Benicia’s 13/14 Junior League all-stars begin their postseason run Monday night when they host American Canyon at Fitzgerald Field in the first game of a best-of-3 District 53 Tournament.

Benicia will have had only a week of full practice as several players were unavailable due to vacations and other commitments. Five prospective players opted to stick with their summer traveling teams rather than play for Benicia’s all-stars.

“That’s just the way Juniors is – having very little lag time before Districts and Sections,’ said Benicia manager Carl Rendell. “And we’ve never had to compete for players with travel teams before.”

Justice Alexander is the only player who competed with Benicia’s Junior all-stars last year, but 13 other players give Rendell plenty of talent to choose from.

“As with most all-star teams, we have a plethora of infielders,” Rendell said. “We’re looking at which players can help us in the outfield. We have a lot of utility players so we’ll be able to swap players around a lot and have as much flexibility as possible. And having 14 players on the roster will help in case we have injuries or lose kids to vacation.”

Sean McQuilkin may be Benicia’s best pitcher after leading the Benicia Royals to the Junior League TOC championship round.

“He’s been very consistent and throws a high percentage of strikes,” Rendell said. “He can move the ball up and down and has good command of the strike zone, and he’s very efficient and can pitch complete games.”

Alexander, Dawson Hunt and Ryne Richard are among eight pitchers who may see time on the mound during the postseason. Rendell hopes the offense will come together quickly.

“We’re decent across the board,” Rendell said. “We have a nice mix of contact hitters and power hitters.”

Sharing is caring!