It’s early in the morning, and Birmingham baseball coach Matt Mowry is at the supermarket looking through the flowers section before classes begin. He’s engaged in an unseen, often undervalued duty as a coach — providing comfort to players and their families.
One of his players, 16-year-old sophomore outfielder JJ Rodriguez, lost his father, Anthony, 53, on a Saturday morning last month when he died in his sleep at home. Mowry is looking for a bouquet of flowers to present to JJ’s mother, Nancy, before his first game back.
There are no easy answers how to help a family dealing with grief. Mowry went through his own tragedy in 2022 when his wife, Amy, died of cancer. He prays for her before each game, looking up to the sky while grasping his wife’s necklace, then kissing a ring that has her fingerprint tattooed on it.
The message Mowry told JJ: “Times are going to be tough There’s moments you’re going to break down. It’s OK. You don’t have to hide it.”
The reason No. 1-seeded Birmingham doesn’t open the City Section Open Division baseball playoffs until Thursday is because Anthony’s funeral is Wednesday, and players and coaches will be there to provide support.
Anthony Rodriguez, the father of Birmingham baseball player JJ Rodriguez, died last month.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles)
JJ missed a couple days of school and one game after his father’s death. He wanted to be alone and was skeptical about coming back any time soon.
“He would message me and tell me coming here and being around my teammates would make me more comfortable and get my mind off things,” JJ said of Mowry. “I wanted to be alone a little bit because my mind was not in the right place. But the day I came back, I learned these guys are my family.”
JJ has become an important part of his team, starting in left field while batting No. 9 in the order. The Patriots won their first West Valley League title in 20 years and are trying to win their sixth City title under Mowry.
JJ and his mother have appreciated the emotional support, allowing them to try to heal from their sorrow.
His mother told him, “Be strong for everyone else. Your dad will always be proud of you.”
There’s a candle in the room where his father was found.
“I sometimes go there and be alone at night and talk to myself,” he said.
Before games, JJ says a prayer and thinks of his father.
“Every game,” he said. “It’s for you, Dad.”
On May 23, the City final will take place at Dodger Stadium.
Imagine the thrill for players of the two teams who reach the final. They’ll get to walk the infield, put some grass in their pockets, look up into the stands, hang out in the dugout of the two-time defending world champions.
For JJ, his father won’t be able to watch him. Or maybe he will. Every day is a step forward to healing. It’s hard, but he’s got a coach watching over him.
“I talked to him about what my son went through in the same situation,” Mowry said. “I had him get back out with the guys and be there whether he practiced or played.”
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. One week to go in the high school baseball regular season. Birmingham made a big move in the City Section.
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Birmingham rises
Sophomore catcher Jordan Lindsay is all smiles for Birmingham after RBI double in the fourth inning.
(Craig Weston)
Two sophomores, pitcher Carlos Acuna and catcher Jordan Lindsay, rose up last week to push Birmingham to within one win of clinching the West Valley League baseball championship and earning a rare No. 1 seed for the City Section Open Division playoffs.
Acuna is set to start on the mound Monday against Cleveland, and that would wrap up the first league title for coach Matt Mowry since he took over the program in 2007. He’s won five City titles.
The big series this week in the City Section involves South Gate and Garfield. They are tied for first place in the Eastern League. Along with Bell, the league could have a record three teams chosen for the Open Division playoffs if South Gate comes through.
In the Southern Section, the final week is all about trying to lock up an automatic playoff berth so as not to have to rely on computer rankings for an at-large berth when playoff pairings are announced on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Norco (Big VIII), St. John Bosco (Trinity), Ayala (Palomares), Huntington Beach (Sunset), Cypress (Crestview) have clinched high seeds in the Division 1 playoffs. Harvard-Westlake (Mission) is closing in on the Mission League title. Orange Lutheran is No. 2 in the Trinity, but who gets No. 3? Mater Dei needs a win over Orange Lutheran in a three-game series this week to help its chances.
According to last week’s Southern Section power rankings, these are the 16 teams that would make up the Division 1 playoffs with one week to go: 1. Norco, 2. Harvard-Westlake, 3. Orange Lutheran, 4. Corona, 5. Ayala, 6. Sierra Canyon, 7. St. John Bosco, 8. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 9. Temecula Valley, 10. Cypress, 11. Huntington Beach, 12. Oaks Christian, 13. Etiwanda, 14. La Mirada, 15. Corona Santaigo, 16. Maranatha.
Norco won two of three games from Corona in a terrific three-game series to win the Big VIII League title. Both teams should be in the 16-team Division 1 field.
