Spring Sports Update

Tribe Tribune Staff • May 22, 2026

Baseball team reaches CIF quarterfinal

By Hailey Verduzco

Senior Caden Wise pitches against Laguna Hills on April 28. Wise is currently listed with a 2.10 ERA. Photo by Paul Wise

Fullerton played host to Corona del Mar in the second round of CIF on May 19 and finished with a hard fought 7-6 victory, which also turned out to be coach Shaun Hill’s 100th career win at Fullerton.

Lucas Delgadillo went 3-for-3 and his 5th-inning RBI single broke the 6-6 tie. Starting pitcher Evan Terrazas was relieved by Zayyir Miramontez, who threw three scoreless innings to help secure the win.

Fullerton had lost four in a row going into the first CIF game, but the Indians captured the 5-3 win against San Juan Hills. Senior Declan Fitzgerald, who will play for Div. 1 team Arizona State next year, pitched a complete game with eight strikeouts while Luke Gonzalez hit two doubles bringing in three runs. Sammy Chacon and Ronnie Martinez added two hits each.

The team will travel to Agoura Hills on Friday, May 22 for the Division 3 CIF quarterfinal at 3:15 p.m. The team will leave campus around 11 a.m. to give themselves time to eat and stretch before the game.

“This our first time making it to the quarterfinals since 2022,” Coach Hill said. “Declan Fitzgerald will be pitching for us. So anytime he is on the mound you go into the game with a lot of confidence.”

Senior Luke Gonzalez dives to reach home plate against Laguna Hills on April 28. Gonzalez has a total of 18 runs this season. Photo by Paul Wise

Softball team has surprise early CIF exit

By Samantha Rizo

Second baseman Zoey Moreno-Mendez will attend Cal State Fullerton in the fall, majoring in kinesiology. Moreno-Mendez won’t be continuing her softball career in college, but she is appreciative and grateful for all the friends she’s made through the sport she loves.

Despite junior Ava Flores’s two hits and two RBI, the Fullerton softball team suffered a 4-2 loss to Cypress in the first round of Division I CIF playoffs on May 15.

Going into the game, the Indians were seeded No. 3 in CIF, ranked No. 5 in California and ranked No. 17 in the country.

Sophomore centerfielder Kaylyn Yi, who led the team with a .545 batting average, did not play in the Cypress game due to a torn ligament in her ankle.

“We definitely had a great team this year and not being able to contribute for CIF was so disappointing,” Yi said. “It was even more sad that I wouldn’t get to play with our seniors for the last time.”

Most leagues are invited to send only their top three finishers, but Cypress’s Crestview League had a 3-way first place tie: La Habra, Pacifica and El Modena all finished with a 7-5 record. Therefore, Cypress was either the fourth place or second place league finisher (depending on how you read the board) and qualified for CIF as an at-large wildcard entry.

La Habra, a former Freeway League competitor for Fullerton, has won its first three Division I CIF games, beating Los Altos, 3-2, upsetting top-seeded Murrieta Mesa 6-4 and defeating Orange Lutheran 11-8.

Despite the early CIF exit, the Indians had a strong season, capturing first place and going 8-0 in the Empire League.

Senior and team captain Malaya Majam-Finch is committed to Oklahoma University’s Division 1 softball team as a pitcher. She will major in health and exercise science.“My career goals are to either become a coach, personal trainer, or physical therapist,” Majam-Finch said. “Either way, I wanna stay in sports somehow because I know that’s what I love.”

Senior Dylan Cobbs set to compete at CIF Masters

By Arizona Fuentes, Sports Editor

Senior Dylan Cobbs was the runner-up in the 300m Hurdles at the Orange County Championships. Photo Courtesy of Wendy Saade

The Fullerton High School boys 4x800m team, which includes sophomore Ethan Lueck and seniors Brody McMackin, Michael McMackin, and Dylan Cobbs, has faced many competitive fields this season as they have competed in the Arcadia Invitational, a highly prestigious event, and CIF Prelims. They finished their historic relay season in arguably the most important race of their season, CIF Finals at Moorpark High School.

