Undersized and for the most part underappreciated by college coaches and pro scouts, Mace Wheeler is finally starting to reap the benefits of his hard work.
A 5-foot-10, 175-pound catcher, Wheeler finished second in Wednesday’s Home Run Derby at Petco Park prior to the Padres High School All-Star Night presented by San Diego Community Power. He also started for the East team, grounding out twice.
Pitching dominated the early part of the game, with the East leading 5-3 at press time.
Carter Tucker (Imperial), Luke Bailey (Granite Hills) and Brenden Lewis (Granite Hills) threw shutout innings for the East. Tucker struck out three, Bailey two.
Brody Martin-Grudzielanek (Torrey Pines), Taylor Werth (Coronado) and Carter Tsai (San Marcos) threw shutout innings for the West. Tsai struck out the side in the sixth.
Poway’s Parker Smith was the game’s hitting star early on. He had an RBI single and scored in the first inning, doubled in the third, then walked, stole two bases and scored in the fifth.
Jackson Norum (La Jolla Country Day) had the big blow, slugging a solo homer to left for the West in the fourth. He also had an RBI single in the sixth. Hank Hansen (La Jolla) had a double for the West.
Wheeler recently signed to play at Santa Clara, choosing the Broncos over offers from UC San Diego and Point Loma Nazarene.
Valhalla catcher Mace Wheeler, right, smiles after participating in the home run derby as part of the CIF San Diego Section at the Padres High School All-Star Night at Petco Park on Wednesday, June 25, 2025 in San Diego, CA. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
“I’ve always been overlooked,” Wheeler said. “There were always guys with better frames than me. I was out to prove them wrong. It wasn’t until halfway through this season that college coaches started calling. I’ve always put in the work. Always done whatever it took to be successful.
“Finally, someone noticed.”
It’s hard to ignore Wheeler’s numbers.
As a junior in 2024, he batted .506 with three homers, 13 doubles, a pair of triples and 31 RBIs. He struck out just 11 times in 108 plate appearances.
This season, he faded to .493 with six homers, five doubles, three triples and 22 RBIs on the way to an All-CIF selection. He struck out just six times in 94 plate appearances. That’s 17 strikeouts in his last 203 plate appearances or one strikeout every 11.7 plate appearances.
“I’ve always been known as ‘the defensive guy’, always been confident in my arm,” the left-handed-hitting Wheeler said. “I like to throw. I like to back-pick runners, but I think my body of work shows I can hit.”
Valhalla catcher Mace Wheeler participates in the home run derby as part of the CIF San Diego Section at the Padres High School All-Star Night at Petco Park on Wednesday, June 25, 2025 in San Diego, CA. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
He has a “pop time” (throwing to second base) of 1.87 seconds. A good college pop time is anything below 1.95. This season, he threw out 10 of 12 base stealers. In the last two seasons, he has two errors in 272 chances.
“I watched games in Petco Park forever, so I’m ecstatic to get a chance to play in this game,” Wheeler said. “I’ve worked hard, trained hard. Words can’t describe how happy I am.”
Home run derby
Granite Hills’ Lewis, the CIF Player of the Year, hit a pair of home runs in the final 30 seconds of the second round to beat Wheeler in the home run derby. La Jolla Country Day’s Norum finished third.
The trio emerged from a group of eight that included Elijah Stephens (Sage Creek), Max Farrell (San Marcos), Ian Brooke (Patrick Henry) and Bryce Miller (Mt. Carmel)
Softball player honored
The Padres honored the San Diego Section softball All-CIF and all-star teams before the game with the Nationals.
Poway’s Sophia Burmeister, the CIF Player of the Year, threw out the first pitch.
Burmeister will play collegiately at Clemson.