Teammates for three seasons at Central Valley High School, Sergio Solis and Gabrial Lopez faced off at the college level for the first time during the springtime.
Solis (Cal State Monterey Bay) and Lopez (San Francisco State) are teammates once again as members of the Boulder Collegians in the Mile High Collegiate Baseball League in Colorado.
“It’s cool to see his improvements,” said Solis, a 6-foot-tall, 180-pound catcher. “He’s throwing harder. His curveball moves a little more. We’re good friends, too. I like Gabe.”
“I’m having a great time pitching to Sergio,” said Lopez, who stands 6 feet tall and weighs 200 pounds. “He’s the best catcher I’ve ever seen. He’s really smart. I had a really good junior year in high school. I give him credit. He took so much pressure off me.”
The MHCBL summer season got underway on June 3 and will end on July 27.
Solis and Lopez both earned invitations to the MHCBL All-Star Game, which was played on July 6.
“It’s pretty cool,” Solis said. “It’s something I strived to do. My main goal here is to hit off-speed better. So far, it’s going well.”
“I’m pretty satisfied with how I’ve been throwing,” Lopez said. “It helps I have a really good defense. This is preparation for my sophomore year. My goal is to get into better shape. I’ve been working on my physical fitness. I’m taking advantage of the altitude.”
Solis and Lopez have enjoyed hanging out together away from the baseball diamond.
“We’ve had multiple Poker nights,” Lopez said.
Solis and Lopez both earned baseball scholarships to NCAA Division-II colleges.
The two battled for the first time in March.
Host Monterey Bay won all four games (11-4, 9-6, 7-6, 5-1).
Solis batted 4-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs while making one start at catcher.
Lopez totaled three strikeouts in one relief inning.
Lopez posted a 1-2 record on the season with a 2.42 earned-run average, 20 strikeouts and one save in 15 appearances for San Francisco State, which compiled a 27-22 overall record, qualified for the CCAA Tournament and finished fifth in conference play (20-20).
“I was able to get on the field early in my career,” he said. “It will be beneficial for me in the long run.”
Lopez earned his first win after pitching four innings of relief in a 7-2 victory against Cal State San Marcos on April 8.
He had a career-high five strikeouts in a 12-7 loss Cal State San Bernardino on March 18.
“Every time I got on the mound, I was fighting for something,” he said. “I’ll be competing for a starting role this coming year.”
Lopez pitched 131/3 consecutive scoreless innings to start his college career.
“I was in a good rhythm,” he said.
Solis batted .270 from the plate sophomore year with two home runs, two doubles, 15 RBIs, 10 runs and six walks while making 22 starts at catcher for Monterey Bay, which advanced to the West Super Regional championship game, tied a a school record for wins with 39 and claimed CCAA regular season and tournament titles.
Solis had a 1.000 fielding percentage.
“My defense has always been there,” he said. “My offense came around this year. I hit .333 and a couple homers in league. My teammates told me I grew a lot. I had a lot of responsibility. The mental side of the game is really important for catchers. For our team, we call all of our own pitches. You find out a pitcher’s strengths and weaknesses in the fall before the season.”
Solis and Lopez graduated from Central Valley in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Both played four seasons of varsity baseball with the Hawks.
Solis earned first-team, all-Western Athletic Conference honors as a senior.
He batted .404 from the plate with one triple, four doubles, 16 RBIs, 14 runs and three stolen bases.
He committed just two errors on defense.
Lopez made history as a junior by becoming just the second Central Valley player to earn Most Valuable Player honors.
He was named WAC South Division MVP in a vote by the league’s head coaches.
Lopez posted a perfect 7-0 record on the mound with a 0.60 earned-run average, one no-hitter, three shutouts, six complete games, 84 strikeouts and 18 walks.
