Leduc’s Big Offense a Pleasant Surprise

Baseballs have been flying over the outfield fence at El Camino Real High at a record pace this season.

The Conquistadores have hit a school-record 32 homers entering today’s regular-season finale against visiting Taft. Many have come from an unlikely source: Ray Leduc.

Leduc, a senior catcher and three-year starter, entered the week leading the Northwest Valley Conference with nine home runs and 32 runs batted in. Two of his homers have been grand slams.

Remarkably, Leduc (5 feet 8, 185 pounds), relied on primarily for his defense the past two seasons, had not hit a home run in a high school game before breaking the school’s single-season record of five.

“I didn’t expect it from him,” El Camino Real Coach Mike Maio said. “He just started a streak where he was hitting them.”

Even Leduc’s eyebrows have arched.

“A lot of people are asking me,” Leduc said. “I worked out pretty hard in the off-season, so I think that had a part in it. I’m just going up and trying to get a hit and the home runs come.”