Local Digest: MJC baseball back in playoffs for first time since 2014.
Modesto Junior College baseball team’s 6-3 win over Delta College on April 25 was significant for a couple of reasons.
First, Delta is the No. 1 team in the state, according to the California Community College Baseball Coaches Association.
Second, the win for the Pirates (24-15, 12-12) clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2014.
The Pirates are the No. 14 seed in the CCCAA Northern California Regional playoffs and will travel to No. 3 Santa Rosa for a best-of-3 series that begins on Friday. The brackets were released Sunday afternoon.
“They have won two state championships in last 10 or 12 years,” Pirates coach Zeb Brayton said. “We beat them two out of three (this year) and we aren’t going to be intimated by them.”
The Big 8 Conference, which Brayton called the “best in California,” had six of its nine teams make the playoffs.
The last time MJC made the playoffs was Brayton’s last year as an assistant before taking over as head coach.
Brayton said the team’s strength has been its pitching, which has three players signed to play NCAA Division 1 next year.
Those pitchers are: Blane Abeyta (University of Nevada, Ceres High), Landon Curtis (University of the Pacific, Turlock), and Tanner Shears (Sacramento State, Enochs).
Outfielder John Temple (University of Valparaiso, Turlock) also is signed and Brayton said by the end of the season he thinks he will have 12 players who have signed scholarships for next year.
“I take a lot of pride taking the best players from our area,” he said. “I want to make sure when they leave our (team), they are successful men.”
Stan State baseball clinches CCAA tournament berth: With a 4-3 win over San Francisco State in Game 1 of a doubleheader on Saturday, the Warriors clinched a spot in the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament that begins May 8 at Stockton’s Banner Island Ballpark.
The appearance will be Stanislaus State’s fourth and first since 2017. The pairings will be announced after this weekend’s regular season concludes.
Ripon Christian boys volleyball No. 1 seed for Div. III playoffs: Ripon Christian is the No. 1 seed in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. III playoffs.
The brackets, which were released Friday, have the top-seeded Knights (17-2, 8-0) facing Lodi Academy on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the first round. Ripon Christian has won 14 matches in a row.
Other local teams to make the playoffs: Ceres (No. 14 in Div. II) and Hilmar (No. 10 in Div. III)
Downey senior signs with Ottawa University: Downey senior bowler Koryn Marquez signed with Ottawa University in Surprise, Arizona, on April 26.
Marquez will compete on the Braves’ bowling team.
Powerlifting meet in Stanlslaus County scheduled for Saturday: Old Skool Iron, located at 304 McHenry Ave. in Modesto, will be holding a powerlifting event on Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. The three events scheduled are: squat, bench, and deadlift.
This story was originally published April 29, 2019 at 2:39 PM.
