Ceres High’s baseball team showed a tremendous amount of improvement during the 2021 campaign.
The Bulldogs won nine of their final 11 games following a 1-6 start.
“We started the season off pretty rocky,” Ceres High junior pitcher/infielder Noel Anaya said. “We finished the way we should have played all year.”
The Bulldogs amassed a 10-8 overall record and had a 7-5 mark against Western Athletic Conference competition.
“We played as hard as we could,” Anaya said.
Ceres High (4-5) placed third in the WAC South Division standings behind Central Valley and Los Banos.
Pacheco took last.
The Bulldogs beat Pacheco three times, won one of three games versus Los Banos and lost three times to Central Valley.
Ceres High swept WAC North member Grace Davis.
“We have a young team,” Anaya said. “Most of us will be seniors and juniors next year. We got to keep improving.”
The Bulldogs wrapped up the 2021 season on May 25 at Los Banos.
Ceres High won the second game of the doubleheader, 12-5.
The Tigers won the first game, 11-1.
“We didn’t play up to expectations the first game,” Anaya said. “We found our rhythm the second game. We had communication. We got hits whenever we needed them. Our pitching and defense was pretty good.”
BOYS HOOPS
Central Valley’s boys basketball team compiled an 0-11 record and lost all 10 of its games against Western Athletic Conference competition this season.
“We had a young team,” head coach Mike Rodriguez said. “They played hard every game. We just struggled all year shooting the ball. We had a hard time taking care of the ball. That also hurt us.”
The Hawks lost a pair of league games to Pacheco during the final week of the WAC campaign.
Upperclassmen Xavier Valencia, Amari Taylor and Steven Santora suited up for Central Valley for the final time.
“We’re losing some good guys,” Rodriguez said. “They always worked hard. They were reliable.”
The Panthers spoiled the Hawks’ Senior Night with an 83-58 victory on May 20 in Ceres.
“They beat us pretty good,” Rodriguez said. “We couldn’t get anything going, offensively.”
Central Valley’s Gage Mastropierro tallied a team-high 14 points against Pacheco.
Taylor and Jordan Powers contributed 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Yoshi Kumar and Sunny Khabra both had eight points.
Central Valley dropped its season finale, 51-48, at Pacheco on May 21.
“We competed really hard,” Rodriguez said. “We attacked the basket. We got some easy buckets. That made it close.”
Mastropierro led the Hawks in scoring with 19 points.
Powers and Kumar chipped in 11 and eight points, respectively.
The Hawks will strive to be more competitive in 2021-22.
“This group is pretty dedicated,” Rodriguez said. “They’d show up on the weekends and get up some extra shots. We’ll have a chance to be pretty good next season if they continue to put the work in. They’re itching to get back in the gym.”
