Alex Solis and Abigail Martinez were recognized as Central Valley High School’s Central California Conference Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year at a banquet this past month in Merced.

Solis (baseball) and Martinez (soccer) will continue their athletic careers at Stanislaus State.

“This is the most important award I’ve got,” Martinez said. “It means more because I’m being recognized as an athlete that works hard in school, too.”

“It’s definitely an honor getting that award,” Solis said. “School was a higher priority than baseball. If you don’t have the grades, you have no chance to play or get into college.”

Solis had a B-plus average his senior year.

Martinez posted a cumulative GPA of 3.6.

“It was hard getting there,” Martinez said. “I had great help along the way.”

“I was able to manage my time more effectively after freshman year,” Solis said. 

Solis earned four varsity letters for baseball.

He received first-team honors in two different leagues, including the Central California Conference this season and Western Athletic Conference in 2018. He garnered second-team recognition his sophomore year.

Solis batted .339 from the plate with four homers, three triples, 31 doubles, 100 hits, 55 RBIs, 81 runs and 39 stolen bases in 105 career games.

He had an on-base plus slugging percentage of .985.

Solis totaled seven wins at pitcher with 184 strikeouts and three shutouts in 1592/3 innings.

He set career-high marks for batting average (.467), homers (4), doubles (12), hits (35), RBIs (19), runs (27), on-base percentage (.588), slugging percentage (.786) and on-base plus slugging percentage (1.375) his senior year.

He also had career-best marks for wins (4), ERA (2.36), strikeouts (59) and complete games (2) on the mound.

“I’ve grown a lot over the last four years,” Solis said.

Martinez earned six varsity letters, including four in girls soccer and two in girls tennis.

Her main sport was soccer.

She was voted CCC Defensive Player of the Year her senior year.

Martinez anchored Central Valley’s defense, which allowed just eight goals in 12 league games.

She also contributed on offense with six goals and three assists.

Martinez earned first-team, all-WAC recognition her junior and sophomore years.

She was a second-team honoree as a freshman.

“I really surprised myself,” she said.

A four-year starter, Martinez helped lead Central Valley to 77 victories, one section finals appearance, four conference titles and four playoff berths.

The Hawks posted a 17-7-2 overall record and captured their fourth straight league title during the 2018-19 campaign. Central Valley claimed the CCC crown with a 10-0-2 mark.

“It’s amazing to be a part of Central Valley’s history,” she said. “We’re all proud we accomplished so much for the school. We worked so hard. No matter how much success we had, we stayed hungry.”

Martinez will be the first person in her family to attend college.

Solis’ mother Elida went to UC Santa Cruz.

“It’s a huge accomplishment,” said Martinez, the youngest of six siblings. “My parents (Abelardo and Maria) are so proud of me. They pushed me to be successful so I could get opportunities they didn’t get. They always encouraged me.”

Head coach Miguel Larranaga also made sure Martinez took care of business in the classroom.

“He’s like my second father, basically,” Martinez said. “He’s coached me my whole life.”

“My parents did an amazing job making sure I stayed on track,” Solis said. “They told me very early on school matters.”