WOODLAND HILLS — El Camino Real junior pitcher Jackson Sellz and senior outfielders Julian Saffie and Shane Bogacz know a few things when it comes to the tradition of ECR baseball.
They won sectional titles in 2025 last and follow the athletic route taken by their siblings.
Sellz follows in the footsteps of his older brother, Braden, who graduated in 2024 and played at Sonoma State. Bogacz’s older brother, Jonathan, graduated from ECR in 2023 and now plays baseball at Pierce College, while Saffie’s older sister, Talia, plays soccer at UC Santa Barbara.
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Now the trio will get a chance to play for its second CIF L.A. City Section title after rallying from a 3-0 deficit in the sixth inning to beat Granada Hills 4-3. A win would cement El Camino Real with its 11th title and surpass Chatsworth — the program Sellz’s father played for.
“This program has high standards,” Sellz said. “We try every day to match that standard.”
The family legacies of Sellz, Bogacz and Saffie run through late nights in batting cages, favorite meals cooked by team moms and the tight-knit baseball roots that still shape ECR.
“Growing up, whether you played at Westhills Baseball or Sunrise Little League, everyone is connected,” Saffie said. “We have a reputation to uphold.”
Sellz sees both ends of Valley rivalry
Sellz, in particular, knows both sides of the heated rivalry between the Royals — formerly the Conquistadors before changing names in 2020 — and Chatsworth, where his father, Stewart, graduated in 1996 and later served as an assistant coach under legendary coach Tom Meusborn.
“My Dad has been a big part of my mental health and he’s really helped me stay calm and collected,” Sellz said. “Learning from him, keeping my composure and staying calm. He was really good at that.”
The younger Sellz recalled watching Mike Moustakas blast home runs as a 4-year-old at Chatsworth long before becoming an All-Star and World Series champion with the Kansas City Royals.
Sellz was 10 years old, watching future Iowa Cubs and UC Santa Barbara catcher Eric Yang smoke line drives at Mike Maio Stadium for ECR.
“It was an honor seeing what I was getting into,” Sellz said.
Feasting and endless hitting rounds
Nights after practice at Mike Maio’s are often spent at the home of Sellz. There’s never a shortage of players who aren’t invited to enter the residency and jump into the family’s batting cage to take swings.
And while the players are hitting, Jennifer Sellz is a busy mother preparing a meal for anyone who comes through the door.
“We are very involved,” Bogacz said. “We go to Sellz’s house every day before game day.”
Sellz, Saffie, Bogacz and the rest of the group gathered at the Sellz home that night dug into Jennifer’s signature cheesy crockpot chicken.
Chatter, discussions about baseball and batting cages, coincide with laughter and memories that will outlast any win or loss.
“I got no problem calling anyone on this team a brother,” Saffie said.
Junior catcher RJ De La Rosa, who delivered the go-ahead base hit against Granada Hills, credited the extra practice at Sellz’s house.
“We practiced this at Sellz’s house the night before,” De La Rosa said. “We worked off the machine left-handed and we just had to work the count. After we worked the count, we had the most faith in the world.”
El Camino Real is back at Dodger Stadium will get to have at least two more nights together as a team.
Two more nights of relaxing and combining the passion and work of baseball with dinners and laughter.