Scotts Valley graduate Kaleb Wing made it a priority in his final season on the baseball team to take the younger teammates under his wing and groom them for the near future.
During that time, he also anticipated having to take care of business as the Falcons’ main starting pitcher.
Wing managed to get both jobs done as he led a developing Scotts Valley squad to a third place finish in the challenging Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League, going 8-7 in league play this season. He finished with a 3-3 overall record in 10 appearances on the mound, and racked up 79 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings pitched, according to statistics on the Max Preps website.
The coaches within the league took notice of Wing’s ability to take charge of an inexperienced group, and have them on the cusp of success in the span of one year.
And it’s probably the main reason the Scotts Valley’s ace hurler was recently named the SCCAL’s Pitcher of the Year for the 2025 spring season.
“It’s an honor to be selected for that,” Wing said. “I had a blast this year with the new coaches and the young players that we had this year stepping up from JV to come to the varsity level. It was a lot of fun this year, and I’m grateful for the people that were with Scotts Valley baseball behind the scenes that kind of made it all work, too.
Scotts Valley first-year head coach Kevin Taylor described Wing as a composed player who doesn’t try to do too much, yet has enough trust in his athleticism along with his competitive drive to go after hitters by aggressively attacking the strike zone.
“[Wing] kind of has a plan and sticks with his plan,” Taylor said. “And even if he can’t find his pitch, he just stays positive and works through it. The days he wasn’t feeling as good, he just kind of worked through it and made sure that he was competitive as he could be, and try to give us a chance to win.”
Taylor also admires how much of a natural leader Wing can be both on and off the field.
“He’s got a right head on his shoulders,” Taylor said. “He just carries himself a certain way. Has a charisma that can’t be taught, and everybody kind of wants to hang out with him.”
Wing credited his success on the mound to Rossy’s Training in Scotts Valley and, of course, the Falcons’ coaching staff that worked with his hectic schedule, including a one week delay that helped Wing back on track for the regular season.
“They’re always in my corner, and I think that helped for sure,” Wing said. “As well as having a great team behind me that are making plays and helping me out any way they can.”
Becoming the league’s top pitcher was never the goal for Wing. Instead, he focused on helping the Falcons win in any way, shape or form. He also did a great job of not getting distracted with Major League Baseball scouts who visited to watch him play throughout the season.
“You kind of notice them here and there, but once it’s time to kind of get on the mound you kind of enter this moment where you don’t really think about anything else but getting the hitter out,” Wing said. “That’s something that I really focused on this year.”
Wing was a sophomore when the SCCAL featured top collegiate and pro prospects such as Aptos’ Gabe Gaeckle and Jorden Espinoza who brought attention anytime they were on the mound.
“The scouts aren’t necessarily looking at you, but if you do something kind of cool they’ll make a little mental note of it,” Wing said. “Them being there helps the younger kids show them that if you stay true to yourself, it’s kind of a reality. Stay with your work and your discipline, the results will come.”
Taylor thought having the scouts in town was a huge deal, especially because it adds extra adrenaline to see them in the stands with their radar guns.
“And obviously the kids get amped up playing in front of that, it’s hard not to,” Taylor said. “It was just really exciting. And I thought that maybe the pressure would get to Kaleb, but it didn’t seem to faze him, not even a little bit.”
The 2025 MLB Draft in Atlanta on July 13-14 is somewhat of a priority for Wing, who will attend the combine at Chase Field in Phoenix from June 17-21. Taylor said he’s seen different boards and mock drafts predicting where the young up-and-rising pitcher could land, which is already a thrill for both Taylor and Wing.
“First year coaching, and to have a guy with that kind of talent and projectability, I’m just really excited and looking forward to the draft,” Taylor said.
In the meantime, he’ll continue to play summer ball with the Corvallis Knights of the West Coast League.
“I got time, and at the end of the day, it’s gonna have to come down and make a tough decision,” Wing said. “When it’s time, the decision will be almost made for me.”
Wing will also extend his baseball career at Loyola Marymount University—an NCAA Division I school that competes in the West Coast Conference. His decision to attend school in Southern California was made a couple of years ago, yet as of lately it’s starting to become more of a reality.
Wing will have a chance to pitch on the mound and play defense under LMU head coach Donegal Fergus.
“This is going to be a blast,” Wing said. “I knew [Fergus] very well when he was at Santa Barbara. Then once he went to Loyola, he brought me down with him to LMU, and I just loved it. I’m really excited to get on campus.”
Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League all-league baseball teams
Individual Awards
Player of the Year: Jake Escalante (Jr.), Soquel
Pitcher of the Year: Kaleb Wing (Sr.), Scotts Valley
Coach of the Year: TJ Moran, Soquel
First Team
Cole McCombs (Sr.), Harbor
Caleb Cmaylo (Jr.), Santa Cruz
Fernando DaCosta (Sr.), Santa Cruz
Cam Fusari (Jr.), Santa Cruz
Jaden Shabry (Sr.), San Lorenzo Valley
Dylan Hull (Jr.), Soquel
Noah Piona (Sr.), Soquel
Luke Shoemaker (So.), Soquel
Hudson Summerrill (Sr.), Soquel
Gabe Virgallito (Sr.), Soquel
Sam Whelan (Jr.), Soquel
Second Team
Jason Jaegar (Sr.), Aptos
Isaiah Work (Sr.), Aptos
Jason Graff (Sr.), Santa Cruz
Joey Raffo (Jr.), Harbor
Aiden Boles (So.), Harbor
Larrabee Mitchell (So.), San Lorenzo Valley
Damos DeWorken (Sr.), Santa Cruz
Lukas Bloom (Sr.), Scotts Valley
Nick Acton (So.), Scotts Valley
Cash Moran (Jr.), Soquel
Honorable Mention
Cole McGillicuddy (Sr.), Aptos
Alec Mendoza (So.), Aptos
Jaxson Hoye (Sr.), Harbor
Noah Solano (Jr.), Harbor
Brody Egner (Jr.), SLV
Dominic Aguilar (Sr.), SLV
Seth Jin (Sr.), Santa Cruz
Matteo Caltabiano (Jr.), Santa Cruz
Clayton Pryor (Sr.), Scotts Valley
Bryce McDonald (So.), Scotts Valley
Ezo Goff (Sr.), Soquel
Connor Corlette (Jr.), Soquel