Servite pulled off a 1-0 win over Orange Lutheran even though the Lancers’ Gary Morse threw a no-hitter.
Brentwood 6-foot-5 junior pitcher Jack Kaplan has been having a terrific season, including a perfect game. He has 77 strikeouts in 44 innings. His pitching coach is former UCLA and MLB pitcher Tim Leary.
Blake Bowen of JSerra ended his high school career this week with nine home runs this season, including one in each victory of a three-game series with Santa Margarita. Here’s the report.
Castaic shared the title with West Ranch in the final season for coach Darrell Davis. Sophomore Orion Gonzalez is hitting .390 with 30 hits.
Mattias DiMaggio of Dos Puebos is a freshman baseball player hitting above .500.
(Dos Pueblos)
Few are having a better season than Dos Pueblos freshman Mattias Di Maggio. And yes, he’s a distant relative to Joe DiMaggio. Here’s the report.
Softball
The Trinity League softball race has gotten tight, with Orange Lutheran and JSerra both entering this week tied for first place at 5-3. Pitcher Liliana Escobar of JSerra has been leading the Lions’ surge. Orange Lutheran closes league play with a game at Santa Margarita on Tuesday. JSerra is at Mater Dei, with Escobar ready to deliver.
Granada Hills and Carson are looking like the top two teams in City Section softball. Granada Hills has a two-game lead in the West Valley League with three games to play. Carson has clinched at least a share of the Marine League title.
Norco (24-2) and Murrieta Mesa (23-1) continue on a collision course for the Southern Section playoffs. Pairings will be announced next Monday.
Loyola’s Ejam Johannes offers the “shoosh” sign after anchoring the winning 4×100 relay team. He also won the Mission League 400 and 200 titles.
(Craig Weston)
The Southern Section track and field prelims are set for Saturday. It’s all about qualifying and advancing and making sure batons are not dropped and violations don’t occur during relays.
The sites: Trabuco Hills (Division 1), Ontario (Division 2), Yorba Linda (Division 3) and Carpinteria (Division 4).
The Mission League finals last week featured two top Loyola athletes, Ejam Johannes and Zion Phelps. Here’s the report.
There’s lots of speed in the 100 meters. The Southern Section championships will take place in two weeks at Moorpark High.
The City Section will hold league finals this week.
Volleyball
Mira Costa’s Ruby Cochrane (facing) tries to block a tip attempt by JSerra’s Emma Champagne in the Southern Section Division 1 girls’ beach volleyball final. Cochrane and partner Olga Nikolaeva won, 21-19, 17-21, 15-13.
Mira Costa swept JSerra to win the Southern Section girls beach volleyball championship. Here’s the report.
Venice won the City Section team title.
Granada Hills is seeded No. 1 in the City Section boys volleyball playoffs. Here’s the pairings.
Grant Chang of Chatsworth delivers a kill against Granada Hills. He learned he was accepted to MIT.
Birmingham ended Palisades’ reign as City Section boys lacrosse champions. Here’s the report.
NFL star offers lessons
Indianapolis Colts safety Camryn Bynum (0) gestures toward the stands. He played at Corona Centennial.
(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)
There are so many lessons to be learned from former Corona Centennial defensive back Camryn Bynum, who is returning this month to hold a camp at his alma mater.
He was once fifth string on Centennial’s JV team as a sophomore. He decided to work harder and look where his path has taken him.
David Schuster is moving from Mission College Prep to head football coach at Ontario Christian….
JV coach Miguel Mayorga has been promoted to varsity basketball coach at Golden Valley….
Former Chatsworth star Alijah Arenas announced he is returning to USC next season….
Caleb Martin, a former assistant basketball coach at Oaks Christian, Harvard-Westlake and Vanguard, is the new head coach at St. Margaret’s….
Former Sherman Oaks Notre Dame basketball player Tyran Stokes has committed to Kansas….
Muir has received a $2-million donation from Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation to build a synthetic softball diamond. The field will be named, “Kobe and Gianna Bryant Field.” …
Matt LemMon has resigned as football coach at Garden Grove….
Former St. John Bosco and Notre Dame linebacker DJ Morgan is the new football coach at Leuzinger. He was the defensive coordinator….
Anaheim Canyon and Fullerton are changing their mascots next season because of a new state law requiring public schools to remove Native American team names that could be considered derogatory. Canyon will go from being the Comanches to the Cobras this fall. Fullerton will change from Indians to RedHawks….
