Capistrano Valley power pitcher and hitter led team to CIFSS Div. I title and nips Norco's Matt Hobgood for state player of the year honor. He's just the fourth Mr. Baseball from Orange County since 1980.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor

Some of the decisions on who should be the CalHiSports.com Mr. Baseball State Player of the Year over the decades have been legendary.

Look back at 1982, for example, when the top player in Northern California was an outfielder from Serra of San Mateo named Barry Bonds while the top player in Southern California was a pitcher from Cleveland of Reseda named Bret Saberhagen. Since Saberhagen had thrown a no-hitter at Dodger Stadium in the L.A. City Section final while Bonds' last game for Serra was a loss, Saberhagen earned the nod.

This year's choice for the state's most prestigious individual honor, since it has been handed out much longer than any other statewide award, could one day be similar to Bonds vs. Saberhagen and frankly we hope that is the case.

Instead of Bonds vs. Saberhagen or Aaron Hicks of Long Beach Wilson vs. Riverside Patriot's Kyle Skipworth (which was last year's debate), this year it came down to Tyler Matzek from Capistrano Valley of Mission Viejo vs. Matt Hobgood of Norco and the final, close in-house staff vote went to Matzek, who has now been named as the 2009 Mr. Baseball honoree.

Matzek is just the fourth player from Orange County since 1980 to be the State Player of the Year. The previous three have been Ian Stewart from La Quinta of Westminster in 2003, Tom Redington from Esperanza of Anaheim in 1987 and Lenny Dykstra of Garden Grove in 1981.

One of the reasons these selections are so difficult is that we have never awarded co-players, co-coaches or co-anything in any ranking, all-state pick or any other evaluation that has been made.

Which brings us to 2009 where Matzek and Hobgood come about as close to being co-players of the year that the state has ever seen. In fact, for the All-CIF Southern Section Division I honor squad the two were indeed co-players of the year.

If this was a race, Hobgood was clearly in the lead at the end of the regular season with pitching and hitting dominance seldom seen in the state. Then the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs began. In the quarterfinals, Hobgood's Norco team faced Mater Dei of Santa Ana and his perfect season on the mound was spoiled in a 7-4 defeat. At that point, Matzek had yet to catch up to Hobgood, but after Capistrano Valley shut out Riverside Poly in the semifinals on a two-hitter by Matzek plus the only RBI in a 1-0 win that got the Cougars into the championship game, the margin was slim indeed.

For Matzek to perhaps surpass Hobgood, a strong effort in the title game against Edison of Huntington Beach at Angels Stadium had to happen and it did. With a 0-0 tie in the top of the seventh inning, Matzek unloaded on a pitch from another one of the state's top pitchers, Kurt Heyer, and lifted a long home run over the right field fence. He then pitched in the bottom of the seventh and struck out the final batter with the bases loaded to wrap up a 1-0 win for the Cougars.

Three days later, in the annual MLB Draft, Hobgood was tabbed with the fifth pick in the first round by the Baltimore Orioles. Matzek went at No. 11 by the Colorado Rockies. Was that enough for Hobgood to go back in front of Matzek? In our voting, it wasn't.

If Matzek had not led his team to a title in the same division in which Hobgood and his team was in or if neither one of the two had been on championship teams, then Hobgood's accomplishments would have been too much to overcome. He ended the season overall with an 11-1 pitching record with a 0.92 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 68.1 innings. He also batted .475 with 21 homers and 55 RBI. The home run total reportedly led the nation and is tied for second on the all-time state list.

Matzek's most impressive stat was not allowing a run in the playoffs. For the season overall, he went 13-1 with a 0.97 ERA and had 106 strikeouts in 86.2 innings. Matzek also had a .404 batting mark with eight home runs and 32 RBIs.

It's unsure whether Matzek will sign with Rockies or report to the University of Oregon, where he has signed a letter of intent.

In all these comparisons, we'd also be remiss in not admitting that part of our selection process is to consult with the coaches who worked with Matzek and Hobgood during the ESPN RISE-sponsored Area Code Games last summer.

MR. BASEBALL
STATE PLAYERS
OF THE YEAR
ALL-TIME LIST
(Compiled by Cal-Hi Sports)

