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Ceres High faces rebuilding year
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Adrian Magdaleno will contribute at pitcher for the second year in a row. The Ceres High senior compiled a 6-1 record with a 1.37 ERA, 27 strikeouts, seven complete games and one save against WAC competition last spring. - photo by DALE BUTLER/The Courier

Ceres High's varsity baseball team enjoyed a major turnaround in 2017.

The Bulldogs posted a 23-7 overall record, finished in the top four in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-IV playoffs and placed second in the Western Athletic Conference (12-3).

Ceres High collected just 11 wins and took fourth in the WAC (3-9) the previous year.

The Bulldogs will try to build on last season's success in 2018.

Ceres High will move forward with a new-look lineup as WAC Most Valuable Player Ricky Lopez, first-team performers Blane Abeyta, Adrian Lujan and Ismael Ontiveros, and second-team honoree Zach Kommavong were all lost to graduation.

Dalton Durossette transferred to Central Catholic. The standout hitter/pitcher was selected to the WAC First Team as freshman.

Ceres High's top returning players are Adrian Magdaleno (senior pitcher/infielder), Brock DeWitt (junior infielder) and Austin Schmidt (senior outfielder/catcher).

Magdaleno was selected to the WAC First Team his junior year.

Adrian compiled a near-perfect 6-1 record with a 1.37 ERA, 27 strikeouts, seven complete games and one save.

DeWitt garnered second-team all-league recognition.

Brock batted .368 with 13 RBIs, 22 runs and 12 stolen bases in 30 games.

Schmidt batted .275 with four doubles, eight RBIs, eight runs and six stolen bases.

Magdaleno, DeWitt and Schmidt are team captains.

The Bulldogs' top newcomers are Michael Aveytia (junior pitcher/infielder), Caleb Cannella (junior pitcher/shortstop), Daniel Gamez (junior outfielder), Brock Moore (junior first baseman), Isaiah Alcorn (sophomore pitcher/outfielder/first baseman), Cesar Alvarez (sophomore pitcher/infielder), Efrain Brito (sophomore pitcher/outfielder) and Josh Pernetti (sophomore catcher/first baseman.

Aveytia, Cannella, Gamez, Moore, Alcorn, Alvarez, Brito and Pernetti helped lead the JV Bulldogs to a 19-8 overall record and 11-4 mark in WAC play last year.

Ceres High will try to win its third conference title in four years and secure its sixth playoff appearance in seven seasons this spring.

The Bulldogs finished one game behind the Los Banos Tigers in the 2017 WAC standings.

Ceres High won its final nine league games.

The Bulldogs beat the crosstown-rival Central Valley Hawks three times (14-2, 4-0, 4-2).