Jason Greenwald, For The Signal
When West Ranch head coach Casey Burrill constructed his roster before the 2019 baseball season, he knew one thing for certain: He had one of the best outfielding cores in the Foothill League, even in all of Southern California.
Garret Monheim and twin brothers, Ryan and Jovan Camacho, were the backbone of the Wildcats’ offense and defense. Their athleticism was often on display, whether in the form of the ability to track down a fly ball, throwing capabilities, immense speed or their acumen at the plate.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be around an outfield that has been as talented as the one we’ve had here the last couple of years,” said Burrill.
The three skillful outfielders have been making plays for West Ranch since their sophomore seasons, respectively. They lead the team to a 24-6 record in 2019 and second place in the Foothill League, going 12-3.
Right field was manned by Monheim, who came back from a disappointing 2018 campaign, by his standards, and had a great 2019 season. Monheim’s average this season was .394 with 27 hits and 26 runs. He managed three home runs, six doubles and 26 RBIs. He led the team in batting average, RBIs, doubles and tied both Camacho brothers in runs.
“We had all three of us contributing this year, and in the past three years, we’ve been a big factor,” Monheim said. “I think that we came out and showed that we had one of the best outfields.”
Center field belonged to Jovan Camacho, and he had a significant impact in the outfield with his glove, often making incredible plays on defense. Jovan helped out on the offensive side of the ball by hitting .256, accumulating 27 runs and 20 hits. He finished the year with five doubles and 17 RBIs.
“For the past three years, I was fortunate enough to be a part of one of the best outfields in the area,” Jovan said. “Ryan and Garret are both people that the whole team would depend upon throughout each season.”
And in left field was Ryan Camacho. He was willing to do whatever it took to get his team the win and it showed whenever he stepped to the plate. He had a .296 average, 27 runs, 24 hits and 15 RBIs.
After barely missing out on a piece of the league title, the Wildcats looked to make a run in the 2019 CIF-Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. The outfield continued to lead by example in the first playoff game against Foothill of Santa Ana, collectively amassing five hits, three walks, two runs and one RBI in a 3-2 victory.
Unfortunately, the Wildcats lost 1-0 to in the second round to Yucaipa.
Burrill understands that replacing this outfield next season is going to be difficult, but he enjoyed coaching them as they became a force to be reckoned with for West Ranch.
“It’s definitely something we are all going to miss,” Ryan said. “We’ve been in the outfield for the past three years. Since our sophomore years, we’ve all been playing a lot out there together.”