The team went into the race ranked No. 9. There were nine teams entered in the race. Even so, the team exceeded expectations and finished seventh in Division 2 with a time of 8:07. The team accomplished this finish despite missing their fastest leg, senior Dylan Cobbs. Sophomore Tyler Der took the seniors place because Cobbs also qualified for the 300m hurdles at CIF Finals.

To qualify for the CIF Masters competition, you must finish in the top 18 of all athletes in your event, regardless of division. Cobbs, who was the Empire League Champion in the 300m hurdles, went into CIF Finals ranked sixth in division two, putting into perspective how possible it was for him to qualify for the next level. Despite hitting the first hurdle, Cobbs regained momentum on the turn and kicked his way to the homestretch to finish in a time of 39.39. This time earned him seventh place in division two and 14th place overall, qualifying him for CIF Masters.

Cobbs will compete at Moorpark High School on May 23 in the CIF Masters 300m Hurdles. He must finish in the top six in the first heat or finish under 38.28 to qualify for the California State Championships on May 29-30.

Boys golf claims back-to-back league championship and CIF entrance

By Corabella Dover

Senior Pascal Duffus puts for birdie in the match against Costa Mesa. (Photo courtesy of Michael Espinoza)

FUHS boys golf capped off another strong season as back-to-back league champions, finishing undefeated in Empire League play. The team went 9-1 overall and continued to establish itself as one of Fullerton’s most consistent spring

programs. Fullerton was listed as No. 99 in the CIF Southern Section playoff rankings released on April 20, but the team did not advance to the CIF-SS Qualifying Tournament after the final qualifier list was released in May.

Several key players helped lead the team throughout the season, including senior captain Pascal Duffus, who claimed the title of League MVP at the conclusion of his season. Sophomore Bryce Sailhamer also delivered key performances throughout the season, shooting even par in the Costa Mesa defeat on April 6 that resulted in a 182-262 final score.

Sailhamer says that Duffus has also been essential in leading the team to success and credits his personal performance to him.

“He helps me when I get a little temper on the course and allows me to calm down. Helps me get back to that level that keeps me coasting and at flow-state,” Sailhamer said.

Boys tennis reaches CIF semifinals

Varsity tennis captain senior Diego Gomez focuses as he prepares to return the ball. The Fullerton boys tennis team finished its season after a loss against Yula High school during the CIF semifinals on May 13. The team advanced after a 10-8 victory against former league rival, La Habra High School, in the CIF quarterfinals on May 11. Although the players had a successful CIF run, they finished fourth in the Empire League. Sophomore Caden Esterson says much of the team’s success can be attributed to the coaching staff. “Coach Lauren helped quite a bit. She would always put in a lot of time and effort and she always cared for us. Always keeping a positive outlook during games,” Esterson said. (Photo courtesy of Diego Gomez)

Swim team reaches CIF Finals

By Marley Orejel

Senior Sydney Cruz swims the 100M backstroke. (Photo courtesy of Jeremy Swanson)

The FUHS swim team attended CIF finals from May 5-8 at Mt. Sac College. Ten swimmers from Fullerton qualified for CIF finals. A relay team composed of junior Abby Guevara, junior Azumi Fuentes, senior Sydney Cruz, and sophomore Shae Kennedy placed 18th in the 4 x 100 freestyle relay.

Guevara also qualified for CIF finals in the 200 freestyle and finished in 18th place.

The boys 4×50 medley relay team, which consisted of junior Rocco Alvarino, junior Josea Sangalang, junior Toby Swanson, and sophomore Benjamin Gonzales placed 3rd at CIF finals. Another team with Swanson, junior Wesley Stevens, junior Anthony Jacobs, and Gonzales placed 11th in the 4×50 CIF finals freestyle relay.

For boys individual events, Swanson placed 4th in the 200 individual medley and 2nd in the 500 freestyle. Gonzales placed 10th in the 50 freestyle. Alvarino placed 12th in the 100 backstroke.

This meet marked the end of 2026 swim season, ending on a strong note with all that the swimmers accomplished at CIF Finals.