‘It’s truly a big accomplishment.’ Buhach Colony senior earns baseball all-state honors
Buhach Colony High School senior Cooper Lanz had a stellar season on the mound and with the bat.
Lanz was named the Central California Conference Offensive Player of the Year after helping lead the Thunder to a share of the CCC championship.
The Thunder senior can add all-state honors to his list of accomplishments.
CalHiSports named Lanz to the medium school all-state first team as a multipurpose player.
“It’s truly a big accomplishment,” Lanz said. “A big part of it was what my team did which was give me an opportunity to keep playing (in the postseason).”
The highlight of Lanz’s season was throwing a no-hitter in an 8-0 win over Del Campo during the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III semifinal series.
Lanz, who is headed to the University of the Pacific on a baseball scholarship. hit .455 this season, leading the Thunder with 37 runs, 30 RBIs and 15 doubles. He compiled an 8-3 record with a 1.33 ERA on the mound.
“It definitely ranks up there as one of my best seasons,” Lanz said. “We didn’t have a full high school season last year and the year before that was canceled so this was definitely a season to remember.”
Lanz was one of five Merced-area baseball and softball athletes to earn all-state honors by CalHiSports.
Le Grand senior Aaron Martinez was named to the small school first team as an infielder. Martinez had to sit out the football season after undergoing knee surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament last spring.
The Bulldogs senior hit .630 with with 35 RBIs, 17 doubles and two home runs this season. Martinez also went 6-5 with a 1.25 ERA as a pitcher.
Mariposa junior Jacob Ogilby and Dos Palos sophomore Peyton Van Worth were named to the small school second team. Ogilby hit .464 with nine home runs and 36 RBIs for the Grizzlies this season. Van Worth hit .526 with 36 runs and 35 RBIs as a catcher this season.
Pacheco senior Abi Pikas was recently named to the medium school all-state first team as an outfielder by CalHiSports.
Pikas hit .605 with 35 runs and and 32 stolen bases this season for the Panthers. Pikas set a Northern California record this season when she collected hits in 19 consecutive at-bats.
