The San Diego Padres’ Low-A affiliate, Lake Elsinore Storm, pummeled their way to the California League Championship on the backs of their newest players, with some assistance from some of their other highly ranked young prospects.
After struggling through most of the second half of the season, the Storm put on a postseason surge after suffering an 11-game losing streak during the last three weeks of the season. There was a hint of the turnaround during the last week of the regular season when Lake Elsinore finished with a winning series against Inland Empire, showing increased effectiveness on both offense and with their pitching.
After going 39-30 in the first half of the year, winning a spot in the playoffs, the Storm finished the second half with a 27-35 record and barely had a winning season at 66-65. Their first-half success was fueled by multiple players who earned themselves promotion to Single-A Fort Wayne. The Storm players that were promoted to Lake Elsinore from the Arizona Complex League were not able to sustain that success.
On Aug. 4, the Padres organization started adding the newly signed 2026 draft picks to the Lake Elsinore roster. Over the course of the month, outfielder Alex Conover (4th round), infielder Nu’u Contrades (6th round), infielder Elliot Lascelles (2nd round), C/1B/DH Augie Lopez (10th round), and infielder Joe Tiroly (7th round) all made their professional debuts.
They joined infielder Dawson Willis, who was promoted from the ACL when that league finished but had been injured and was activated shortly before their arrival. It took most of August and into September for the new Storm teammates to adjust to the major changes in the roster. Their prolonged and frequent losses attest to the time it took for them all to become a cohesive team.
Divisional playoffs
The Ontario Tower Buzzers (Dodgers) were the first to discover the Storm had found their footing. After dominating the second half, Ontario finished 10 games over .500. Playing a divisional playoff series, the Storm swept the best-of-three by winning the first two games.
RHP Jesus Castro, 19, had a stellar start in the first game, with six innings of two-hit and one-run ball. The pitching staff had been reinforced at the beginning of September with some more 2026 signees, including lefty relievers Rob Evans (12th round) and Andrew Wright (UDFA), both contributing. LF Conover went 4-for-5 with two RBI, and DH Contrades had three hits in four at-bats. 1B Joe Tiroly went 1-for-4 with two RBI.
In their clinching game on Sept. 10, LHP Kruz Schoolcraft had his best outing of the year. Finishing five innings, Schoolcraft allowed two hits and no runs with eight strikeouts. He was followed by 2026 first-rounder Coleman Borthwick, whom the Padres sent to Lake Elsinore from their Bridge League to pitch in the playoffs. The 18-year-old, who tops out his fastball in the high-90’s, threw two innings of two-hit ball, allowing a run with two walks and four strikeouts, making his professional debut in a playoff atmosphere. The last two innings were covered by 19-year-old Lan-Hong Su, who registered his first professional save by shutting out Ontario on a walk and three strikeouts.
DH Nu’u Contrades had two hits in three at-bats with two RBI while CF Dawson Willis hit 2-for-4, upping his average to .375. Canadian SS/2B Elliot Lascelles, 18, hit a double, drove in a run, and had an RBI.
Using all starters to cover nine innings, the Storm allowed only four hits and recorded 15 strikeouts in their 6-1 win.
Winning a Championship
Advancing to the Championship series, the Storm had to face off against the team with the best record in the league.
The San Jose Giants (SF Giants) finished their season at 80-52, 11 games up on the second-place Fresno Grizzlies. They led the league in both hitting and pitching stats for the regular season.
The best-of-three series kicked off on Sept. 13 in Lake Elsinore with a rout by the Storm. Scoring 12 runs to the Giants’ one run, the Storm had 13 hits, with 2B Lascelles going 3-for-6 with three RBI, including a double. 1B Joe Tiroly had three hits in five at-bats, with a run scored and an RBI. He also hit a double as part of his offensive effort. LF Conover went 2-for-4 with four RBI, including a two-run home run.
The game was started by RHP Tyler Schmitt, who went 4.1 innings, allowing four hits and no runs with three walks and three strikeouts. He was followed by RHP Jack Pineau, a 22-year-old Canadian who was signed as an undrafted free agent (UDFA) in July. Pineau completed the fifth inning with no hits and a strikeout. LHP Adler Cecil got the win with three innings of two-hit pitching, issuing two walks and striking out five.
LHP Ben Stubbs (2026, ninth round) finished off the game, allowing the only run on two hits with two walks. Overall, the pitchers issued seven walks and had nine strikeouts.
After an off day, the second game was played in San Jose, with the Giants showing why they were the best team in the league. Their pitching staff no-hit the Storm over nine innings, with the Storm scoring a run on a Dawson Willis walk followed by a balk and then a passed ball, scoring on a double steal (with Lascelles).
RHP Jesus Castro threw 4.2 innings of two-hit, two-run baseball with a walk and three strikeouts. The effort by the bullpen included UDFA RHP Tyler Pitzer, who allowed three runs in 0.1 innings, and 2026 12th-rounder Rob Evans, who pitched 1.1 innings with two hits and a run allowed.
Besides being no-hit, the Storm hitters only managed two walks while striking out 11 times.
The deciding game of the series was played the next day, Sept. 16, in San Jose. Lake Elsinore liked the effort made by first-rounder RHP Coleman Borthwick so much in the Ontario series that they started him in the deciding game for the championship.
Shutting out the Giants over two innings, Borthwick struck out two while using his fastball/slider combo, proving effective in four innings of playoff pitching, while leading the Storm to a 13-2 decisive clincher and a championship.
Borthwick was followed by RHP Lan-Hong Su for three innings of work. He gave up four hits and a run but struck out eight hitters. The last four innings were finished by Jack Pineau, Andrew Wright and LHP Sean Fitzpatrick, who combined to limit San Jose to one run on six hits with a combined 15 strikeouts.
The offense went to town on Giants pitching, amassing 13 runs on 13 hits while the pitching staff held the Giants to two runs.
Second baseman Lascelles was 2-for-5 with two runs scored. 1B Tiroly went 2-for-4 with two RBI, including a double. DH Contrades had two hits in four at-bats with three RBI, including a double and a home run. RF Qrey Lott, 21, who had a good season with a .272 average and a .805 OPS, went off in the postseason. In the five games, Lott had 18 ABs while hitting .444/.524/.944 with two doubles, two triples, a home run, and five RBI.
The surprising turnaround for the Lake Elsinore Storm shows what a team can do when talented players start playing together. I watched all three of the championship series games, and the Storm played at an intensity not seen in prior games. The Storm won their last California League Championship in 2021.
