Seniors Surrey, Murray and Mulcahey get big recognition for successful season.

By Brandon HENSLEY

The postseason awards piled up for members of the CV baseball team this week. Pitcher and first baseman Elliot Surrey was named to the All-CIF Division II First Team for the 2012 season, and teammate Troy Mulcahey was named to the second team.

As a pitcher, Surrey went 6-1 with a 1.11 earned run average. At the plate, he hit .341. Mulcahey, an outfielder and pitcher who hit .432, was the Falcons’ power hitter, slugging four home runs, including one in CV’s first-round playoff loss to Tustin High School last month.

In addition, Surrey and fellow pitcher Kyle Murray were named Pacific League co-most valuable players. Mulcahey, third baseman Ted Boeke, and catcher Cam Silva were named All-League First Team as well.

CV went 20-8 and won Pacific League for the first time since 2008. Surrey is off to pitch at UC Irvine, while Murray will play at Cal State Fullerton.

Earlier this week, Surrey answered some questions over the phone.

CVW: What were your emotions like when you found out you were co-MVP?

Elliot: The way I found out was at the banquet. We have our little program that has the list of the first team, second team on it. When I got there I opened it up, and I didn’t see my name on the first team, so I said, “Maybe I got second team.” But then I didn’t see my name there, so I thought maybe I didn’t get any honors. But then I looked up at the top and it said “Player of the Year.” It’s very humbling to know that I was given that honor and to share it with a great teammate as well.

CVW: What was it like playing on this team?

Elliot: Everyone was a great guy on the team. No one let each other get down. It was a great group of guys to be around. I think with a lot of the seniors leaving, that leaves a kind of young team next year, and they haven’t played the field as much since the seniors took that role. It leaves them the job of finishing what we started as senior class, to keep the tradition going of trying to win Pacific League every year.

CVW: Did you and Kyle learn anything from each other?

Elliot: Not really, because being left-handed and right-handed are two different things (Surrey is left-handed). We did share insight on pitches, how we grip them, how you approach a hitter … anything that might give us an advantage of facing another opponent that one of us hadn’t faced.

CVW: What kind of impact did your coach, Phil Torres, have?

Elliot: He does a great job coaching. I can’t say enough good things about him. He makes sure everyone’s doing the right thing on and off the field. Without him, I don’t think we’d win league this year. He was someone we could look to for help, how to approach situations that we haven’t seen before.

CVW: What’s your relationship like with Torres?

Elliot: I’d say I got closer to him as the years went by. He would go out of his way to help me with little things, anything with colleges and scouts; he did a great job of doing that for me. I’ll miss having him as my coach. Without him I don’t know if I’d be the mature ballplayer I am today.

CVW: Do you know your role at UC Irvine yet?

Elliot: Not yet, all I know is that I’ll be pitching, hopefully.

CVW: You and Kyle will both be pitching in the same conference next year.

Elliot: We’re both pretty excited because the Big West is becoming one of the better baseball conferences on the West Coast. Plus Irvine and Fullerton are kind of rivals, so that’s exciting. Since we went to high school together, maybe we’d get the opportunity to face each other in the same game. That would really be the cherry on top. That would be a lot of fun to see how far he’s progressed and how far I’ve progressed.

  Brandon Hensley