LESS CHATTER
By MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS and MEGAN TERAMOTO
Sunday, May 6, 2007

Alhambra’s Aeric Allen lets his performance on the field and in the classroom do the necessary talking.


Photos by MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS/Rafu Shimpo
Aeric Allen takes a moment for a photo during Wednesday’s practice at Alhambra High School. The sophomore shortstop and second baseman came up to the Varsity team early in his freshman season and has kept his starting job with sound fundamentals.

“We brought him up early in the league season last year and stuck him in the lineup, and he’s never left the lineup,” said Alhambra head coach Steve Gewecke. “He’s very quiet, but he comes ready to play everyday. He’s a very intelligent baseball player.”

Allen has had little trouble parlaying his baseball smarts into tangible results. Heading into Tuesday’s game, the lefthand hitting Allen was batting .302 with an on-base percentage of .422. He had struck out only eight times in his 65 plate appearances, against 10 walks. Following the 2006 season, Allen was named to the All-Almont League second team–as a freshman.

With a win Tuesday, Alhambra wrapped up the Almont League title for the third straight year. The Moors are 19-3, 12-0 in league, as they travel to Montebello this afternoon. After games next Tuesday and Friday, they’ll begin CIF postseason play.

Gewecke said that the key to Allen’s game is his execution of fundamentals.

“Speed, defense and the ability to handle the bat and go to all fields makes him the player he is. He’s a good hit-and-run guy, a very good bunter,” Gewecke said.

It’ll take someone else to compile a list of his accomplishments, because
Allen is a soft-spoken and unassuming young man.

“Yeah, I’m pretty shy,” he said. “I guess that comes from my mom.”

At 5 feet 7 inches and a slight 130 pounds, he’s not exactly an imposing figure on the field, either. Gewecke noted, however, that flexing his muscle in the classroom, combined with his onfield skills have made him attractive to a number of universities, even though he’s yet a sophomore.

“He’s got some people looking at him because he’s got such high grades, MIT and Dartmouth,” he said, adding that Allen’s current grade point average is nearing a perfect 4.0.

For his part, Allen isn’t spending much time thinking beyond high school.
His favorite subject is history and he keeps himself surrounded by friends during his leisure time. Like his older brother, Derek, who also starred at
Alhambra, he has played baseball for as long as he can remember.

“I love the game. I’ve been playing since I was about five years old,” he said, describing how he receives a wealth of encouragement from his mother, Reiko and his father, Bruce.

“She wants me to play. She comes to as many games as she can. My dad works late, but sometimes he can get away and make it to the games.”

The Allen family also supports Aeric in the winter season, as he plays point guard for Alhambra’s basketball team. He’s developed a reputation for being a true team player who has found a way to score, despite being one of the smaller Almont league shooters. Like the baseball team, the hardcourt squad earned a berth in the CIF playoffs last season.

This summer, Allen is weighing options many sophomores face: summer school, a part-time job, or simply taking it easy before the hectic life of an upperclassman begins. He’s been to his mother’s hometown of Tokyo twice, most recently in 2001.

“I like it here better, but I guess my relatives would like to see me more,” he admitted.

Before school lets out, however, Allen’s mind will be in overdrive. The playoffs begin soon, with finals along the way. With seven Moors starters
returning next year, things are looking rosy in Alhambra. Allen said it’s all about enjoying the basics of the game.

“I like hitting, but I also like playing defense. The game is pretty much all-around fun for me.”