Editor’s Note: It was quite a year for female sports at Gilroy
High, which made selecting the top athletes in each class, as well
as an Athlete of the Year and All-Gilroy team of only 12, a
tremendously difficult task. What can be said for all of the girls
who made the list, and many who did not, is they competed with
determination and class. The result was an incredible year of
action on the field, on the court or in the pool.
Editor’s Note: It was quite a year for female sports at Gilroy High, which made selecting the top athletes in each class, as well as an Athlete of the Year and All-Gilroy team of only 12, a tremendously difficult task. What can be said for all of the girls who made the list, and many who did not, is they competed with determination and class. The result was an incredible year of action on the field, on the court or in the pool.
GHS Athlete of the Year: Hitters feel Mo’ batter blues
More so than in most other sports, one particular position can make or break a team’s chances of winning in softball.
For this reason, along with the necessary numbers to back it up, Gilroy pitcher Melinda “Mo” Ortiz is The Dispatch’s Female Athlete of the Year.
Showcasing a scowl on the mound that was as nasty as the six pitches in her arsenal, Mo’ had no problem mowing down batters towards the end of the season. Before an unfortunate injury in the first inning of the Central Coast Section championship against rival San Benito, Ortiz had won three playoff games through complete-game shutouts.
“She was pitching incredible those first three games,” Gilroy coach Catherine Hallada said. “I think those were three of the best game I’ve seen her pitch.”
The stats would back up such a claim as Ortiz recorded 16 strikeouts in the three wins. Over the course of the season, Ortiz’ numbers were similarly stellar. She had a stingy 1.65 ERA and consistently baffled batters by striking out 67 in just 54 innings.
Having a talented supporting cast on defense and at the plate, Ortiz and her teammates played off of one another to compile a 22-9 record overall and make their first CCS championship appearance since 1999.
“When [the team] had the confidence in their pitcher, she had the confidence in her defense,” Hallada said. “It kind of goes [both ways] and they can rely on each other as a team.”
One example of Mo’ making things exponentially easier on her teammates was when she pulled off an 11-strikeout no-hitter against Alisal on May 8.
“I noticed that the batters were all up to the plate and even if they weren’t, [the ball] was still in there pretty much for a perfect strike,” Ortiz said.
The performance certainly carried over as Ortiz was nearly untouchable the rest of the way. “It felt like it helped me a lot because I knew that as long as I was pitching well, everyone else would just follow up on it and help me out,” she said.
Ortiz had offers to play college ball on the East Coast but chose to stay close to home and play at Gavilan next season. Hallada is confident Ortiz will be playing big-time college ball in the very near future.
“Oh, definitely,” Hallada said. “She’s got a big heart and she’s got the grades and she’s a great athlete as well. I don’t see that being a problem for her at all.”
Senior: The unflappable Figueroa
In her fourth and final year on Gilroy’s varsity girls soccer team, Kristi Figueroa showed all the qualities one would want out of a Senior of the Year.
She showed poise, passion and a flair for the dramatic that helped the Mustangs clinch an outright Tri-County Athletic League title – the second league title for the Mustangs in as many years – by going undefeated (11-0-1) in twelve games.
What makes Figueroa’s accomplishments all the more impressive, though, was the way she conducted herself when the pressure was greatest. After playing alongside last year’s Female Athlete of the Year – midfielder Amanda Bruce – teams shifted their attention this past season to Figueroa. Not to be denied, Figueroa topped her stellar junior season, in which she was named the TCAL’s Co-Junior of the Year, by matching her 10 goals from a season prior while also leading the Mustangs in assists with 11. By the end of the schedule, Figueroa was averaging more than a point per game.
“This was the first year Amanda Bruce wasn’t part of our team so it all kind of fell on Kristi,” Gilroy coach Jose Hernandez said. “Kristi was able to handle that and she did a fabulous job.”
“This year she was a very active captain and senior leader. She would help and try to get the little freshman involved.”
Seven freshman were on the team to be exact, which should allow Figueroa’s impact to continue to be felt in years to come.
Junior: Every race was Miller time
Kathleen Miller already holds sole possession of the top-spot amongst all female long-distance runners ever to don a Gilroy uniform.
Only a junior, Miller now has another year to add to her own legacy, making her an easy choice for Junior of the Year.
A second-place finish at the Central Coast Section championships in cross-country and sixth-place showing in the 3,200 in track cemented Miller’s place as one of the premier female runners in the area. Add in the fact that Miller has the second-highest standing in her class academically, and she is the total package.
“She has a real bright future when it comes to running,” Gilroy cross-country coach Cathy Silva said. “I don’t leave anything out for Kathleen(‘s future) because she’s such a competitor and she will do her absolute best in anything she does, whether it’s scholastic or athletics.”
