Players of the Year, baseball and softball
Generally speaking, when it comes to high school athletics, female athletes attend boys games as spectators but male athletes rarely show up to watch the girls compete in their sports.
But there is nothing general or average about the Rancho Bernardo High baseball and softball programs.
When the Rancho Bernardo softball team played for the CIF San Diego Section Division I title on May 28 at UCSD, many of the baseball players took advantage of their day off. The baseball team’s win the day before on a Friday meant that the Broncos had advanced to the next round without having to play a Saturday elimination game.
“We wanted to support them,” said Brian Wilson, Rancho Bernardo’s senior pitcher/outfielder. “There is a lot of support for the sports at our school. They were playing for their first CIF title, and it was a good game.”
The Broncos defeated Mira Mesa, and a week later the softball players attended the baseball team’s appearance in the CIF Division I final at San Diego State’s Tony Gwynn Stadium. The Broncos beat Granite Hills for the baseball program’s fourth CIF baseball title.
“It was really nice to have them at our game,” said Melissa May, the Broncos’ senior pitcher. “A lot of us are friends and we support each other. There is kind of a friendly rivalry because the baseball program has been so successful. This year we were able to celebrate together, but it wasn’t just the baseball and softball team. The whole school was excited.”
Wilson, bound for Loyola Marymount with a baseball scholarship, and May, bound for Florida State with a softball scholarship, share something else for Rancho Bernardo. They are the Players of the Year in baseball and softball.
And they aren’t alone. Rancho Bernardo pole vaulter Kate Mattoon, bound for Notre Dame, is the Player of the Year for girls track and field.
Wilson was the surprise story of the year in baseball. This was his first year as a pitcher, but the former middle infielder was 12-1 on the mound. He shared the section lead for most wins in a season. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder struck out 107 batters in 87 2/3 innings with a 2.02 ERA. In the championship game against Granite Hills, he tossed a four-hitter while striking out nine. The final out of the game was a strikeout on a 96 mph fastball.
“It was really spectacular for him to do as well as he did in his first year as a pitcher,” said Rancho Bernardo coach Sam Blalock. “It’s a tribute to his hard work at learning how to pitch and a compliment to our pitching coach, Mark Furtak.”
At the plate, Wilson hit .403 (50 of 124) while scoring 35 runs and finishing second in the section in RBIs with 49. Teammates John Drennen (ULCA, Cleveland Indians first-round draft pick) and Allan Dysktra (Wake Forest), both first-team All-CIF choice, tied for the lead with 50. In the championship game, Wilson was 4-for-4 with a double, triple, two runs scored and two RBI.
“I’ve always like to bat, but when they (the coaches) suggested I try pitching this year, I was all over the idea,” Wilson said. “They gave me an opportunity and it was an awesome experience. If it wasn’t for pitching this year, I probably would have had to walk-on to play in college; instead I got a scholarship.”
Blalock said the coaches knew Wilson had a live arm when he played on the varsity as a sophomore and junior, but the team was deep in pitchers those seasons. Wilson had come to Rancho Bernardo as a middle infielder since he wasn’t considered very big and also hadn’t been a pitcher in the youth leagues.
The coaches first tried him at third base and the outfield in winter ball, but his arm was wild from both positions. Oddly enough, they tried him at pitching despite his erratic. Furtak, who played for Blalock at Mt. Carmel in the early 1980s and then at the University of Hawaii, eventually helped Wilson find his control button.
Wilson said Loyla Marymount will play him as an outfielder and middle reliever as a freshman, but he hopes to prove he can evolved into a starter for the West Coast Conference school. He wasn’t recruited more heavily or considered a draft prospect because of his size, although his father was a late bloomer and Brian has recently grown to 6-foot-1, 185-pounds.
“I love the game of baseball and proving people wrong motivates me,” Wilson said. “We had a great team this year, and everybody pushed each other.”
May said the softball players thrived on a similar team synergism. She finished the year with 17-4 record and 04.5 ERA while striking out 255 batters in 155 innings. Opponents batted .110 against her.
“It’s incredible, and there’s not a better way to finish my senior year,” May said of the CIF title and Player of the Year honor. “Once we got to the playoffs, someone was always making the play we needed.”
May developed tendonitis late in the season, forcing the Broncos to rebound from a slump when the playoffs started.
“It was frustrating not being able to play until the finals,” May said. “My arm wasn’t hurting by then, and I didn’t go out there throwing tentatively. My arm felt fine and I was able to finish the game.”
May entered the game after the first nine batters appeared, meaning she pitched the final 5 1/3 innings. It was a plan set by Rancho Bernardo coach Tracy Stowe before the game.
May could have decided to rest her arm for her college career, but she was diligent in rehabbing her shoulder with the team trainer. The Broncos won the championship game 4-3.
“She’s all about the team first,” Rancho Bernardo coach Tracy Stowe said. “Even when she missed some games, she was still having fun being with the team and her friends. She had an a work ethic and a team-first attitude.”
Tom Shanahan can be contacted by e-mail at toms@sdhoc.com or by telephone at 619-699-2334.
