Central Valley Christian head baseball coach Caleb Flores knew Macade Atkins was going to be a big-time high school baseball player when he arrived at the private school in Visalia.
Why?
Atkins was athletic, lengthy, and tall — even as a freshman.
Flores, who is also the CVC athletic director, noticed the 6-foot-5 Atkins first on the football field, and by the time he took the diamond, the talent was on full display.
“He was big,” Flores said. “He had a special swing.”
Two years later, Atkins, now a junior, is one of Tulare County’s top hitters.
The 205-pound Atkins showed off his power in an explosive 15-3 semifinal playoff rout at No. 4 Edison.
Atkins set the tone offensively, erupting for two home runs, eight RBIs, and three runs. The right-hander went a perfect 4-for-4 hitting as the Cavaliers (18-13) won in a mercy-rule five innings.
Now, Atkins has CVC in the 2026 Central Section Division III championship game. The ninth-ranked Cavaliers will play No. 7 Justin Garza (13-15) in the section final on May 29 at Visalia Rawhide’s Valley Strong Ball Park. First pitch is 7 p.m.
As a kid, Atkins grew up going to Rawhide games.
“I’m super excited,” Atkins said. “I think it’s going to be super fun, and it’s going to be a lot different. I’m excited to have that opportunity. I’m excited to play.”
Atkins didn’t expect to blow up against Edison (23-6), especially against a team that allowed double-digit runs in a single game only four times this season.
But Atkins’ commitment to his craft paid off.
Batting in the three-hole, Atkins went yard in the third and fourth innings, respectively. He also had a pair of singles.
“I don’t even know how to explain it,” Atkins said. “It was unreal. It was just fun to be able to do stuff for my team and have my boys support me. It felt really good. I still don’t believe that it really happened.”
Atkins entered the section semifinal game with two home runs on the season, but doubled that number in the victory.
How does it feel to launch a home run?
“Amazing,” Atkins said. “When I rounded second and third, and I could see all my teammates at home, all excited for me, it just feels really good.”
Flores knew Atkins had the power to hit the long ball.
As a sophomore, Atkins blasted a home run that caught Flores’ attention.
In an 11-5 loss to Dinuba at the Fowler Easter Classic in 2025, Atkins unleashed a round-tripper that bounced off the scoreboard at left centerfield.
“He probably hit that probably 385, 400 feet,” Flores said.
Then, in the buildup to the 2026 campaign, Flores continued to show off his power in pre-season practices.
“In our first BPs, when it was cold outside in the winter, he was just peppering balls over right centerfield as a right-handed hitter,” Flores said. “He has power to all fields. He’s just not a guy who’s just trying to snowball balls to left field. He hits everywhere. He’s got four home runs on the season, but he’s hit a lot of fences.”
As of May 26, Atkins has also blasted a team-high 13 doubles and a team-leading 33 RBIs. He is currently hitting .418 and has scored 18 times.
His numbers are even more impressive considering Atkins missed three games in the middle of the season due to an illness. He lost 20 pounds when he was out sick.
Atkins returned to the starting lineup against Tri-County Conference rival Kingsburg on March 24, going 0-for-3 against possible future MLB draft pick and 6-foot-7 pitcher Jensen Hirschkorn, but has since had at least one hit in 15 of CVC’s past 16 games.
During the Cavaliers’ playoff run, which also included road wins over Mt. Whitney (14-13-1) and Kingsburg (23-8), Atkins has generated a .700 batting average with five runs, three homers, 10 RBIs, two doubles, three singles, and a walk.
A proven hitter, Atkins has earned the privilege from Flores to swing away.
“At 3-0, I am not going to give him take signs,” Flores said. “Only in very few situations will I do that. If we’re down multiple runs or need a base runner late in the game, but for the most part, it’s green light, and it’s go-time. That’s easy. It’s a luxury to have guys like that.”
Atkins credited part of his success to a pair of coaches with Redwood baseball roots — Central Section champions Jace Chamberlin and Ryan Blair.
Chamberlin was one of the cornerstone pieces during the Rangers’ run to back-to-back section crowns in 2015 and 2016. Blair was Redwood’s hitting coach during that championship reign.
Today, Chamberlin is Atkins’ private hitting coach.
“I’ve been putting in the work,” Atkins said. “I’ve been going to a hitting coach this year, and that’s really helped a lot. I didn’t really do that in the past, but being able to do consistent batting practices, I’ve just been getting really consistent.”
After high school, the 6-4, 240-pound Chamberlin went on to play at Cal State Fullerton, where, as a freshman in 2018, he went viral on social media when he pounded a walk-off solo home run to cement Cal State Fullerton’s 2-1 playoff win over Stanford. He even earned the nickname “Jumbo” from his teammates that season.
“He has knowledge,” Atkins said. “We’re not really similar builds; he’s a tall, big guy, but we both hit for power. It’s good getting with someone who has a similar swing. Learning from him has been really good. He’s very knowledgeable. He’s helped me a lot this year.”
What has Chamberlin taught him?
“I’ve always had power to the left side, but he’s really helped me to use that power when it comes inside to turn on it,” Atkins said. “I feel like I have had success all across the diamond, hitting.”
Blair, a former minor league professional player who reached the Triple-A level in 2009, joined Flores’ coaching staff this season when the former Cavaliers’ standout took over the head coaching duties.
Blair and the CVC coaching staff have helped Atkins develop into a .400-plus hitter this spring after batting .385 as a sophomore.
“With Blair, he’s taught me a lot about my approach, preparing for the next pitch,” Atkins said. “My approach on how I should take the ball.”
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Junior slugger Macade Atkins’ 2 home runs power CVC to title game
Reporting by Vongni Yang, Visalia Times-Delta / Visalia Times-Delta
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