2009 - Tyler Matzek, Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley, P-1B
2008 - Aaron Hicks, Long Beach Wilson OF-P
2007 - Mike Moustakas, Chatsworth INF
2006 - Tyler Robertson, Fair Oaks Bella Vista OF-P
2005 - John Drennen, San Diego Rancho Bernardo OF
2004 - Matt Bush, San Diego Mission Bay INF
2003 - Ian Stewart, Westminster La Quinta INF
2002 - Delmon Young, Camarillo OF (Jr.)
2001 - J. P. Howell, Carmichael Jesuit P
2000 - Mike Stodolka, Corona Centennial DH-P
1999 - Ryan Christianson, Riverside Arlington C
1998 - Sean Burroughs, Long Beach Wilson 3B
1997 - Jon Garland, Granada Hills Kennedy P
1996 - Eric Chavez, San Diego Mt. Carmel SS-P
1995 - Eric Chavez, San Diego Mt. Carmel SS-P (Jr.)
1994 - McKay Christensen, Fresno Clovis West OF
1993 - Derrek Lee, Sacramento El Camino OF
1992 - Jason Kendall, Torrance C
1991 - Dmitri Young, Oxnard Rio Mesa 3B
1990 - Mike Lieberthal, Westlake Village Westlake C
1989 - Todd Johnson, Fresno Bullard C-P
1988 - Scott Davison, Redondo Beach Redondo Union P-DH
1987 - Tom Redington, Anaheim Esperanza SS
1986 - Brian Johnson, Oakland Skyline C
1985 - Gregg Jefferies, San Mateo Serra SS
1984 - James Mitchell, El Cerrito OF
1983 - Kurt Stillwell, Thousand Oaks SS
1982 - Bret Saberhagen, Reseda Cleveland P
1981 - Lenny Dykstra, Garden Grove OF
1980 - Darryl Strawberry, Los Angeles Crenshaw OF
1979 - John Elway, Granada Hills OF
1978 - Lloyd Moseby, Oakland 1B
1977 - Craig Landis, Napa Vintage SS
1976 - Rickey Henderson, Oakland Technical OF
1975 - Carney Lansford, Santa Clara Wilcox SS
1974 - Lonnie Smith, Compton Centennial OF
1973 - Robin Yount, Woodland Hills Taft SS
1972 - Scott McGregor, El Segundo P
1971 - Keith Hernandez, San Bruno Capuchino 1B-Semipro
1970 - Terry Forster, Santee Santana P
1969 - Jeff Burroughs, Long Beach Wilson OF
1968 - Tim Foli, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame SS
1967 - Bill Buckner, Napa 1B
1966 - Kemer Brett, El Segundo P
1965 - Bob Boone, San Diego Crawford P
1964 - Willie Crawford, Los Angeles Fremont OF
1963 - Bob Tolan, Los Angeles Fremont P-OF
1962 - Rudy May, Oakland Castlemont P
1961 - Bob Bailey, Long Beach Wilson SS
1960 - Wade Blasingame, Fresno Roosevelt P
1959 - John Boccabella, Kentfield Marin Catholic 3B
1958 - Dick Ellsworth, Fresno P
1957 - Johnny Callison, Bakersfield East OF
1956 - Mike McCormick, Alhambra Keppel P
1955 - Deron Johnson, San Diego OF
1954 - Don Drysdale, Van Nuys P
1953 - Frank Robinson, Oakland McClymonds 3B
1952 - Jim Gentile, San Francisco Sacred Heart 1B
1951 - Ed Cereghino, Daly City Jefferson P
1950 - J.W. Porter, Oakland Technical C
1949 - Paul Pettit, Harbor City Narbonne P
1948 - Karl Olson, Mill Valley Tamalpais OF
1947 - Gus Triandos, San Francisco Mission C
1946 - Jim Baxes, San Francisco Mission 2B
1945 - Jack Harshman, San Diego 1B
1944 - Jackie Jensen, Oakland OF
1943 - Herb Gorman, San Francisco Balboa 1B
1942 - Charlie Silvera, San Francisco St. Ignatius SS
1941 - Bob Brown, San Francisco Galileo SS
1940 - Duane Pillette, San Diego P
1939 - Ferris Fain, Oakland Roosevelt 1B
1938 - Bob Lemon, Long Beach Wilson SS-P
1937 - Rugger Ardizoia, San Francisco Commerce P
1936 - Bobby Doerr, Los Angeles Fremont 2B (Pro)
1935 - Ted Williams, San Diego Hoover OF
1934 - Frankie Hawkins, San Francisco Sacred Heart SS
1933 - Chet Smith, San Diego P
1932 - Gordon Maltzberger, Colton P
1931 - Joe DiMaggio, San Francisco Galileo SS (Semi-pro)
1930 - Athos Sada, San Diego OF
1929 - Arleigh Williams, Oakland Technical C
1928 - Frank Dobranksy, San Diego P
1927 - Willard Hershberger, Fullerton C
1926 - Dick Bartell, Alameda SS
1925 - Louie Almada, Los Angeles P
1924 - Joe Cronin, San Francisco Sacred Heart SS
1923 - Gene Hollister, San Francisco Mission P
1922 - Walter Berger, San Francisco Mission 3B
1921 - Babe Herman, Glendale 1B
1920 - Bernie Viveiros, Oakland Technical 2B
1919 - Ren Kelly, San Francisco Poly P
1918 - Brick Muller, San Diego OF
1917 - Johnny Gillespie, Oakland Technical P
1916 - Ray Lorrigan, San Francisco Poly P
1915 - Frank Schellenback, Hollywood P
1914 - Bert Cole, San Francisco Lowell P
1913 - George Kelly, San Francisco Poly 3B
1912 - Harry Heilmann, San Francisco Sacred Heart SS
1911 - Will James, Oroville P
1910 - Eddie French, San Francisco Sacred Heart P
1909 - Babe Hollis, San Francisco Cogswell P
1908 - Oscar Vitt, San Francisco Wilmerding SS
1907 - Lloyd Burton, Alameda SS
1906 - Mowatt Mitchell, Los Angeles 1B
1905 - Walter Johnson, Fullerton P
1904 - James Schaeffer, Berkeley C
1903 - Mead Hamilton, San Francisco Lowell P
1902 - Mead Hamilton, San Francisco Lowell 2B
1901 - Heinie Heitmuller, San Francisco Lick 1B
1900 - Orvall Overall, Visalia 1B-Town team
1899 - Will Moreing, Stockton P

Corrections or comments? Email mark@studentsports.com.