Central Valley’s and Ceres High’s baseball programs are aiming for additional success after experiencing a year capped with playoff appearances.
Seeded 14th, the Hawks stunned third-seeded/Sac-Joaquin Section powerhouse Elk Grove 3-2 en route to finishing in the top eight in the Division-I bracket this past spring.
The Bulldogs qualified for the Division-III playoffs.
“Expectations are always high for us,” said Brad Bussard, who was promoted to head coach after serving as an assistant the previous two seasons on Central Valley leader Derrick Goblirsch’s staff. “We made a pretty good run last year. We got hot at the right time.”
“I have high expectations,” Ceres High first-year Coach Raul Godinez stated. “The guys are all on board. The season is up to us whether we want to make playoffs or not.”
The Hawks return nine players from last year’s team, including Diego Delahoya (Sr.), Miguel Espinoza (Sr.), Ryan Estermann (Sr.), Jake Olson (Sr.), Martin Reyes (Sr.), Garret Garcia (Jr.), Eddie Stewart (Jr.), Caiden Whittle (Jr.) and Chris Garcia (So.).
Newcomers Jayson Casias (Sr.), Gage Mastropierro (Sr.), Juan Alonzo (Jr.), Raul Hernandez (Jr.), Josiah Sandoval (Jr.) and Fernando Dominguez (Fr.) round out Central Valley’s roster.
Gabrial Lopez, Angel Porras, Fidel Alonzo, Samuel Wilson, Devon Campos, Angel Pineda and Alan Lopez were lost to graduation.
Chris Garcia earned honorable-mention, Central California Conference recognition at the varsity level as a freshman.
He posted a 5-5 record at pitcher with a 1.35 ERA, 83 strikeouts, 15 walks, two complete games and one save.
“There’s a lot of talent on our roster,” Bussard said. “We have a great young core. The future is definitely bright for Central Valley baseball.”
The Bulldogs return six players from a season ago, including Jorge Gonzalez (Sr.), Adrian Ontiveros (Sr.), Joshua Prestridge (Sr.), Zion Wesir (Sr.), Ernie Miranda (Jr.) and Vincent Castrejon (So.).
Xander Hernandez (Sr.), Zeph Rochell (Sr.), Kyan Bowen (Jr.), Brayden Clark (Jr.), David Diaz (Jr.), Diego Mariscal (Jr.) and Carson Ulrich (So.) are new to the team.
Prestridge and Gonzalez both earned all-Western Athletic Conference honors junior year.
Prestridge was selected to the WAC First Team.
He batted .387 from the plate with seven doubles, 25 RBIs and 21 runs. He had an on-base plus slugging percentage of .915.
Gonzalez was named to the WAC Second Team.
He batted .297 with one triple, one double, 16 RBIs and 15 runs.
“I don’t have to get on them to work hard,” Godinez said. “They want to be out there. They want to play. They’re not intimidated by anybody. That’s hard to teach.”
Ceres High managed to secure a playoff berth in 2022 despite losing its first nine games.
The Bulldogs amassed a 13-16 overall record and finished in third place in the WAC standings with a 9-5 mark.
Ceres High’s 2023 conference schedules includes games Beyer, Grace Davis, Johansen, Los Banos, Pacheco, Lathrop and Mountain House.
Mountain House (12-2) won the WAC title last year.
Los Banos (11-3) took second.
“We’re shooting for playoffs,” Godinez said.
“In order to be a good team, you have to work together,” he added. “Baseball isn’t an individual sport.”
Central Valley made program history in 2022 by securing just its second playoff berth. The Hawks returned to the postseason following an eight-year absence.
Central Valley compiled a 14-14 overall and finished fourth in the CCC standings (6-6).
The Hawks’ 2023 conference schedule includes games against Patterson, Atwater, Buhach Colony, Merced, Golden Valley and El Capitan.
“We do a lot of things right that will help us build a winning culture,” Bussard said.
“Talent just doesn’t win games,” he added. “You have to work hard, have the right mindset and play together as a team.”
