Jeff Tully
Tommy Boucher calls what he did during the spring of his sophomore
year at Providence High a momentary lapse.
After playing volleyball as a freshman, Boucher decided to compete
for the Pioneer baseball team as a sophomore, taking a chance on a
sport he was unsure what success it would hold.
Although he did fine in baseball, he decided to go back to
volleyball, a sport he truly enjoyed.
That decision paid off, not only for the Pioneers the past two
seasons, but it also turned out to be a lucrative decision for
Boucher.
The talented setter capped his senior season and his Pioneer
career by being named to the All-CIF Southern Section Division V
third team.
"I am glad that I decided to come back and play volleyball after
my sophomore season," Boucher said.
"Volleyball was really in my heart, and I really enjoyed playing
for Providence and for Coach [Andrew] Bencze."
Boucher said playing baseball for one season served a purpose.
"It was just my curiosity, and I wanted to see how I would do," he
said. "It was something I wanted to do at the time.
"But looking back on my experiences I had at Providence, I still
wouldn't change a thing. My four years at Providence has been great."
Along with starring as a starter in volleyball, Boucher was also a
standout boys' basketball player for the Pioneers.
It was through hard work and dedication that Bencze said Boucher
was able to excel in volleyball.
"Tommy dedicated himself to becoming a good volleyball player and
a good setter," Bencze said. "And he accomplished that.
"We wouldn't have been as successful, and we wouldn't have been
the team that we were, without Tommy. He brought a great deal to our
program."
Along with being named to the All-Liberty League first team,
Boucher also garnered all-tournament honors in events at Providence
and Huntington Beach Brethren Christian.
Reliable and effective from his setter position, Boucher had 456
assists this past season, averaging 21.7 a match.
"It is kind of a surprise to me to be an All-CIF choice," Bucher
said. "But even with that, I'm very honored that I was chosen."
Providence finished third in league and had a 13-9 record. The team lost in the first round of the Division V playoffs to host
Pasadena La Salle, 25-19, 25-22, 17-25, 25-19.
Boucher had 28 assists, four kills, three blocks and eight digs in
the Pioneers' playoff loss.
Although Boucher was the only athlete from a local school to me
named All-CIF during the spring, another resident earned the honor in
baseball.
Resident Nick Santoro -- who was a senior at Encino Crespi -- was
named to the Division II second team.
Santoro was a driving force on a successful Celts (27-5) team that
won a Mission League championship and advanced to the Division II
title game, losing to Anaheim Katella, 3-0, at Dodger Stadium.
A starting catcher, Santoro batted .453 (43 for 95) with 36 runs
batted in, 17 runs scored and just eight strikeouts for a Crespi team
that featured two players and two assistant coaches from Burbank.
Santoro's teammate -- senior pitcher Trevor Plouffe -- was named
the division's player of the year.