Senior pitcher Alex Martinez of Sylmar has committed to the University of Redlands. His uncle was the late Glenn Martinez, a former assistant commissioner with the Southern Section and longtime baseball coach….
Alex Koers is the new girls basketball coach at Brea Olinda….
Harvard-Westlake has announced the appointment of Asha Prithviraj as its inaugural girls’ football coach. She previously worked at Mater Dei. 2026 will be the first season for flag football at Harvard-Westlake….
Pasadena Marshall Fundamental has dropped 11-man football for the 2026 season….
CJ Cooper is the new boys basketball coach at Capistrano Valley Christian….
Receiver Braylen Ross of Crean Lutheran has committed to Arizona…
Defensive back JuJu Johnson from Long Beach Poly has committed to UCLA….
Defensive lineman Alifeleti “Tolo” Tuihalamaka of Oaks Christian has committed to USC….
Uriel Villa is the new boys water polo coach at Orange Lutheran….
Palisades won its 17th consecutive City boys tennis title. Here’s the report.
From the archives: Isaiah Magdaleno
Isaiah Magdaleno from Crespi High has become one of the top pitchers for Hawaii and a pro prospect.
(Crespi)
Former Crespi pitcher Isaiah Magdaleno thrilled Hawaii baseball fans Friday night by striking out 16 and throwing a one-hitter in a win over UC Riverside.
He was primarily a relief pitcher starting out at Hawaii but has now become a pro prospect with his starting pitching. He’s 5-4 this season with a 2.75 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 72 innings.
He was the pitcher of the year in the Mission League in 2022.
In his first pitching start of the season, the Mission League pitcher of the year, Isaiah Magdaleno, takes down the No. 1 team in California. Crespi 3, Notre Dame 1. pic.twitter.com/nWEEhB25LP
From West Virginia, a story on adding flexibility to transfer rule.
From The562.org, a story on a $100,000 donation for Long Beach sports teams.
From The Athletic, a story on former Sherman Oaks Notre Dame basketball player Tyran Stokes.
Tweets you might have missed
With Japanese players so good and so fundamentally sound in baseball, someone needs to organize a trip to Japan for high school baseball coaches to see if there’s something to be learned.
The best freshman baseball player in Southern California lives in Santa Barbara. Mattias Di Maggio of Dos Pueblos has 34 hits, a .515 batting average, 9 home runs and four saves as a left-handed pitcher. He’s struck out once in 66 at-bats.
Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Famers at ECR no longer coaching softball. Now coaching at Northridge LL and West Valley softball. pic.twitter.com/g7kzM0UK2H
Congrats to Loyola Swim, winners of the Mission League title for the 20th consecutive season and owners of another undefeated league record — their 22nd perfect season in the last 23 years! #LoyolaSwimming | #GoCubspic.twitter.com/3a3FPelh4D
— Loyola High School Athletics (@LoyolaAthletics) May 1, 2026
Parents crying about an entire team being punished because of an ineligible player, please stop. Those who kept quiet and didn’t say anything, it’s on you. The administrators who didn’t look hard enough, it’s on you, too. Cheaters need to be caught early not late.
Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.
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Ruby Cochrane and Olga Nikolaeva epitomized the mindset Mira Costa brought to Saturday afternoon’s Southern Section Division 1 girls’ beach volleyball championship match at Long Beach City College.
Trailing 13-9 in the deciding third set of their match against JSerra’s top duo of Sara Moynihan and Emma Champagne, the Stanford-bound seniors rallied to win the last six points and complete the Mustangs’ 5-0 sweep to reclaim the title they lost 3-2 to league rival Redondo Union last spring.
“We wanted to end our senior year with a bang and not be the only pair to lose,” Cochrane said.
Upon receiving the championship plaque, players formed a circle and took turns kissing it as they passed it around.
Mira Costa captured its third title in four tries since the CIF sanctioned the sport in 2023 and when you add the eight Interscholastic Beach Volleyball League titles the Mustangs won prior to that they deserve to be called queens of the beach.
Our coach was like, ‘you’re capable of coming back,’ so we had to do it,” Nikolaeva added. “Ruby is one of my best friends and we have a great bond.”
The Mustangs’ other four tandems each won in straight sets — Allyn Hilt and Lily Sprague at No. 2; Lily Vandeweghe and Lucy Matuszak at No. 3; Sofia Sala and Samantha Nammack at No. 4 and Lily Enfield and Lerin Rosenthal at the No. 5 spot.
