Sobrato senior named MVP of Mount Hamilton Division
MORGAN HILL — Shorty Gutierrez called Chris Bradley the most talented player he has coached, and Bradley’s credentials suggest the same.
In a nearly unanimous vote by coaches, the senior pitcher/infielder has been named MVP of the Mount Hamilton Division, becoming Sobrato baseball’s first recipient of the league’s highest honor.
The award typically goes to the best player on the best team, but Bradley’s statistics spoke louder than the Bulldogs’ third-place finish. The lefty posted a 6-4 league record with 83 strikeouts in 59 innings and an ERA of about 1.08.
Bradley finished four RBIs short of a triple crown as the division leader in batting average (.471, 30 percentage points over the next-best hitter) and home runs (three). Gutierrez said he batted him in the lead-off spot so opposing teams would not pitch around him.
“Chris gained some respect all around. He was pretty dominant this year,” the sixth-year Sobrato manager said. “He even had some slumps, so he could have done better. That’s scary to think about.”
Bradley earned first-team all-league honors with senior teammate Ryan Williams, who homered three times and batted .361 in division play. Williams (5-3) was equally clutch on the hill, finishing with a 1.50 ERA.
Bryan Bradley, Chris’ twin brother, was named to the second team. He played almost every infield position this spring and batted .338 in league.
“We rode those three guys this year,” said Gutierrez, whose team earned a third straight invite to the Central Coast Section playoffs. Sobrato lost its Division II opener against Los Altos.
The Live Oak Acorns received two first- and second-team nods, a reward for their climb from seventh to third in the Mount Hamilton. The honorees included first-teamers Ken Hall and Cody Van Aken and second-team picks Ryan Muir and Michael Schreiber.
Hall led the team with 23 RBIs and had a slugging percentage of .516, including a club-best 10 doubles. The senior first baseman joined Van Aken as the only two Acorns to homer this year; Hall hit a grand slam during Live Oak’s 6-5 win over San Lorenzo Valley in the first round of the CCS Division III playoffs.
Van Aken, a junior, evolved into one of the league’s best catchers. He led the team in batting average (.391), hits (36) and slugging percentage (.576).
Muir batted .385 with 18 RBIs and matched Schreiber with 23 runs, a team high. Muir played error free in left field.
Schreiber will be one of the toughest seniors to replace. He had great range in center, committing one error, and was just as potent at the plate. Schreiber batted .318 with 27 hits, including seven doubles.
Beyond stats, the leadership of those four players helped Live Oak win 10 of its final 12 regular-season games to reach the playoffs.
