For leading the Sobrato boys volleyball to its first league championship and a Central Coast Section playoff debut, two milestones that were well out of reach a year ago, Estevan Santiago has received the Santa Teresa Division’s MVP award as voted on by league coaches.
Santiago was a driving force both offensively and defensively at setter and outside hitter this spring, totaling team highs in kills (169) and hitting percentage (49.9). The 6-foot senior also had 202 assists, 28 digs, 23 aces and 17 blocks.
Santiago, who will attend Stanford University in fall, was an exemplary leader on a Bulldogs team that finished a program-best 15-10 (9-1 league) and earned a ninth seed for the CCS Division II tournament. Sobrato lost in four games to No. 8 Pacific Collegiate in the first round.
“Estevan was invaluable to the program and the success we had,” said Sobrato’s Todd Anderson, who shared the league’s Coach of the Year award with his assistant coach, Mike Nydam. “He made sure the team stuck together and communicated.
“His maturity is probably one of his greatest strengths. He’s very disciplined. He knows what he has to do on the court, and he makes sure he does it.”
Freshman opposite hitter/setter Drew Mammen and senior middle hitter Sergio Mihai accompanied Santiago on the first-team all-league list. Senior outside hitter/defensive specialist Miles Mammen and sophomore middle hitter Scott Mercado were Sobrato’s second-team honorees.
Drew Mammen highlighted an impressive rookie season with a club-best 291 assists, 128 kills and 72 aces, while his older brother, Miles, had 59 kills in 44.4-percent hitting plus 28 aces. Mihai led the team with 46 blocks, and Mercado had 40.
Together they helped the Bulldogs pull a remarkable turnaround from a two-win 2010 campaign.
SOFTBALL
Kayla Cisneroz and Grace Hargadon of Live Oak were named first-team all-Mount Hamilton Division, with Hargadon receiving the league’s Freshman of the Year award.
Hargadon batted .404 with a .495 OBP and .576 slugging percentage while starting at third base and shortstop for the Acorns, who reached the CCS Division II quarterfinals.
Cisneroz (.416 BA, .556 OBP, .675 slugging, 13 stolen bases), a senior center fielder, had an impressive final year, culminating with her signing to play softball and soccer next year for Menlo College. Cisneroz received three scholarships, one for both sports and another for academics.
Live Oak’s battery of junior pitcher Katie Obbema and senior catcher Pati Monterrey was second-team all-league. Obbema was 13-11 with one save and an ERA of 3.00 in 25 appearances, while Monterrey (.414 BA, .571 OBP, .448 slugging) caught all but one game in 2011.
Sobrato senior Nicole Larson (.612 BA, .692 OBP, 13 stolen bases, 11 RBIs) earned first-team all-Santa Teresa Division honors and was joined on the postseason awards list by teammates Nicole Kiles (.545 BA, .545 OBP, 10 stolen bases, eight RBIs) and Sam Ribeiro (.520 OBP, .354 BA, 21 stolen bases, five RBIs), who were named to the second team.
BASEBALL
Rich Martinez ended a solid pitching career at Live Oak High School with second-team all-Mount Hamilton Division acclaim.
The senior led the Acorns in wins (three) and complete games (four) this spring and boasted the league’s fourth-best ERA (2.25) and seventh-most strikeouts (41) in 12 appearances. Martinez also drove in six runs and scored 11 times.
Sophomore infielder John Forestieri also made the second team after batting a team-high .328 with four doubles and the Acorns’ only home run. Forestieri’s 22 hits were a club best.
Sobrato senior Tim Giles was named second-team all-Mount Hamilton Division as well, following a brilliant season at the plate. Giles led the Bulldogs in three statistical categories (.398 BA, 33 hits, 17 RBIs) and also had 34 assists at shortstop and pitcher.
