Seven of the Ceres High softball team’s nine starters were rewarded during the Western Athletic Conference’s year-end head coaches’ meeting on May 12 in Los Banos.
Elizabeth Figueroa, Bella Bravo, Gabriella Cole, Kyleigh Robinson, Samantha Alcarez, Briona Bravo and Sophia Alcarez helped lead the Bulldogs to their third consecutive WAC championship this spring.
Ceres High compiled a 13-1 record in league play.
“I don’t have a whole lot to complain about,” Bulldogs’ first-year leader Marcos Duran said. “For the other coaches to recognize our girls is an honor. It’s well-deserved. They’re special players. They’re talented. They put in the work when no one else is watching. I’m proud of the girls.”
Figueroa, a senior, was voted the WAC’s Pitcher of the Year.
“I didn’t have to plead my case,” Duran said. “All the coaches recognized Lizzie for the year she had.”
Figueroa compiled a near-perfect 8-1 record with a 1.19 earned-run average, 62 strikeouts, 16 walks, five shutouts and eight complete games in 53 innings.
“She’s a competitor,” Duran said. “She likes to win.”
Duran knew Figueroa would have an amazing year after watching her pitch against Central Catholic during the preseason.
She allowed two earned runs and five hits with three strikeouts and one walk in a 3-0 loss to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-IV champion Raiders.
“That gave me confidence in her,” he said. “I trusted her. She trusted me.”
Figueroa also produced on offense during her final season with the Bulldogs.
She batted .442 from the plate with five doubles, 20 RBIs, 12 runs and one stolen base.
She had zero strikeouts in 43 at-bats.
She had on-base, slugging and on-base plus slugging percentages of .469, .558 and 1.027.
Figueroa ranked first on the team in RBIs, second in hits and doubles, third in slugging percentage, fifth in batting average, runs and on-base plus slugging percentage, and seventh in on-base percentage.
“She led by example,” Duran said. “She always did what we asked. She’s a great kid.”
Cole, Robinson, Samantha Alcarez and Bella Bravo were named to the WAC First Team.
Bella Bravo, a senior utility player, batted .581 from the plate with six doubles, 13 RBIs, 14 runs and three stolen bases.
“She never complained where we put her on the field,” Duran said. “She was always ready to compete. She had a really good IQ as a hitter. She didn’t chase pitches and strike out out a lot.”
Cole, a sophomore outfielder, batted .489 from the plate with one triple, one double, eight RBIs, 21 runs and 13 stolen bases.
“Gabby led our team in hits, runs and stolen bases,” Duran said. “She’s a really smart base runner. She has a lot of speed. The sky’s the limit for Gabby. She’s only a sophomore.”
Robinson, a senior catcher, batted .667 from the plate with two triples, one double, five RBIs, nine runs and one stolen base in seven games.
She managed to earn first-team all-league honors despite missing a month of the season with a foot injury.
“Kyleigh had the highest batting average on the team,” Duran said. “She hit the ball really well.”
Samantha Alcarez, a junior pitcher/third baseman/shortstop, compiled a 4-0 record in the circle with a 0.84 ERA, 54 strikeouts, 21 walks, three no-hitters and four complete games in 25 innings.
“When Sami’s on, she’s dominant,” Duran said.
Samantha Alcarez collected one triple, two doubles, eight RBIs, 14 runs and 11 stolen bases on offense.
“Sami’s a well-rounded softball player,” Duran said. “She’s a great teammate. She does whatever we ask her to do No complaints.”
Briona Bravo and Sophia Alcarez both earned second-team all-conference honors.
Briona just missed earning a spot on the WAC First Team.
“Bri and two other girls had the same amount of votes for First Team,” Duran said. “We had to do a re-vote. She came up short.”
Briona Bravo, a freshman middle infielder/catcher, batted .351 from the plate with one triple, five doubles, 12 RBIs, 16 runs and four stolen bases.
“She does not play and act like a freshman,” Duran said. “She’s hard on herself because she expects to be great.”
Sophia Alcarez, a freshman second baseman, batted .409 from the plate with one double, six RBIs, 12 runs and four stolen bases.
“She found her role on the team,” Duran said. “She’s a really smart baserunner. She’s got a lot of speed. She puts a lot of pressure on defenses.”
Figueroa, Robinson and Bella Bravo, Ceres High’s three all-league seniors, were lost to graduation this past week.
“Without their performances, we wouldn’t have won a league championship,” Duran said. “They were a big part of our team. They’re going to be hard to replace.”
