WATSONVILLE — When head coach Art Doten told Shelby Velasco she would be St. Francis High’s go-to pitcher this season, she had one word on her mind.
“I was like, alright, ‘Sick,’” Velasco said.
The senior right-handed pitcher was, indeed, “sick” in leading the Sharks to program records in league wins (8) and overall wins (15). And for her brilliance in the circle, the coaches of the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League named her the league’s Pitcher of the Year.
“She was great for us,” Doten said of Velasco. “She knew she had to be great this season and she accepted the challenge. This year, it was all her.”
After playing in the outfield last season, Velasco made the move to pitcher this spring. She got off to a tough start while recovering from gallbladder surgery, but rounded into form down the stretch and guided the Sharks through an impressive four-game win streak to close out the season.
She averaged 7.2 strikeouts per league contest, and finished with 165 strikeouts overall in 137 innings.
“It was my senior year,” Velasco said. “I knew I had to play every game like it was my last.”
The Sharks finished third behind league champion Aptos High and runner-up San Lorenzo Valley High with an 8-4 league record, but Velsco beat out both of those team’s pitchers for the award.
She was surprised by the honor at first, but after taking a moment to think about her season, she was able to soak it in.
“I worked my butt off every day in practice,” Velasco said. “I felt like I earned it, and I deserved it.”
Doten also earned recognition from the league’s coaches. He was named the SCCAL Coach of the Year for the second time. He was last named the league’s top coach while at Watsonville High, and earned the same honor in the Monterey Bay League when the Wildcatz moved leagues following the 2006 season.
Doten, who will be back for his fifth season with the Sharks next spring, was quick to deflect the praise back to his players.
“It’s more about them,” he said. “They had this incredible chemistry that made them easy to coach. They put in the work and it showed when they played. I don’t want to take credit for what they did.”
The Sharks also had senior third baseman Anna Noto and junior second baseman Grace Kovacs earn spots on the All-SCCAL First Team. Noto led St. Francis in batting average (.442), RBIs (31) and triples (2) and was second in hits (29) and doubles (7). Kovacs was a sure glove in the infield and had a monster finish to the season, which included a seven-game hit streak.
“I kept telling them this is the best team I’ve had here,” Doten said. “When this season was over they were all bummed because we felt like we were just getting hot.”
League champion Aptos led the All-SCCAL First Team with four selections. Senior catcher Ashley Del Colletti, junior pitcher Julia Cano, junior first baseman Martina Churchill and sophomore shortstop Shea Garcia all made the team.
Colletti was an ace behind the plate while also finishing second on the team in RBIs (20) and runs (22) and third in hits (26).
Cano posted an 11-5 overall record with a 2.29 earned run average. In 97 innings, she struck out 84 batters.
Churchill led the team in hits (34) and doubles (7) and was second batting average (.447) and home runs (3).
Garcia had a big first varsity season. The Portland State commit led the Mariners in batting average (.458), runs (23), RBIs (33) and home runs (5), while also finishing second in hits (33) and doubles (4). Her grand slam in the final game of the SCCAL season against S.L.V. powered the Mariners to their first league title since 2011.
Aptos’ junior outfielder Vanessa Segura joined St. Francis’ junior catcher Lena Ciandro and sophomore shortstop Ariana Azevedo on the All-SCCAL Second Team.
Six locals earned honorable mention: Sunshyne Brechler (Aptos), Mariah Sanchez (Aptos), Addison Sayers (Aptos), Ashley Raich (St. Francis), Claire Cagnacci (St. Francis) and Audrey Hernandez (St. Francis).
