Prep talk: Velazquez family keeps delivering for Crespi
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Across the Southland, high school baseball is a family affair. On the field, older brothers are playing. In the snack shack, moms and dads work. Younger brothers cheer when they aren't practicing their hitting skills with Wiffle balls.
Advertisement
At Crespi home games, the mother of shortstop Diego Velazquez, Rocio, is so busy cooking hot dogs and hamburgers that she misses out when her son hits home runs or doubles. Her younger sons, David, 10, and Damian, 7, are either helping her out or playing games around the snack shack.
Crespi shortstop Diego Velazquez with brothers Damian and David in 2023.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Diego, a USC commit, isn't mad if someone misses a key moment. "There will be more," he said.
For senior day, maybe his mother will take a little break to watch the game. There's lots of baseball to be played in the coming years for the Velazquez boys. . . .
The Mt. SAC Invitational in track and field is set for Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College.
Advertisement
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com
Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
8 hours ago
- USA Today
USC football countdown to kickoff—Drake London in focus
The countdown to USC's 2025 football season is officially on! The Trojans kick off their new campaign 15 days from today. You need something to help you while away the days and hours in the spring and summer. This is one way to do so. In this new series, countdown to kickoff, we will be counting down the days by highlighting a notable Trojan who wore each number. Today, we look at former USC wide receiver Drake London. Position: Wide receiver Years played at USC: 2019-2021 Career highlights: Despite entering a crowded USC receiver room featuring Michael Pittman Jr., Tyler Vaughns, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Velus Jones Jr., London earned immediate playing time as a true freshman in 2019. He finished that season with 39 catches for 567 yards and three touchdowns. In the COVID-shortened season the following year, he caught 33 passes for 502 yards and three scores in just six games. As a junior in 2021, London became the Trojans' go-to option in the passing game. He came out on fire and appeared to be on his way to breaking numerous USC receiving records, before an ankle injury against Arizona sadly ended his season prematurely. Despite playing just 7.5 games, London racked up 88 receptions for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns. For his performance, he was named the Pac-12 offensive player of the year. After USC: Following USC's 2021 season, London declared for the 2022 NFL Draft, where the Atlanta Falcons selected him with the eighth overall pick. After two solid seasons in his first two years in the league, London broke out in 2024. He finished last season with 100 catches for 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns. London enters the 2025 season as one of the top young receivers in the NFL. He should once again be the go-to option for Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. this fall.
USA Today
9 hours ago
- USA Today
Ceyair Wright earns final single-digit jersey for Nebraska football
The Huskers announced their final player to earn a single-digit jersey on Friday afternoon. Defensive back Ceyair Wright earns the final single-digit left for Nebraska, No. 1. Under head coach Matt Rhule's system, a player is awarded a single-digit jersey number for being one of the toughest on the team, a tradition he utilized at Temple and Baylor. Wright now rounds out a strong group of players to earn a single-digit jersey, after Nebraska announced the first honorees on Tuesday. He joins fellow defensive backs Marques Buford Jr., Malcolm Hartzog Jr., and DeShon Singleton within the group. Wright played all 13 games for Nebraska in 2024, earning eight starts. He set career highs in tackles (39), pass breakups (6), interceptions (2), tackles for loss (1), sacks (1,) and forced fumbles (1). Wright even scored a pick-six against his former team, USC, in 2024. Prior to Nebraska, the Los Angeles, California native, played in 23 games with 15 starts at USC from 2021 to 2023. With the Trojans, he racked up 41 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, one interception, and five pass breakups. Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
What John Mateer's Venmo history means for Oklahoma Sooners
Late Monday night, social media started to buzz around John Mateer's public Venmo history. On one payment it says "Sports gambling (UCLA vs USC)" from November of 2022. What does this mean for Oklahoma and its new quarterback? Watch here as George Stoia III joins Andy from On3's SoonerScoop website to breakdown the latest. Will anything come of this? 0:00 Intro 0:54 George Stoia Joins 2:33 John Mateer and his Venmo account 12:50 Rhoback 14:04 What happens next at OU? George's story here:
