Jimbo Pernetti found his groove after improving his vision with contacts.
"The ball looked a lot bigger," the Ceres High varsity baseball standout hitter/shortstop said. "I could see it coming out of the pitcher's hand."
Jimbo was selected Western Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player in a unanimous vote by the league's coaches on May 15 in Livingston.
John Bussard, Ceres High's head coach, nominated Pernetti for the award.
"I found out a couple days before our playoff game," Jimbo said. "I was completely shocked. It wasn't really a goal. I just go out there and work as hard as I can. I'm not a selfish player. I'm focused on winning as a team."
"Everybody is pretty proud of him," Bussard said. "He's been playing varsity since his freshman year. He brings a lot of experience and knowledge to the team."
Pernetti, a standout batter and shortstop, played a major role while leading the Bulldogs to a runner-up finish in the WAC standings (8-4).
Jimbo led the conference in a number of offensive categories, including batting average (.556), homers (2), runs (17) and slugging percentage (.889). He ranked second in doubles (6), and third in RBIs (13) and on-base percentage (.550). Pernetti, who wore glasses a couple of times before switching to contacts, committed just three errors on defense.
Ceres High's Brandon Arevalos and Devon Ruger, and Central Valley's Ruben Casas were selected to the WAC First Team.
Arevalos, a junior rightfielder, batted .500 with one homer, one triple, four doubles, 14 RBIs, eight runs and two steals.
"He was probably our most clutch hitter," Bussard said. "He was also a tremendous outfielder."
Ruger, a junior first baseman, batted .429 with five doubles, seven runs and 13 RBIs.
"We always knew he could hit," Bussard said. "We just needed to find a position for him. He adapted great. Our infielders had a lot of confidence in him."
Casas, a third-year starter, contributed at shortstop and pitcher.
The junior standout batted .278 with one triple, two doubles, five RBIs, nine runs and three steals.
Ruben posted a 1-3 record with a 2.55 ERA, one shutout, two complete games and 26 strikeouts.
The Bulldogs had two second-team picks in Haydon Turpin and Nick Welsh.
Turpin, a junior pitcher/infielder, compiled a 6-2 record with a 3.82 ERA and 41 strikeouts.
He batted .321 with three doubles, three RBIs and seven runs.
"He (Turpin) had a solid campaign on the mound," Bussard said. "He played good for us defensively when he wasn't pitching. He was pretty competitive."
Welsh, a senior centerfielder, batted .395 with one homer, one triple, one double, seven RBIs, 12 runs and seven stolen bases.
Hawk senior infielder/pitcher Alex Lomeli received second-team, all-league accolades.
Lomeli batted .281 with three doubles, seven RBIs and five runs.
Alex went 1-2 with a 3.04 ERA, two complete games and 20 strikeouts.
Fourth-place Central Valley (5-7) finished three games behind Ceres High.
The Bulldogs defeated the Hawks twice.
"We want to win section and league titles next year," Pernetti said. "That's our goal. We have the talent."
"The ball looked a lot bigger," the Ceres High varsity baseball standout hitter/shortstop said. "I could see it coming out of the pitcher's hand."
Jimbo was selected Western Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player in a unanimous vote by the league's coaches on May 15 in Livingston.
John Bussard, Ceres High's head coach, nominated Pernetti for the award.
"I found out a couple days before our playoff game," Jimbo said. "I was completely shocked. It wasn't really a goal. I just go out there and work as hard as I can. I'm not a selfish player. I'm focused on winning as a team."
"Everybody is pretty proud of him," Bussard said. "He's been playing varsity since his freshman year. He brings a lot of experience and knowledge to the team."
Pernetti, a standout batter and shortstop, played a major role while leading the Bulldogs to a runner-up finish in the WAC standings (8-4).
Jimbo led the conference in a number of offensive categories, including batting average (.556), homers (2), runs (17) and slugging percentage (.889). He ranked second in doubles (6), and third in RBIs (13) and on-base percentage (.550). Pernetti, who wore glasses a couple of times before switching to contacts, committed just three errors on defense.
Ceres High's Brandon Arevalos and Devon Ruger, and Central Valley's Ruben Casas were selected to the WAC First Team.
Arevalos, a junior rightfielder, batted .500 with one homer, one triple, four doubles, 14 RBIs, eight runs and two steals.
"He was probably our most clutch hitter," Bussard said. "He was also a tremendous outfielder."
Ruger, a junior first baseman, batted .429 with five doubles, seven runs and 13 RBIs.
"We always knew he could hit," Bussard said. "We just needed to find a position for him. He adapted great. Our infielders had a lot of confidence in him."
Casas, a third-year starter, contributed at shortstop and pitcher.
The junior standout batted .278 with one triple, two doubles, five RBIs, nine runs and three steals.
Ruben posted a 1-3 record with a 2.55 ERA, one shutout, two complete games and 26 strikeouts.
The Bulldogs had two second-team picks in Haydon Turpin and Nick Welsh.
Turpin, a junior pitcher/infielder, compiled a 6-2 record with a 3.82 ERA and 41 strikeouts.
He batted .321 with three doubles, three RBIs and seven runs.
"He (Turpin) had a solid campaign on the mound," Bussard said. "He played good for us defensively when he wasn't pitching. He was pretty competitive."
Welsh, a senior centerfielder, batted .395 with one homer, one triple, one double, seven RBIs, 12 runs and seven stolen bases.
Hawk senior infielder/pitcher Alex Lomeli received second-team, all-league accolades.
Lomeli batted .281 with three doubles, seven RBIs and five runs.
Alex went 1-2 with a 3.04 ERA, two complete games and 20 strikeouts.
Fourth-place Central Valley (5-7) finished three games behind Ceres High.
The Bulldogs defeated the Hawks twice.
"We want to win section and league titles next year," Pernetti said. "That's our goal. We have the talent."
