Williams, Austin lead the bunch
MORGAN HILL — The Sobrato baseball team’s run to second place in the Mount Hamilton Division did not go unnoticed.
The Bulldogs, finalists in the CIF-Central Coast Section Division II Playoffs, came away with five all-league honors — two for the first team, two for the second and one for special recognition.
Live Oak earned one first- and second-team honor, going to Tony Austin and Alika Bantilan, respectively.
For the Bulldogs, Shea Adams and Chris Bradley made the first team; and Billy Birrell and Bryan Bradley were named to the second. Junior Ryan Williams, a nine-game winner who collected 43 strikeouts, 31 hits and 21 RBIs during the regular season, was named Co-Junior of the Year.
“They’re the reason why we ended up second in our league. They produced,” Sobrato fifth-year coach Ulises “Shorty” Gutierrez said. “It was easy to make a lineup and count on them to come through when we needed it.”
Adams, a senior, totaled 32 hits, 25 runs, 11 RBIs and one home run while switching between pitcher and catcher. He finished 3-2 with 32 strikeouts. Birrell, also a senior, matched his RBI and run total (19) and homered twice.
The junior Bradley twins made an impact in their first year with the program. On the hill, Chris Bradley led the starting rotation in strikeouts (81) and ERA (1.68) in the regular season. He also drove in 19 runs and batted a team-best .393. Bryan Bradley collected 28 hits, 11 runs, 10 RBIs and struck out 11.
“I look forward to those guys returning,” Gutierrez said.
Austin, the Acorns’ wily catcher, returned to the first-team list following a senior campaign in which he averaged .326 at the plate with 31 hits. Austin also had 20 RBIs.
“(He provided) great leadership and defense behind the plate as our catcher,” Live Oak coach Mark Cummins said.
Sitting behind Austin in the cleanup spot, Bantilan batted .420 with 37 hits. The senior slugger homered four times and drove in 26 runs.
“He had a lot of big hits for us this season,” Cummins said. “Hitting behind Tony in the lineup gave us an opportunity to score every time they came up.”
