What do the words leader, quintessential, good-looking, humble, motivating, tremendous, and slugger all have in common? At first glance, nothing. At second glance, still nothing. Do they really have anything in common? Yes. They are all confabulations that have been used to describe one man: Carlos Quentin.
Currently a National League outfielder for the San Diego Padres, Quentin graduated from the University of San Diego High School (Uni)-Cathedral’s mother school- in the year 2000.
A versatile athlete, Quentin was a multi talented athlete, participating in a state championship on basketball and back-to-back CIF football runs. In baseball, he was even more successful crushing the competition. While at Uni, Quentin set career records for home runs(28) and RBI’s(119). He was also the catalyst for the Don’s citywide prominence, leading them to two Western League Championships. It was this very same athleticism that allowed Quentin to be awarded both the Western League Player of the Year and the San Diego Male Athlete of the Year (2000), among a myriad of distinctions.
“My parents put my sister and me in a lot of sports to keep us out of trouble”, said Quentin. “One time, after I was ten or eleven, my dad was pitching to me, and I hit a ball off of his shin, and he didn’t know what else to teach me. After he threw the ball that one time, he stopped pitching at me because he was scared.” Little did his father know the athlete that Carlos would develop into the years following this incident.
Upon graduation from Uni, Quentin attended Stanford, where, after being runner up in the College World Series (2003), concluded his career as a Cardinal with a .350 batting average, 35 home runs, 170 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases after a long run of 199 games. He then propelled himself further into the world of baseball by making it into the minor league, and then finally the Bigs.
After being drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks (2006-2007), Quentin was traded to the Chicago White Sox (2008-2011), where he was then named to the All-Star team and finished among the top five for the MVP balloting for the American League that very same year. With the 2011 season coming to a close, Quentin was traded to the San Diego Padres, whom he still currently plays for. Since his introduction to the professional world of baseball, his average RBI total is 59.1, his batting average is .255, and he has hit a total of 150 home runs, in addition to being awarded the Silver Slugger Award (2008) and being a two-time All-Star (2008, 2011).
It is no wonder then, that Quentin is a member of the Dons Hall of Fame. “He was the absolute perfect combination of student and athlete,” said Mr. Gary Remiker, former assistant coach to Quentin and current Algebra 2 and AP Statistics teacher at Cathedral. “I’m not surprised at all that he made it into the Show. It was obvious he had the talent: Carlos brought tremendous leadership, outstanding hitting, amazing power, great outfield defense, and one of the strongest high school arms I’ve ever seen to the field.”
Fields , it would seem, that have been revisited. On October 26, 2013, Quentin visited Cathedral to attend the annual Holy Bowl, where he received an award provided by the Great American Rivalry Series. Presented by the U.S. Marine Corps and Hibbert Scotts, the Series is over a century old annual celebration of the American cultural phenomenon of Friday Night Lights. Focusing on major high school football rivalries throughout the country, “Long-standing traditions are valued, expectations are sky high, and followers are committed’ as stated on the Series’ official Web Page.
Coming back to Cathedral, then, seems to have been a great experience for Quentin. “My years at Uni are very memorable to me. What makes the institution is its people, and these are the very same people that coached me, that taught me, that created an environment for me in which I was able to flourish and be successful later in life.”
Carlos went on to explain how his experiences at Uni helped propel him into a successful, professional career. He said, “I’ve been playing for a very significant amount of time, which I am very fortunate and blessed to be able to do. I came here hoping to get a college scholarship, to get a good education, to get a good job, and the next thing you knew I was rising through the levels.” Carlos mentioned how the most important amenity for him during his high school life was getting into college, and that Uni provided an ideal environment in which he could do so.
“For myself, Coach (Richard) Serrano was instrumental in allowing me to play multiple sports here. A lot of players, then and now, have specialized skills, and he was able to communicate with all the coaching staff here and to allow me to play basketball and football, two sports that I love doing, as well. This helped me become a better athlete and, ultimately, a better baseball player as I continue through the ranks.”
