The varsity team set a solid example, leading the pack in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League DeAnza Division all season and claiming the championship. First-year head coach Mike Sparrer took over the reigns of the frosh-soph program and instilled in the young players the need for an attitude to go out and compete every time they took the field.

The combination of both influences, mixed with some excellent talent, produced a winning edge that resulted in the Wildcats claiming the De Anza Division frosh-soph championship with a 13-5 league mark over second-place Los Altos (11-7).

"We knew coming in that every time we took the field we would be challenged," said Sparrer. "The overall competition of our league is solid and balanced throughout with a lot of talented teams."

The Wildcats jumped out of the blocks with a fast start, winning their first four games with a couple of close ones which gave the team some important confidence.

"We got good pitching and some great defense and seemed to score just enough runs to win early on," Sparrer said. "We told the guys that pitching and defense would be key from the very beginning and that our offense would eventually catch up."

After the fast start, the Wildcats dropped one to Los Altos and were battling neck and neck for the league lead with the Knights as the first round unfolded. Then they went up against defending champ, Wilcox, to finish the first round. They blasted the Chargers 10-0 in a five-inning blowout and never looked back in their title run. The Wildcats went on to clinch the title with four league games left to play.

Catcher Tim Sweeney, who provided strong on the field leadership all season long and was selected as the league's Most Valuable Player, led the Wildcats. He demonstrated "outstanding defensive skills" and "handled the pitching staff well," said Sparrer.

Sweeney batted .367 in league play and led the team in walks, singles, and RBIs (15). He proved to be very durable, catching all but five innings on the year.

Los Gatos also had four other position players and two pitchers selected to the all-league first team--shortstop Mitch Benedetti, outfielder Andrew Gomez, third baseman Erik McDonald, outfielder Matt Ellis, pitcher Joey Donofrio and pitcher Stephen Krach.

In addition, outfielders Nick Kalpin and K.C. Silva and outfielder/pitcher Kevin Wyllie were selected as second team all-leaguers.

Benedetti was second on the team in hits, runs scored (11) and RBIs (12). Sparrer described him as "far and above the best shortstop in the league" and characterized his defensive play as "consistent, making the routine play all of the time, and making the spectacular play some of the time."

Gomez displayed great versatility as he started the year at third base and then moved to left field for most of the season. At the end of the year he could be found roaming the infield at second base. He led the team in hits with 22, batted .355 and was the leader in runs scored.

Third baseman McDonald anchored the hot corner of the infield with "incredible defensive skills." McDonald contributed offensively, getting on base enough to finish second on the team in runs scored. He also had the dubious distinction of leading the team in being hit by pitches with seven on the year.

Ellis had a limited amount of time on the frosh-soph roster as he spent the first round of league play on the varsity before returning. He split his time between the outfield and the mound. He played in only eight games and recorded only 27 official at-bats but he made the most of them. Ellis banged out 11 hits including six doubles, which led the team, and finished with an average of .407. On the mound, Ellis finished at 3-1 with one save and struck out 27 in 28 innings pitched.

The strong mound work that Sparrer got throughout the year was led by Donofrio and Krach, who finished with identical 5-2 records. Donofrio finished with a 2.00 earned run average. Krach demonstrated great control, walking only eight in 41 innings, and compiled a solid 1.88 ERA.

Wyllie filled the closer role admirably in the Wildcats bullpen, slamming the door for seven saves. He was a key element in the fast start in league play when he nailed down saves in the first four wins over Milpitas, Palo Alto, Mountain View and Cupertino. He also picked up one win against no losses and sat down 14 on strikes in 15 innings thrown.

Kalpin batted .371 with five of his 13 hits being extra base knocks, including a pair of triples. Silva compiled a .359 average and swiped nine bases to finish second on the team. Aaron Miller was the speedster on the squad with a team high 13 stolen bases.

Other Wildcats that contributed to the success of the 2005 campaign were Paul Politi, Kiko Alonso, Greg Walters, Wes Howell and Steven Garvey.

Sparrer and his Wildcats have set the bar high for expectations of success in the future but the coach is looking forward to the challenge and counts it "a privilege to be a part of the great tradition of baseball at Los Gatos High School."