Joe Hatasaki’s senior season ended one game early, but the Mountain View High ace pitcher will get to take the mound again this spring.
Only days after a shoving match with coach Ray McDonald led to his suspension from the team and made them both ineligible for CCS playoffs, Hatasaki was given a ceremony at school on Monday for his selection to the SportsLink Inc. 2006 All-American team.
“It’s a really prestigious award,” Hatasaki said after the ceremony. “It’s definitely an honor.”
The hard-throwing lefty competed at the varsity level since his freshman year. After undergoing Tommy John surgery on his elbow in 2004, he was unable to pitch for the entire 2005 season. He recovered in time for his senior season, and helped carry the Spartans into the CCS playoffs.
But after an altercation with his coach during the season finale May 12, the school launched an investigation and decided to suspend both Hatasaki and the coach for the first-round game against top-seed Serra. Mountain View lost 9-1, and McDonald would later tell the Los Altos Town Crier he was resigning over the suspension.
The All-American Baseball game matches up the best high school stars from across the country in an East vs. West all-star showdown. Now in its fourth year, the event is used as a showcase for today’s young baseball talent.
Hatasaki’s selection makes him one of 36 high school players from across the nation to compete in the All-American Baseball game on June 7 in Albuquerque, N.M.
Since his surgery, Hatasaki has experienced increased recovery time and some control issues, but he says his power is at 100 percent. “I have all the strength back that I had before,” he said.
In the fall, Hatasaki will attend Arizona State University and is excited to compete in a Sun Devil uniform next spring. “It’s going to be awesome. I’m so excited to get out there and start playing.”
Erik Davis, a former Spartan teammate of Hatasaki’s now at Stanford, played in the All-American game in 2004. The game has featured a number of young minor leaguers as well.
In a press release, SportsLink officials said they were excited to select Hatasaki to represent his school and community. “Our goal,” said SportsLink’s Bill Burkett, “is to provide the country’s future baseball generations with a national platform to showcase their athletic excellence. … Joe’s talents will make him a strong addition to this game.”
The All-American Baseball game will air on June 7 at 6 p.m. on Fox Sports Net.
