Crenshaw High School's Kenji Corbisiero is the Wave Newspapers Baseball Player of the Year. (Photo by Gary McCarthy)
Story Created:
Jul 8, 2009 at 2:01 PM PST
Story Updated:
Jul 8, 2009 at 2:01 PM PST
For two years, Kenji Corbisiero has been a rock for the Crenshaw High School baseball team.
Whether providing strong pitching as ace of the staff or clutch hitting, the senior has been at the heart of teams that won the program’s third and fourth consecutive Coliseum League championships.
His leadership was even more important this year since the Cougar starting lineup often included four freshmen and a sophomore.
That’s why the left-handed throwing, left-handed hitting Corbisiero, a first baseman when not on the mound, is the Wave Newspapers Player of the Year.
Curtis Johnson, who directed Fremont to the best record in his six years at the helm and a berth in the City Section Division II semifinals, is the Wave Coach of the Year.
In leading Crenshaw to a 23-8 mark this season, Corbisiero put up solid numbers at the plate and on the mound.
He batted .477 (42 for 88) with two home runs, six triples, 14 doubles and 34 RBIs. One of his homers was in his final game, a first-round playoff loss to Monroe, which would go on to reach the Division II final. He scored 39 runs.
On the mound, he was 5-3 with a 1.35 ERA. In 57 innings, he struck out 77 and walked 18.
He was at his best against the better competition.
During the El Segundo Tournament in March, he had a double, triple and RBI against Redondo and a double and RBI against Bishop Montgomery. He drove in a run against Roosevelt in the RBI Tournament championship game a month later.
In three games with league arch-rival Fremont, he was a combined 6-for-11 (.545) with three doubles and two RBIs. Crenshaw took two of the three meetings, the difference in the Cougars winning the league title.
The two-year totals for the two-time All-City selection were impressive, as well.
Corbisiero batted .462 (78 for 169) with five homers, 12 triples, 23 doubles and 72 RBIs. As a pitcher, he was 13-6 with a 1.43 ERA. He struck out 156 and walked just 46 in 122 innings.
He’s just as impressive in the classroom.
Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities gave him its annual A. Bartlett Giamatti Award as the program’s male student-athlete of the year.
He’s been accepted academically to several universities and said following the conclusion of the season he would be attending Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. and join the baseball program as a recruited walk-on. His goals are to be a lawyer and play professional baseball.
Fremont’s 24-5 record this year was fashioned against a fairly challenging schedule that included Westchester (City Division II champion), Crenshaw and Eagle Rock (who the Pathfinders defeated three times, including in the playoff quarterfinals).
Two of his players — shortstop Juan Medina and outfielder Carlos Garcia — were All-City selections.
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