Central Catholic softball embracing challenges of tough nonleague schedule
The Central Catholic softball team is in the middle of its toughest stretch of games in a few seasons.
Monday, the Raiders took on Destiny Christian Academy and one of the best pitchers in the nation, LSU commit Ayla Tuua. Wednesday, they hit the road for Arizona, where they will rub elbows with some of the best high school softball teams in the nation at the Dave Kops Tournament of Champions, March 6-8.
They open the tournament Thursday against Cibola, which finished last season ranked No. 16 in New Mexico. A win in that game would put them against Orange Lutheran, a top-45 ranked team in the country by MaxPreps.
Other tournament participants include powerhouse programs like Los Alamitos, Norco, Orange Lutheran and many more.
The goal is to be battle tested. The Raiders have made it to the section title game in Division III and Division IV the past two seasons but were unable to bring home a blue banner. In 2023, they won a NorCal title thanks to a perfect game from Randi Roelling. Playing in top events like the Tournament of Champions and the annual tournament at Tracy High School later in the season will only help them get better.
“It’s good competition and puts us in uncomfortable positions,” head coach Sam Nichols said. “It gets us prepared for the postseason. We’ve had good runs but haven’t finished it off and I feel like getting our preseason schedule pumped up more can get us prepared mentally.”
With Stephanie Garcia on the mound for the Raiders, they stayed even with DCA in a closely contested battle early, heading into the third inning tied at 1-1. In the bottom half of the frame with two runners on, Arizona State signee Jazmarie Roberts came up with an inside-the-park home run to give the Raiders a 4-1 lead. The Lions scored one run in the top of the sixth and five in the top of the seventh to earn the 7-4 win. Nichols said his team can use tough early matchups as learning experiences.
“We always have something to go back to,” he said. “Understanding mistakes like the ones we made at the end of the game today, learning from that and cleaning that up.
“We played well enough to win this game, we got some good swings against tough pitching … we just didn’t finish. It was like our section title game. We have to learn how to finish games and mentally focus.”
No. 4 MJC Men’s Basketball hosts Saturday
The MJC men’s basketball team pulled out its first win in the 3C2A Northern California regional playoffs Saturday night, beating Contra Costa 70-62 in a closely contested matchup. The Pirates earned the No. 4 seed in the NorCal bracket, earning them a first-round bye. The win over Contra Costa moved them to 26-3 on the season and extended their win streak to 17 games.
This Saturday, March 8, the Pirates take on No. 5 Las Positas at home in the Northern California regional final to advance to the Elite Eight. Tip off is at 7 p.m. and doors will open at 5:30 p.m.
Escalon football star headed to Fresno State
Escalon defensive lineman Ryan Lewis signed a preferred walk-on offer to attend Fresno State University in February. The multiple-time All-TVL and All-District performer is one of the first four-year varsity football players under current head coach Andrew Beam and made an impact from the first time he stepped on the field.
He is a three-time Sac-Joaquin Section champion and a state champion who never missed a start for the Cougars, according to Beam, starting in 56 straight games over his four-year varsity career. He finished with 272 total tackles, 37 tackles for loss, 32.5 sacks, 13 passes defensed, five fumble recoveries and one interception defensively and 80 catches for 962 yards and 11 touchdowns in four stellar seasons.
“A week before the visit, my mind was set on going to MJC and trying to get something out of there,” Lewis said. “But (Fresno State) called me and my whole outlook on it changed. Then when I went on my visit, they gave me the offer, I knew this was the place I wanted to be.”
He will join the Bulldogs in the fall and plans to work his way into a scholarship. He was joined by family, friends, coaches and teammates at his signing who all spoke glowingly of the team’s backbone for the past few seasons.
“I’m up for the task and I think (Fresno State coaches) know I am, too,” Lewis said.
Central Catholic baseball alum fuels upset over No. 1 team
Central Catholic graduate and 2023 Modesto Bee Baseball Player of the Year Braxton Thomas is entering his first healthy, full season with Cal Poly and has picked up where he left off last season. The sophomore came through big for the Mustangs, driving in the game-winning run in the top of the ninth inning to seal a 3-2 win over Texas A&M, the No. 1 ranked team at the time.
Thomas missed the first 10 weekends of his freshman season and originally planned to redshirt, but was instead used as a pinch hitter and designated hitter. When he was healthy, he started his freshman season in 2024 with a seven-game hitting streak in which he got four home runs and one double. In his first eight games, he hit .355 with 12 RBI. He had three multiple-hit games and four multiple-RBI games as a freshman.
Pitman baseball grad starts Division I career hot
Former Pitman High baseball player and 2022 Modesto Bee Baseball Player of the Year Mateo Garcia opened his first season with Santa Clara baseball with a bang, putting up impressive numbers in the Broncos’ series win over Cal State Northridge. Known for his versatility at the high school level and during his career at San Joaquin Delta College, Garcia has started at left field and third base this season.
In the season-opening series, Garcia collected five hits, four RBI, five walks and a .500 batting average. He also had two doubles and five walks in the three-game set. In the second game of the series, he recorded his first two career highs, recording four hits and scoring three runs.
Garcia and the Broncos take on Texas this weekend in a three-game series.
Central Catholic’s Meeks gets D-I offer
Central Catholic running back/defensive back Carter Meeks picked up another scholarship offer in late February, earning one from San Diego State. That puts the junior three-star up to three offers including Nevada and Washington state. As a junior, he rushed for 459 yards and seven touchdowns on 70 carries and had one 100-plus-yard rushing outing. Defensively, he had 45 total tackles and nine passes defensed. He recorded single-season career highs in carries and touchdowns on offense and in tackles and passes defensed. Meeks is expecting a big senior campaign in the fall as the Raiders’ premier running back.
Davis High wrestler earns top three finish
For the second straight season, Davis High wrestler Jazmine Turner is a top-three finisher at state. The senior, who may go on to wrestle at the Division I level, beat Avy Perez of Birmingham in the LA City Section in Saturday’s winner’s bracket matches at 105 pounds. Turner just a week before won a Sac-Joaquin Section title at Masters, the second in her four-year varsity career. Turner is a four time Masters finalist, a four-time state qualifier, a four-time WAC champion and a three-time regional champion among other individual awards.
This story was originally published March 6, 2025 at 10:30 AM.
