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The Los Gatos frosh-soph baseball team proved it doesn't take the long ball to win games, let alone a league championship. The Wildcats racked up a 16-8 overall record and 14-4 league mark to win in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza division title. And they did so with their leading home runner hitter boasting only one round-tripper.
"We played small ball," said head coach Brian Market. "I gave the whole team the MVP award because everyone started at least one game and got a hit at some point."
Freshmen Justin Schafer and Marty Mullins were the team's top hitters. Schafer had the club's top batting average and Mullins was the leader in runs-batted-in, respectively. Mike Gault jump-started the offense when he switched to the leadoff spot during the middle of the season. Gault recorded 32 stolen bases and at one point had reached base 15 straight times.
The Wildcats also depended on solid pitching for many of their victories. Ryan Kiel, a sophomore transfer from Florida, led the staff with a 0.43 earned run average and 7-1 league record. Freshman Danny Sullivan provided a nice one-two punch with a 0.69 ERA and 5-2 league record.
"I'm happy with how they matured and came together as a unit during the season," said Market.
The Wildcats triumphed despite returning only five players, a majority of which were pitchers. But seven freshmen stepped in to starting roles this year, as the Cats used a collective team effort to capture the league title.
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