It is a sentiment that the current athletes at Cathedral seem to be in consensus with. “Knowing that Carlos went through our program is very motivating. Especially for me, a player who is fighting for a spot on the team, seeing one of our alumni making it in the majors brings your expectations up and makes you want to be better”, said Junior Dallas Booker, who is going out for Varsity baseball this Spring.
Junior Drew Cowell, fellow baseball player at Cathedral, had similar sentiments. “Carlos is a great student athlete to look up to…he shows that hard work makes anything possible. Cathedral is a great place to learn and start that work ethic that is needed throughout high school and life.”
Quentin explained everything is a reflection upon where a school is located, the size of the school, and its facilities. “In a setting like this, with these facilities especially, you’re going to be able to receive a lot of talent and also provide a Catholic education that’s one of the best in San Diego…Back at Uni we were lucky to use the USD field for games. For practice, however, we had to go practice at the Mission Bay Youth Field. We were lucky if we didn’t hit a ball in the water. All these ingredients then, when it comes down to it, and with good people, you’re going to have a chance to have success in all aspects of athletics, which I think has been proven here.”
Mr. Richard Serrano, who coached at Uni for 26 years and for whom Serrano Plaza was dedicated, agreed that facilities help draw athletes of every practice and caliber. One amenity that has been constant between the mother school and Cathedral is that there has always been good, extremely competitive athletics. “We played everybody”, said Quentin. Serrano also added “We had some good years and some rough years. We also had some good players, some outstanding players, in fact. I do think, though, that Cathedral’s ability to draw from different places allows them to have more of a roster.”
The school’s ability to draw from different places is not the only thing that allows for more of a roster, however. “Without a doubt, the coaches and teachers at our school are extremely critical for our teams and individual success in all sports. Our school has a history with athletic success, and our athletes are held accountable to continue that success rate and know that, with success, comes hard work. Our teachers and coaches guide us by this principle both in the classroom and on the fields. Our faith is also a big part of our success because it allows our athletes to be humble and understand that sports aren’t the only thing in life. It can really clear your head and make you confident to move forward from a bad game or whatever it may be,” said Dallas.
As Coach Remiker added, it is clear that, for Quentin at least, maintaining good faith is extremely important. He said, “I think his Catholic faith reminds Carlos to remain humble and to be thankful for his gifts. After all, he is the epitome of what a CCHS graduate should be. Great combination of student, athlete, and, let’s not forget, Christian…What makes Carlos unique is not only his natural athletic ability-including size, strength, and speed. He was also a great student and person. He was a leader who lead by example-he was fairly quiet, played the game right, hustled, and expected his teammates to do the same. His teammates looked up to him because of this. He was not a stereotypical meat-head athlete.”
Quentin is definitely no meathead. In fact, he’s very aware of the situation many young athletes are currently facing: the change in dynamics of the game from high school to college, or even pro sports.
“There has been different struggles and adversaries that I have faced in my career playing baseball that I’ve had to work on. There are times when I was younger that I can look back on that I think I could have been influenced differently. For me, keeping the enjoyment of the game is incredibly important. When you get to the big league level, things change. The game is no longer about the purity and fun that you’ve been used to. There’s business, politics, and also livelihood to be had. If a child is not influenced to have that state of mind encouraged and cultivated, it can easily be lost when they get older. So, given the chance, I would love to take my approach to helping kids in that area. I enjoy working with young kids. I was pushed to be one of the kids who make it. Sometimes I struggled with the intensity and being able to relax. When I was a kid, that kind of influence could have helped…It becomes important to remember then that education should come first and foremost. If you don’t have high enough grades, you can’t even get in to a top-notch college. Then comes the time for you to work level to level and hope for the best. You hope for good health. You hope for the opportunity to show what you can do out in the field.”
“I just hope to be able to watch you”, said Serrano. “I’ve been watching the Padres play all my life, and now I finally have a player playing on them.”
Information included in this article was gathered through interviews conducted by our staff, in addition to information provided by Kimberly King, Director of Communications at Cathedral, ESPN, a Glossary of Baseball, and ihigh.com.
