Proud Tradition

While winning and academic excellence are the traditions Palisades High baseball coach Mike Voelkel is most proud of developing, the program’s annual Traditions Dinner is also near and dear to his heart.   

Voelkel organized the first fundraiser when he took over the program in 2008, honoring the American Legion for its longtime sponsorship of  JV and varsity teams in the summer. Over the years, the event has evolved to include a silent auction with proceeds paying for uniforms, insurance, field upkeep, tournament fees and equipment.

This year’s dinner was held Nov. 14 at Culver City Elks Lodge and the guest speakers were Pali High alum Lucas Braun (who pitched back-to-back playoff shutouts to propel the Dolphins to the City Open Division final at Dodger Stadium in 2019) and Claremont Mudd Scripps assistant baseball coach Mack Paciorek, owner and director of Positive Impact Players, Inc., a high-intensity training program for student-athletes.

Braun, who was the Western League Most Valuable Player and All-City Co-Pitcher of the Year as a senior captain in 2019 when he finished with 116 strikeouts and only 19 walks and a sparkling 0.85 earned run average in 82 innings pitched, talked about adjusting to life as a freshman at the University of San Diego, where he recorded 20 strikeouts and eight walks in 15.1 innings in 2021.   

Paciorek, the infield coach at CMS, shared why players in his program    

over the last 20 years have moved on to the college level at nearly four times the national average. He was the head coach at San Marino High for 10 seasons and helped lead Pasadena Poly to a CIF Title in 2018—a season in which he was named Cal-Hi Sports California Coach of the Year.

One of nine family members to have played professional baseball, he was an All-Big 12 selection at Iowa State.

Voelkel has built quite an impressive resume too since relocating to Southern California from Washington. In his 14 years at Palisades he has led the Dolphins to a 149-16 record in Western League play (over 90 percent), nine league titles (including five unbeaten seasons) and 12 playoff appearances—all in the upper division.