Mira Costa (24-1) is 75-3 in four seasons of CIF Southern Section competition, including 67-0 against every team other than Redondo Union, against which it holds an 8-3 advantage. The Mustangs improved to 5-0 against the Lions (17-3), who upset Redondo Union in the semifinals.
The Mustangs have won 14 of 15 sets in their three Division 1 finals victories.
DIVISION 2
Bishop Montgomery, making its first finals appearance, prevailed 3-2 over Edison thanks to the heroics of sophomore twins Hailey and Alyssa Waters, who clinched the championship with a 13-21, 21-17, 15-12 victory over the Chargers’ tandem of Sydney Kershaw and Emery Oakes.
“Being twins causes fighting but we’ve always played together and our connection makes us stronger,” Alyssa said.
“Before that last set we took a minute to talk to each other,” Hailey added. “We knew what we were doing.”
The Knights’ No. 1 duo of sisters Stacy and Stephanie Balestrieri and the No. 4 duo of Kendall McKechnie and Carli Duda both won in straight sets.
DIVISION 3
Freshmen Hannah Martin and Lucy Morris earned the decisive point with a 21-16, 22-20 win on Court 5 in Long Beach Millikan’s 4-1 triumph over Windward.
“We didn’t know the score or what was going on in the other matches,” Martin said. “:Lucy and I were just focusing on ours. We’re really close friends but this is our first time playing together in CIF. We both play indoor too but in beach you have to have more trust because it’s only two of you.”
Madison Jones and Johanna Swerdloff won 21-17, 16-21, 15-8 at No. 2, Bella Bonales and Estale Lopez won 21-15, 21-18 at No. 3 and Olivia Vits and Samantha Guman won 21-12, 21-15 at No. 4 for the Rams (14-7), who lost to Long Beach Wilson in the Division 2 final last year.
Millikan is the third Moore League school to win a Southern Section title in the brief history of the sport, joining Wilson and Long Beach Poly, who won Divisions 2 and 3 last year. The Bay League is only other with multiple champions (Mira Costa and Redondo Union).
DiVISION 4
In the first finals appearance for both programs, Oak Park swept the last four courts to claim the inaugural Division 4 crown against Campbell Hall, a Division 3 semifinalist last season. Seniors Athena Trewyn and Kaela Raquel won 19-21, 21-19, 15-12 on Court 3 to notch the clinching point for the Eagles (11-5).
“We’ve never made it past the quarterfinals and we didn’t even make the playoffs last year,” said second-year coach Josh Giron, whose team practices at North Ranch Playfield in Thousand Oaks, a 30-minute drive from campus. “We have one court for 20 girls and sometimes we have to cancel practice because another team’s using it.”
Birmingham coach Matt Mowry works with his players on going with pitches to right field. The Patriots came through with perfection on Wednesday.
Four times in the decisive fourth inning, Birmingham hitters hit outside pitches to right field for base hits, igniting a four-run inning and leading to a 10-2 victory, pulling the Patriots into a first-place tie with El Camino Real in the West Valley League going a Friday game at Birmingham.
Sophomore Carlos Acuna threw a complete game for Birmingham in 10-2 win over El Camino Real.
(Craig Weston)
Sophomore catcher Jordan Lindsay had the biggest hitting of the fourth, an RBI double down the right-field line to tie the score, 1-1. Ethan Dalumpines followed with RBI single to right field. JuJu Monroe-Truitt and Larkin Fleming also contribued RBI singles to right off Jackson Sellz.
“He’s on us at practice to go to the right side,” Lindsay said of Mowry.
The Patriots blew the game open with a six-run fifth, including an RBI single from Lindsay and one walk and one hit batter with the bases loaded to push across runs. Carlos Acuna threw a complete game. Both teams are seeking a win Friday because the league champion figures to be the No. 1 seed for the City Section Open Division playoffs.
RJ De La Rosa had an RBI single and double for ECR.
Harvard-Westlake 8, Chaminade 0: James Tronstein continued his impressive power display by hitting two home runs, a double and driving in three runs. He has eight home runs on the season. Evan Alexander struck out 10 in five innings.
Norco 1, Corona 0: It took nine innings to settle this Big VIII League showdown with Jayden Serna delivering the walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth inning. Jordan Ayala threw seven scoreless innings for Norco. Mason Sims gave up one hit in eight innings for Corona.
Sierra Canyon 3, Loyola 2: The Trailblazers won despite home runs from Loyola’s Bobby Rapp and Jack Murray.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 8, Bishop Alemany 3: Benett Pace went four for four and Jacob Madrid homered for the Knights.