The Mustangs’ cross-country team missed a bid to state by just a few seconds this past fall, but could be the CCS favorites coming into next season. Along with Paty Hernandez and Jessica Hopf, Miller will be leading a team that loses just one of its top seven runners to graduation.
“Oh I think were definitely in the running for that,” Silva said before adding that anything can happen on a given day.
With Miller in the running, however, chances are opponents will be playing a game of catch her if you can.
Sophomore: Foster never freezes
Lindsey Foster earned two varsity letters and The Dispatch’s Sophomore of the Year award by never slowing down.
In addition to playing for Gilroy’s varsity volleyball and basketball teams, Foster also competed on the junior varsity track squad, showcasing a unique blend of speed and athleticism for someone her age. Harnessing that energy in the two years to come will dictate how successful she and her teams will be.
At the end of the girls’ basketball season, which came in a second-round playoff loss to rival San Benito, the Mustangs were getting contributions from a range of players, none more noticeable than Foster.
In a first-round 67-32 victory over Watsonville, Foster ripped 14 rebounds while also canning several jumpers from the wing for 13 points.
“I liked her speed and I liked the fact that she wasn’t afraid to mix it up with the bigger girls,” said James Wilkins, Gilroy’s girls basketball coach this past season.
“One of her main attributes that helped us a lot as a team was being able to get to one end (of the floor) to the other in a matter of seconds,” Wilkins said. “She needs to be told, ‘go ahead and take it.'”
Freshman: Lira could be best to come
Sarah Lira entered the softball season as an unknown. She exited the season as one of the best freshman in the Central Coast Section.
Numbers such as a .385 batting average, 13 RBI, five doubles and six home runs to go along with the team’s second best on-base percentage (.420) and an obscene slugging percentage (.723), made Lira – who also pitched in with pitching duties – The Dispatch’s choice as Freshman of the Year.
“She definitely impressed me in tryouts and I hadn’t heard anything about her before tryouts,” Gilroy coach Catherine Hallada said. “I was pretty confident in her ability to pitch, but what really shocked me was I had no clue what kind of hitter she was.”
Making the team was a longshot as Hallada noted she doesn’t normally like to pick freshman for the varsity level. The decision paid off in full, though, as Lira was a consistent force in the middle of the lineup, helping the Mustangs tally a 22-9 record and reach the Central Coast Section championship.
Said Hallada: “I’m glad I decided to take her.”
The question now becomes, where does Lira go from here? With a tall, slender frame that should allow her to become much stronger in the coming years, Lira could become one of the most dangerous dual threats in CCS once her pitching mechanics are refined. If her hitting continues to improve, Lira could become one of the best softball players ever to come through Gilroy High.
“If she keeps working as hard she does and continues to play as often as she does, she could be one incredible player,” Hallada said.
One year down, three to go.
Last but not least, naming Gilroy High’s Team, Coach of the Year
If picking individuals wasn’t hard enough, picking one team and coach above all others couldn’t be more difficult. No Gilroy High team finished the year at the top of the mountain, but several came close.
Gilroy’s field hockey and girls basketball teams both made it to the Central Coast Section quarterfinals, but both fell a win short of seriously warranting top-team consideration. The girls’ soccer team won a league title outright but got bounced out of CCS in the first round. The girls’ cross-country team was just a few seconds away from a second-place finish at CCS, but the time differential denied all but one Mustang (see Junior of the Year Kathleen Miller) a trip to state. Meanwhile, the softball team did finish second in the section after making a run to the championship, but fell just short of its goal because it faced a team of destiny (see San Benito winning its third straight CCS title).
So, who is it? Well, without further ado, The Dispatch’s Team of the Year award goes to GHS softball and our Coach of the Year award goes to the X-country tandem of Art and Cathy Silva.
It’s rare for a team to bring together as much talent as this year’s edition of softball did. But what made this year’s team so enjoyable to watch beyond the talent was a sincere love of the game. No opponent had a more boisterous bench when up to bat, and players were quick to pick each other up during times of adversity.
Our Coach of the Year award goes to a couple that clearly understands the meaning of the term student-athlete. The Silvas are dedicated to their sport and push their kids to get the best out of themselves, but also have an emphasis on working hard in the classroom, which resulted in a state-best grade-point-average in their sport in 2006-07. The team just missed a state title this year, but did win the CCS award again. The same could be said for Adam and Erin Gemar, who have built up a powerhouse field hockey program at Gilroy while also getting their athletes to hit the books. The team had the highest GPA for a field hockey squad in CCS this past fall.
Having couples together coaching on the sidelines would look like a dangerous dynamic to some, but the Silvas and Gemars seem to pull it off with ease, which is credit to their character and the ability of their athletes. (Hey, it’s a lot easier to be happy when you’re winning. Right?)
For those teams or coaches not mentioned here, congrats on a hard-fought year in which Gilroy’s image was only strengthened abroad through the positive experiences of sport.
