Ceres Youth Baseball products Hunter Adrian, Walter Claudio and Patrick Trinkler played key roles in leading Central Catholic High School to state, section and league titles in 2008.
"There's not too many other people I would have rather won with," Adrian said.
Under legendary coach Mike Glines' guidance, the Raiders posted a 26-4 overall record, claimed their second consecutive CalHiSports state crown and captured their ninth straight Sac-Joaquin Section championship. Central Catholic also placed first in conference play for the ninth year in a row.
"We had a responsibility to do good," Hunter said.
Adrian pitched and played first base during his senior year. The Western Athletic Conference second-team selection posted a 10-2 record with a 1.83 ERA, four complete games, three shutouts, 55 strikeouts and 30 walks. He also batted .348 (31-for-89) with one homer, two triples, six doubles, 18 runs and 21 RBIs.
"I definitely didn't expect to do as good as I did," Adrian said. "But I put in a lot of offseason work. I was physically in better shape than previous years. I really think that contributed to my success."
Claudio, a senior outfielder, made the WAC second team as well. He batted .341 (29-for-85) with four homers, two triples, six doubles, seven stolen bases, 12 walks, 32 runs and 27 RBIs. He also had a .600 slugging percentage.
Trinkler, a junior third baseman, earned first-team, all-conference honors. He batted .333 (25-for-75) with one homer, eight doubles, 24 runs and 17 RBIs.
Patrick went 3-0 as a pitcher, compiling a 1.88 ERA with 13 strikeouts and just three walks.
Central Catholic beat Hughson 8-1 for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V title on May 26 at Tony Zupo Field in Lodi.
"It was one of the best experiences of my life," said Adrian, who surrendered just one run on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over seven innings. "I got to pitch the whole game. My defense played really good behind me. That definitely helped."
Hunter, Walter and Patrick combined to go 6-for-12 from the plate on offense in the championship game.
Adrian finished 3-for-4 with one run scored and an RBI.
Trinkler tallied two singles, one stolen base and a run in three at-bats.
Walter added a double and a run.
Teammates for three seasons at Central Catholic, Adrian, Claudio and Trinkler also played together at different times at the youth level.
"It was great being around the guys that I grew up with," Adrian said. "We had a lot of fun."
Hunter, Walter and Patrick were each extended invitations to participate in the 19th Annual Stanislaus County High School All-Star Baseball Classic, held June 21 at John Thurman Field.
Adrian spent his freshman year at Ceres High before transferring to his father's alma mater. Tom was a standout football and baseball player at Central Catholic.
Asked if he felt any added pressure coming from a family of great athletes, Hunter said: "It actually helps because they're always pushing you to be better and work harder."
Cousin McKenzy Harden, a standout girls tennis player at Ceres High, finished undefeated in the Valley Oak League as a sophomore last fall.
Adrian will always remember his final season with the Raiders. Hunter and his friends helped Central Catholic write another chapter in its storied history.
"It was a great experience," he said. "I have no regrets."
Adrian will play baseball at Merced College for the next two years. He wants to complete his education at UC San Diego, where he plans to major in engineering.
Hunter graduated from high school with a 3.85 cumulative grade-point average. He maintained a 4.14 GPA this year.
"There's not too many other people I would have rather won with," Adrian said.
Under legendary coach Mike Glines' guidance, the Raiders posted a 26-4 overall record, claimed their second consecutive CalHiSports state crown and captured their ninth straight Sac-Joaquin Section championship. Central Catholic also placed first in conference play for the ninth year in a row.
"We had a responsibility to do good," Hunter said.
Adrian pitched and played first base during his senior year. The Western Athletic Conference second-team selection posted a 10-2 record with a 1.83 ERA, four complete games, three shutouts, 55 strikeouts and 30 walks. He also batted .348 (31-for-89) with one homer, two triples, six doubles, 18 runs and 21 RBIs.
"I definitely didn't expect to do as good as I did," Adrian said. "But I put in a lot of offseason work. I was physically in better shape than previous years. I really think that contributed to my success."
Claudio, a senior outfielder, made the WAC second team as well. He batted .341 (29-for-85) with four homers, two triples, six doubles, seven stolen bases, 12 walks, 32 runs and 27 RBIs. He also had a .600 slugging percentage.
Trinkler, a junior third baseman, earned first-team, all-conference honors. He batted .333 (25-for-75) with one homer, eight doubles, 24 runs and 17 RBIs.
Patrick went 3-0 as a pitcher, compiling a 1.88 ERA with 13 strikeouts and just three walks.
Central Catholic beat Hughson 8-1 for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V title on May 26 at Tony Zupo Field in Lodi.
"It was one of the best experiences of my life," said Adrian, who surrendered just one run on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over seven innings. "I got to pitch the whole game. My defense played really good behind me. That definitely helped."
Hunter, Walter and Patrick combined to go 6-for-12 from the plate on offense in the championship game.
Adrian finished 3-for-4 with one run scored and an RBI.
Trinkler tallied two singles, one stolen base and a run in three at-bats.
Walter added a double and a run.
Teammates for three seasons at Central Catholic, Adrian, Claudio and Trinkler also played together at different times at the youth level.
"It was great being around the guys that I grew up with," Adrian said. "We had a lot of fun."
Hunter, Walter and Patrick were each extended invitations to participate in the 19th Annual Stanislaus County High School All-Star Baseball Classic, held June 21 at John Thurman Field.
Adrian spent his freshman year at Ceres High before transferring to his father's alma mater. Tom was a standout football and baseball player at Central Catholic.
Asked if he felt any added pressure coming from a family of great athletes, Hunter said: "It actually helps because they're always pushing you to be better and work harder."
Cousin McKenzy Harden, a standout girls tennis player at Ceres High, finished undefeated in the Valley Oak League as a sophomore last fall.
Adrian will always remember his final season with the Raiders. Hunter and his friends helped Central Catholic write another chapter in its storied history.
"It was a great experience," he said. "I have no regrets."
Adrian will play baseball at Merced College for the next two years. He wants to complete his education at UC San Diego, where he plans to major in engineering.
Hunter graduated from high school with a 3.85 cumulative grade-point average. He maintained a 4.14 GPA this year.
