MidValleySports.Com

Arcadia’s Julian Salmon sat down with Big George Hernandez for a Q&A.

By George Hernandez

I sat down with Arcadia utility player Julian Salmon, who is committed to William Penn University. Salmon, who spent his first two years at Charter Oak, was a Valle Vista All League football and baseball player as a sophomore. He was the baseball team MVP as a sophomore leading in all offensive categories. At Arcadia he was an All-League honorable mention in the Pacific League last year after a sit out period.

After playing football since he was four years old he transferred to Arcadia and decided just to concentrate on baseball, Salmon’s numbers so far are .333 average with 56 hits and a .401 on base percentage for his career. In the classroom he has a 3.9 GPA.

Q: What’s up kid, how’s it going?

A: Yo, what’s up coach George. It’s going good – just finishing up a game down at JSerra in the Boras Classic. 

Q: I’ve known you and your family for many years now, and I know they have always been diehard Arroyo Knights. Your uncle Dominic was the quarterback and your brother played safety. I would see your grandpa and dad at games. So how did you end up at Charter Oak and then Arcadia?

A: How I ended up at Charter Oak and then Arcadia was basically just connections. Growing up I played for a travel ball team out of Charter Oak ran by coach Joel Sanchez (former El Monte head football coach), and I also played for him when I played football at the Charter Oak pop warner. I just have always been around Charter Oak teammates. After meeting Coach Elias Chavez, the coach of the baseball team, and Coach Dominic Farrar, the coach of the football team, I knew I was making a good decision on attending that high school and breaking the family Arroyo tradition. How I ended up transferring from CO to Arcadia was that coach Chavez had taken the opportunity at the collegiate level and I decided to focus on only baseball my senior year. So I parted ways to Arcadia to join an elite baseball program where my sister graduated from. Being around the corner from El Monte, it wasn’t that far of a drive either. I attended Arcadia High School baseball camps through my middle school years, so I knew Coach Nick Lemas ran a good D1 type program.

Q: I know your parents are big on grades. Your brother is starting his career and your sister just graduated from college. How are you in the classroom?

A: Yeah for sure. That’s what my parents preach. They’ve always said you can be the best player in the state, but if you don’t have the grades you won’t go anywhere. I’ve always been on my A game when it comes to the classroom. That’s where it all starts. If you can be a good student in the classroom, you can be a good student of the game. That was something Coach Dominic Farrar imbedded into me at Charter Oak. I would say I’m a very good student, with having a 3.9 overall GPA throughout my high school career so far.
  
Q: How would your coaches and teammates describe you?

A: How my coaches and teammates would describe me in any situation would be a hard-nosed, hardworking, loyal, committed, and consistent person. I strongly believe I’ve been able to build my reputation on and off the field as a person who carries themselves well and also is a kind-hearted, well- respected person. 

Q: What has been your favorite win and your hardest loss in any sport and any level?

A: My favorite win would be my junior year of baseball. It was against Crescenta Valley for the league championship. Being in an atmosphere like that was something special. Going into extra innings, a night game, under the lights, there was nothing better than getting that win for the league ship. But I’d say the toughest loss was my sophomore year of football at Charter Oak. It was the CIF championship game. We thought it would be a cake walk and we got punched in the mouth quick. We battled back and held them to 7 points in the whole second half but we came up short. So much went into that year coming from the last seed in the bracket, to going to the championship. It was a tough one.
 
Q: Is there anyone you model your game after?

A: If there’s anyone I model my game after, it would be all my role models in life. I take a part of everyone that has put me into the position I’m in. It being my dad, grandpa, uncle, brother, and someone who was very special to me, Mando Santa Anna. He and I did a lot of behind the scenes work in the cages through my Charter Oak days and Arcadia. 

Q: We know your committed to William Penn University. What are you planning to major in if you have decided yet?

A: I’m planning on majoring in the criminal justice field. After getting my college degree, I would like to pursue being a police officer.
 
Q: Anything else you would like to say or want us to know?

A: I would just like to say thank you for this awesome opportunity and for letting me be a part of the impact you leave on everyone. Thank you for your time and energy through this interview.

Keep being great kid.

Rest in Paradise EMPD Senior Detective Armando “Mando” Santa Anna.