LB’s Cardoza named WAC Pitcher of the Year
Kody Cardoza got a late start to the 2017 season.
The Los Banos sophomore felt some shoulder pain early in the nonconference season and was forced to shut everything down for a couple weeks. The big right-hander returned for the start of Western Athletic Conference play and quickly made up for the lost time.
Cardoza went 6-1 in seven starts and nine appearances, posting a 0.90 ERA and striking out 39 to just nine walks. Even after a stellar freshman campaign on the heels of a midseason call up, Cardoza’s dominance came as a surprise. His evolution from thrower to pitcher as he gained confidence in his off-speed arsenal proved the key as Cardoza was named the Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year.
“I was surprised, honestly,” Cardoza said. “Just being a sophomore, I didn’t really think I’d be in the running. I didn’t really do anything different in the offseason. I just stuck with what I’d been doing and did my best to practice how I wanted to play.
“The first couple games back I just kind of fought through. The difference came when I found a feel for my changeup and curve ball. I learned to trust them and not to try and overthrow them. Everything clicked after that.”
The league-champion Tigers took two of the WAC’s four major awards with Pat Fuentes earning the Coach of the Year. Patterson star Santiago Cantu repeated as the league’s MVP and Ceres’ Ricky Lopez was named the Offensive Player of the Year.
Four other local players joined Cardoza on the first team, led by a trio of LB stars. Julian Arrechavala had an excellent senior campaign, leading the Tigers with a .434 average and 26 runs and was 1-0 with two saves in seven relief appearances. Sophomore Trent Mallonee wasn’t far behind, hitting .429 with 18 RBI and 22 runs. Josh Gomes did a little of everything, hitting .329 with 12 RBI and going 2-1 with a 3.09 ERA in six starts. Livingston’s Cesar Avila rounded out the local first teamers after hitting .370 with a team-best 26 runs and 18 RBI. The sophomore was also 8-3 on the year with a 1.59 ERA.
Steven Domanski (Pacheco), Diego Reynoso (Pac), Aric Barton (Pac), Michael Chavarria (LB), Trey Augustine (LB) and Sergio Torres (L) were all named to the second team.
WAC Softball
The Los Banos and Pacheco softball teams each landed as pair of players on the WAC first team.
Kiara Azevedo and Aly Waltman supplied the Tigers a formidable pitching and offensive one-two punch. The pair both hit over .500 for the season, combining to drive in 44 runs. Samantha Jacquez paced the Panthers with a .444 average, three home runs, 12 doubles and 22 RBI, while Victoria Aguirre emerged as an offensive star for Pacheco with a .362 average and 21 RBI.
League-champion Ceres led the way in the league’s major awards with Ray Sagapolu getting named MVP and Callie Nunes taking home Pitcher of the Year. Patterson’s Jennifer Hamm was named Coach of the Year.
The Merced area also had a number of second-team players, including Los Banos’ Emily Lonetree and Savannah Valenzuela, Pacheco’s Yosselin Castillo, Alia Garcia and Autumn Randles and Livingston’s Annie Winton.
This story was originally published May 29, 2017 at 2:41 PM with the headline "LB’s Cardoza named WAC Pitcher of the Year."