Ventura County born and raised, Daniel Orozco boasts one of the best cheering sections of any Kingsmen student-athlete. Following a line drive into the gap or a diving grab in the outfield, the shouts of support could come from his father, a cousin, an aunt, uncle or sibling. 

The one voice missing, that of his biggest fan, his mother, Susana, who died in 2023 after a three-year battle with breast cancer. She was just 45. 

Never far from his thoughts, Susana remains a positive force in Daniel's life, her constant words of encouragement echoing in moments of frustration or exhaustion.

"I can still hear her telling me, 'Go for it,'" Daniel said. "Even when she was really sick, she would always tell me not to worry about her ... to keep my focus on going after my dreams." 

This season, those dreams seem closer to reality than ever. 

After seeing just 30 at-bats as a junior, Daniel is an everyday player for the Kingsmen — and their best hitter with men in scoring position. Through 25 games, the outfielder is batting .351 with six doubles, two home runs and a team-leading 31 RBI. 

In the field, he's made 42 outs while recording just a single error. 

"His work ethic is tremendous," head coach Erik Scherer said. "He's one of the grittiest guys we have." 

Raised in the tiny town of Piru (population 2,185) with one older sister and one younger one, Daniel was part of a large Latino family that prioritized hard work. His father worked grueling hours at Hagle Lumber Company. His aunt ran a popular fruit stand in Fillmore called Francisco's.

Daniel, his father said, pitched in every chance he got. His motivation wasn't purely selfless.

"He's always been a workhouse ... plus I was clear with him, if he wanted more stuff … he had to work for it," Robert said. "But money's not everything to him. He also volunteers time at his uncle's church, St. Francis of Assisi in Fillmore."

Introduced to all manner of sports, Daniel gravitated to baseball. When Robert returned home from work one afternoon to find several plants in the backyard pummeled — including the family's rose bush — he hung a rubber mat Daniel could use to work on his swing instead. 

"He could always swing really hard," Robert said.

So hard, in fact, that when he started playing competitively, his father was worried he'd hurt someone. 

"As soon as they started to throw him the ball, he was hitting it over the fence," his father said. "I felt it was getting dangerous for him to play there (in Piru). I told him, 'The way you hit the ball, you're going to knock kids out.'" 

A move to Fillmore Little League produced the same results. Eventually, Robert began driving his son an hour away to Santa Clarita to play on a travel ball team. 

When time came for high school, Daniel commuted through Grimes Canyon to attend Moorpark, a well-respected program with a history of producing college athletes.

It was during his sophomore year in 2020 when the unimaginable hit.

Heart-breaking loss

Doctors diagnosed his mother, a beloved counselor at Fillmore High School, with stage 4 breast cancer. They caught the cancer so late it had already spread into her spinal column, making it difficult for her to walk. 

Susana spent most of the next three years bed-ridden or in a wheelchair undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments, but those efforts simply bought the family a little more time. 

As difficult as it was to watch a once-vibrant parent - one who loved dancing, exercising and taking vacations - wither away before his eyes, Daniel forced himself to remain strong for his sisters. He also passed on a scholarship offer from CSU Los Angeles and opted for Moorpark College. 

"I had out-of-state offers, too, but my mom had cancer — and I didn't know how long it was going to last," Daniel said. 

"Danny was a momma's boy," Robert added. "Whenever he'd come home the first thing he'd do was go hug his mom ... She told him 'I don't want you spending all your time at home with me. Go out and live your life, do your work, do your studies, just when you come home give me a hug and a kiss and say "I love you," and help me out with your sister.'

"He kept his end of the bargain." 

In the middle of this incredibly trying time, life was about to throw another curveball Daniel's way. During his first year at Moorpark College, he was the passenger in a car that was hit head-on by a car on Highway 126 between Fillmore and Piru. 

"(The other vehicle) lost control at 85 mph and hit us head-on," Daniel said. "A car hit us from behind, too. We ended up 30 feet away." 

After recovering from the initial shock of the crash, Daniel could not feel his arm. The firefighter who pulled him from the wreckage told him, 'We don't know how you're alive.'" 

Miraculously, no one was killed in the collision. Daniel suffered a dislocated shoulder that kept him out for the remainder of the season. 

"I almost died," he said of the crash. 

His mother passed away a few months later on Nov. 7, 2023. On the day of her death, Daniel suited up for a Moorpark College scrimmage, hitting a home run and a double. 

"At first, I thought I wasn't going to go. I was too upset," he said. "Then I thought, 'Mom would want me out there.'"

Becoming a Kingsman 

When Daniel arrived at Cal Lutheran in fall 2024, coaches thought they were getting a reliever who could contribute as a pinch hitter. At Moorpark College, he had served primarily as a closer — the pitcher called upon to get the biggest outs in the highest-pressure moments. 

"We tried to make him a pitcher because that's what we needed at the time," Scherer said. 

Daniel was serviceable out of the bullpen (10 appearances, 4.60 ERA, 12 strikeouts), but coaches couldn't help but see the way he hit during warmups.

When he returned for his senior year, Scherer decided to try him in the outfield where he could get regular at-bats. Daniel responded by recording a hit in each of his first seven games. During a four-game stretch in March, the senior went 11-for-18 with 12 RBIs and four doubles. 

"Now he's a big part of the offense," Scherer said. "And he can still pitch if we need him." 

By now, most of Daniel's teammates know of his loss, though he rarely speaks openly about it unless it is to close friends like juniors Kai Caranto and Oscar Lopez. As has been the case most of his life, Daniel lets his play do most of the talking. 

The Kingsmen (18-7, 6-3 in SCIAC) currently sit fourth in the conference standings with plenty of games left to play. Last season ended abruptly for Cal Lutheran with a loss in the first round of the SCIAC Tournament. 

Daniel predicts a different outcome this May given the team's unique balance of hitting and pitching. 

"I hope to get to the (SCIAC) Championship," he said. "This year's team is incredibly close. We've got a special bond ... I say 'Let's get it done.'"

April 25 is Senior Day featuring a doubleheader against Pomona-Pitzer. Daniel and three other seniors will be joined by family as they take George "Sparky" Anderson Field for the final time.

In some ways, Daniel's breakout season has been bittersweet. Listening to family members go crazy in the stands after he's made a big play — there have been many — he cannot help but want to hear one voice above any other ... his mother's. 

"I always think about her," Daniel said, reflecting on a bond that went beyond parent and child to a deep, mutual friendship. "I think about how I'll never talk to her again ... about the last time just saying goodbye to her."