Justin Hale, Sam Aptekar, Jimmy Lemberger and Makaio Duyao were the go-to guys for their respective teams all season and Wednesday their value was recognized with All-League honors.
Gilroy’s Hale, Aptekar and Lemberger as well as Christopher’s Duyao were named to the Monterey Bay League-Gabilan Division First Team. The four were among 15 local athletes earning honors.
Sophomore standout Lemberger was the lone underclassman to earn first team honors. He was named the team’s utility player and led the Mustangs with eight multihit games this year. He had 26 hits—including nine doubles and a homerun—and was second on the team in RBIs with 13. Hale, Gilroy’s ace pitcher, was fourth in the league with a 6-4 record which includes a shutout victory, 11-0, over Live Oak on April 3. Hale led the team in RBIs with 14 and had 24 hits—including six doubles. Senior catcher Aptekar had 20 hits, seven doubles and nine RBIs.
Junior outfielder Duyao led the Cougars in hits with 23—including eight doubles—and had eight multihit games. He drove in 12 RBIs this season and two of Christopher’s three hits in its Central Coast Section quarterfinal loss to Sequoia on May 24 in Atherton.
Earning Second Team honors are Christopher’s senior outfielder Brennan Wilson (11 RBIs) and senior infielders Kevin Willard (22 hits, 13 RBIs, eight doubles) and Ricky Suarez (20 hits, four multihit games). Christopher’s senior pitchers Nathan Bonsell and Bryan Easton were also named Second Team All-League. Bonsell pitched 61.2 innings this season, which was the third most in league.
Senior Ralphy Ortega of Christopher and Ethan Cline of Gilroy were named to the Sportsmanship Team.
Tyler Fhurong and Anthony Bartholic from Christopher and Josiah Wiley and Bubba Lara of the Mustangs received honorable mentions.
Both teams made the postseason, but Gilroy’s (9-16 overall) run was cut short as it fell 10-2 at Santa Cruz on May 21. Christopher’s (15-13) season ended with the loss to Sequoia.
The full list of MBL honors is below:
Monterey Bay League-Gabilan Division
Most Valuable Player: Dylan Yamasaki, sr., San Benito
Most Valuable Pitcher: Hunter Hawarth, sr., San Benito; Greg Steinbeck, sr., San Benito
Coach of the Year: Billy Aviles, San Benito
Elgie Bellizio MBL Sportsmanship Award: Monte Vista Christian
First Team
Outfielders: Dylan Yamasaki, sr., San Benito; Garrett Kelly, jr., San Benito; Logan Hunter, sr., Monterey; Makaio Duyao, jr., Christopher
Pitchers: Hunter Hawarth, sr., San Benito; Greg Steinbeck, sr., San Benito; Romey Miramontes, sr., Monterey; Justin Hale, jr., Gilroy
Infielders: Tony Amaral, sr., San Benito; Hosh Olivarria, jr., Salinas; Andrew Breen, sr., San Benito; Jacob Register, sr., Palma
Catchers: Zach Moeller, jr., San Benito; Sam Aptekar, sr., Gilroy
Utility: Jimmy Lemberger, soph., Gilroy
Second Team
Outfielders: Lucas Gularte, sr., Palma; Zach McDermott, jr., Salinas; Bruce Leighton, jr., Salinas; Brian Morioka, sr., Monte Vista Christian; Dillon Landon, sr., Monterey; Brennan Wilson, sr., Christopher
Pitchers: Nathan Bonsell, sr., Christopher; Bryan Easton, sr., Christopher
Infielders: Carter Aldrete, soph., Monterey; Kevin Willard, sr., Christopher; Ricky Suarez, sr., Christopher; Jon Santos, sr., Salinas; Patrick Muller, jr., Monte Vista Christian
Utility: Justin Flores, sr., Salinas; Ryan Scarr, sr., Palma
Sportsmanship Team
David Romayor, sr., Salinas; Danny Souza, sr., Palma; Alec Moore, sr., Monterey; Ethan Cline, sr., Gilroy; Ralphy Ortega, sr., Christopher; Edgar Arriolla, sr., San Benito; Kai Paresa, sr., Monte Vista Christian
Honorable Mentions
Ryan Jensen, soph., Salinas; Ross Scarr, sr., Salinas; Cole Mallett, jr., Salinas; Johnny Tarallo, sr., Monterey; Joey Pryor, sr., Monterey; Alex Ellison, sr., Palma; Nico DeSantis, jr., Palma; Matt Smith, soph., Palma; Tyler Fhurong, sr., Christopher; Anthony Bartholic, soph., Christopher; Josiah Wiley, sr., Gilroy; Bubba Lara, sr., Gilroy; Jacob Trujillo, sr., San Benito; Junior Rodriguez, jr., San Benito; Daniel Gonzalez, sr., San Benito; Nick Zertuche, jr., Monte Vista Christian; John Angel, sr., Monte Vista Christian