Carson 6, Narbonne 5: Nate Ruan and Fernando Barajas each had two hits for Carson.
Edison 4, Corona del Mar 0: Noah Hunter struck out 10 and gave up two hits in six innings for Edison.
Ayala 8, Claremont 0: Easton Sarmiento struck out eight in four innings. Caleb Trugman had three hits.
Huntington Beach 2, Newport Harbor 1: Jared Grindlinger thew his first complete game of the season, striking out seven and walking none. Ely Mason had a home run.
JSerra 13, Santa Margarita 3: The Lions hit four home runs, including another from Blake Bowen, in the Trinity League win. Aidan Rae had three RBIs.
Garfield 10, South East 3: Michael Santillan had four hits for Garfield.
Bell 6, Legacy 1: Jayden Rojas had two hits and four RBIs.
Chatsworth 16, Cleveland 1: Nihaan Kothari had three hits and Damian Ayala had three RBIs for Chatsworth.
Granada Hills 12, Taft 0: Landon Tuch had four hits and Luke Chau struck out nine with no walks in five innings for Granada Hills.
West Ranch 6, Hart 5: Josh Price went three for three with three RBIs.
Etiwanda 14, Rancho Cucamonga 2: The Eagles celebrated a Baseline League championship. Adam Ornelas had four hits.
Corona Santiago 13, Corona Centennial 4: Jonathan Thornton had four hits and six RBIs, including a grand slam, for Santiago.
Birmingham never wins the West Valley League baseball championship. But the Patriots are certainly putting themselves within striking distance of first-place El Camino Real.
They remained one game behind El Camino Real after an 8-0 win over Granada Hills on Tuesday in which Carlos Acuna gave up one hit in six innings and struck out 11. He also had two hits. Sebastian Valadez and Toni Mendoza each had two hits and two RBIs.
El Camino Real and Birmingham play a two-game series beginning April 29.
Harvard-Westlake 2, St. Francis 0: Junior Justin Kirchner threw six scoreless innings with 14 strikeouts and Ira Rootman had a home run and two RBIs.
Loyola 9, Bishop Alemany 3: Sophomore Austin Junk had a three-run home run and double and Luca Marucci also homered in the Cubs’ Mission League win. Mikey Martinez homered for Alemany.
Chaminade 12, Crespi 5: Bronson Jackson, Isaiah Hearn and Robby Morgan each hit home runs in the Mission League win. Kystan Bell had three hits for Crespi.
St. John Bosco 6, Servite 0: Julian Garcia showed off overpowering stuff, striking out 12 with no walks while giving up two hits to help the Braves (17-5, 9-1) remain in first place in the Trinity League. Jaden Jackson had two hits and two RBIs.
Orange Lutheran 6, Santa Margarita 3: The top-ranked Lancers scored four runs in the seventh to overcome a 3-2 deficit. Hamilton Friedberg had three hits and three RBIs and CJ Weinstein added three hits.
Newbury Park 6, Calabasas 5: Jack Laubacher had two hits and three RBIs in the Panthers’ eight-inning win.
Westlake 5, Thousand Oaks 3: The Warriors stayed in first place in the Marmonte League. Jaxson Necklen hit two home runs and Blake Miller added a home run, double, single and two RBIs.
Newport Harbor 8, Fountain Valley 1: Gavin Guy threw six innings in the Sunset League win.
Huntington Beach 6, Los Alamitos 3: Jared Grindlinger hit two doubles to keep Huntington Beach unbeaten in the Sunset League.
Gahr 2, Warren 1: Andres Gonzalez hit a two-run home run in the first inning for Gahr.
La Mirada 6, Downey 1: Michael Burgueno went four for four and Jacob Oropeza contributed two doubles.
San Clemente 4, Aliso Niguel 1: Bob Erspamer gave up two hits with six strikeouts in a complete game.
England and Real Madrid footballer Jude Bellingham has bought a 1% stake in cricket team Birmingham Phoenix.
The deal for The Hundred franchise, set to be confirmed on Wednesday, is worth around £800,000.
The eight franchises were put up for sale last year and American investment group Knighthead Capital Management, who own Bellingham’s former club Birmingham City, bought a 49% stake for £48m. Warwickshire retained their 51% stake.
Bellingham is a cricket fan and played junior cricket for Hagley Cricket Club in Worcestershire.
Asked in an interview last year which sportsperson he would swap places with, he said England Test captain Ben Stokes.
Legendary NFL quarterback Brady is also part of the Knighthead group.
