
games, Kanfer was third on
the team in batting average
at .301. He was second on
the team with three home
runs and 10 doubles. A career
.291 hitter, Kanfer was
named to the WCC All-
Freshman team in 2016,
and the All-WCC first team
as a junior in 2018.