Central Valley’s varsity baseball team will compete in the Central California Conference this spring.

The Hawks moved from the Western Athletic Conference to the CCC as part of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s league realignment plan.

“It’s a big jump for us,” head coach Derrick Goblirsch said. “It’s a consistent challenge. Every team is good. We can’t take anybody lightly.”

Central Valley’s top returning players are Alex Solis (Sr.), Sergio Solis (So.) and Ryan Palecek (Sr.).

The Hawks’ top newcomers are Gabrial Lopez (Fr.), Adrian Garcia (So.), Isaiah Hidalgo (So.) and Angel Vega (So.).

“We have so many young guys,” Goblirsch said. 

Solis, a four-year starter, was selected to the WAC First Team as a junior.

He ranked first in league in hits (11), triples (1) and stolen bases (5), second in doubles (3) and walks (7), third in batting average (.379) and RBIs (7) and on-base percentage (.500), fifth in runs (7), and sixth in slugging percentage (.551).

He totaled 18 strikeouts in 15 innings at pitcher.

Solis will continue his baseball career at Stanislaus State.

 “He’s the guy we look to in tough situations,” Goblirsch said. “He’s the backbone of our team.”

Lopez will be a major contributor as a freshman.

“It’s great to add a guy like that to the team,” Goblirsch said. “We don’t want to put too much pressure on him. But he’s going to do lot of great things for us.”

Alex and Gabrial will be Central Valley’s two starters on the mound.

“They both give us an opportunity to win when they pitch,” Goblirsch said.

Central Valley will face Patterson, Atwater, Buhach Colony, Merced, Golden Valley and El Capitan during CCC play. 

The Hawks posted a 7-18-1 overall record and finished in last place in the WAC (1-9) in 2018.

“We’ve been in the same league for the last five years,” Goblirsch said. “It’s a good opportunity for our guys to see how they stack up against some of these bigger schools. We’re definitely optimistic.”