Sortwell proves he belongs with Dons

Needless to say, Sortwell made the decision easy for Velez. The sweet-swinging right hander leads the Dons in average (.380), RBI (21), doubles (11), triples (4), on-base percentage (.482) and slugging percentage (.732); he's second in hits (27) and tied for second in walks (12).

"I told him I would bring him up, play him in preseason and I'd let him know if we'll use him," Velez said. "I wanted to see if he could play at this level. I gave him the opportunity and he said, 'I ain't going back down.'"

More importantly, he has become the player the team wants up at the plate in clutch situations. He drove in the game-winning run Wednesday in a 7-6, 10-inning win over Carlmont. In a 10-6 win over Sequoia Friday, he was 1 for 4 with a double and a run scored, earning him Daily Journal Athlete of the Week honors.

The win over Carlmont put the Dons in first place -- above the Scots -- in the Peninsula Athletic League's Ocean Division. Carlmont beat Aragon twice already and rallied from a two-run deficit in the seventh to force extra innings Wednesday. When Sortwell came to the plate in the 10th with Pierson Jeremiah at first, Velez initially was going to have Sortwell bunt. Sortwell convinced his manager he believed he was due. Sortwell crushed a 1-1 pitch to the fence in left field for the game-winning RBI.

Sortwell's season didn't get off to a rousing start. Velez had issues with the length of Sortwell's hair. Velez told him to cut it or sit.

"When he first came out, he looked like a girl," Velez said. Velez was testing the young player -- what was more important, playing varsity or his hair? Sortwell got his hair trimmed. It wasn't enough. After sitting out a scrimmage against St. Francis, Sortwell decided enough was enough.

"Both my parents and I agreed. I can't let an opportunity slip away because of something so stupid (as hair)," Sortwell said, adding it wasn't as long as Velez made it out to be.

"It was only about the middle of my neck," Sortwell said.

His hair length didn't factor in his first at-bat as a varsity player -- a three-pitch strikeout against Homestead -- all looking. Since then, he hasn't watched much without getting his hacks. In Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division play, Sortwell is batting .409 with 18 hits, 13 RBI, 10 walks and only three strikeouts.

"I knew I could play up here," Sortwell said. "I didn't know I could play this well."

He can thank his work ethic as well as an attitude instilled by parents for the quick start to his varsity career. He spends a lot of time in the batting cage after watching a video that said it takes 1,500 swings to change a flaw in swing mechanics. Sortwell put in the time and work to change his habit of dropping his back shoulder which resulted in a lot of popups. Now, he drives the ball with authority.

"I can't call myself a workhorse and I give it 210 percent (all the time). But I do work for it," Sortwell said.

The attitude he got from his parents is: when given an opportunity, do everything in your power to take advantage of it.

"That's something I was taught as a little kid," Sortwell said. "If you get an opportunity, it's your responsibility to get it done."

So whenever Velez puts Sortwell in a new situation, he looks at it as a challenge. Against Los Gatos early in the year, Velez put Sortwell in the No. 3 spot in the batting order -- generally regarded as the spot for a team's best hitter.

"He (Velez) said, 'I'm not batting you here because you're good. I want to see what you can do,'" Sortwell said.

He responded by going 2 for 4 with a run scored.

"He's done a great job for us," Velez said. "My choice to bring him up was a good one. He's really panned out."