Measuring in at an athletic 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Chase Watkins certainly passed the “eye test.” Combined with a great mental fortitude, that frame and ability made the St. Francis High senior a near unstoppable force in the winter and spring.
Every time he stepped on the mound for the baseball team, St. Francis had a chance to win. And his presence on the basketball court as a scorer, defender and rebounder was tough to miss, too.
The Pajaronian did not overlook either talent.
This newspaper is naming Watkins its Male Student-Athlete of the Year for the second straight year.
Watkins helped St. Francis finish second in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League in both sports, while also guiding the baseball team to a Central Coast Section championship game and the basketball team to a section semifinal.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of his senior year of hoops: his ability to adapt.
Fifteen pounds heavier than he was during his junior year and still healing from a groin injury, Watkins did most of his damage in the post and on the offensive glass, forgoing his slashing play style from a season ago.
The different approach did little to limit his productivity. He averaged more points (18), rebounds (8) and assists (2) than his junior season, while earning All-SCCAL First Team honors for the second straight season.
“I was playing to my strengths,” Watkins said. “My outside shot never felt great this season. It always felt really flat for some reason…I worked with what I had. I tried to help my team win any way I could.”
The Sharks won plenty, finishing with a 20-6 overall record and a 10-2 SCCAL standing. They advanced to the CCS Division V semifinal, and were eliminated in a once-in-a-lifetime triple overtime game against Pinewood.
A year after winning league, section and regional titles, St. Francis finished the season without a banner, but Watkins still called the season — the program’s fourth consecutive with at least 20 wins — a success.
“I thought we should’ve won league, but other than that I was happy with it,” Wakins said. “That final game was insane. I’ve never been a part of a game like that… It was a cool way to go out.”
Statically, Watkins had his best overall season on the mound. He earned an All-SCCAL First Team selection for the second straight season while posting a 1.83 earned run average and a 6-3 record. He also led the Sharks in strikeouts (85) over 55 innings.
At the plate, Watkins had 18 hits, 11 RBIs, three doubles, a triple and 18 scored runs.
His brilliance in the CCS D-III semifinals against Palma High powered the Sharks to their second section final in the young program’s history. Watkins held the Chieftains to just three hits and recorded 13 strikeouts in an 11-1 victory.
A “raw” pitcher who heavily relied on his 88-mph fastball last season, the big lefty trusted his curve much more in key situations this season. It was a big step in his development as a pitcher, Watkins said.
“I could locate my pitches a little better and I felt like I had a mental advantage on a lot of the hitters I faced,” Watkins said.
Watkins hopes the success of the last two seasons can carry over to Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, where he’ll pitch for the resurgent Division I program. He said he still has plenty of room to improve and is working on the smaller aspects of his game, like making tiny tweaks to his mechanics and holding runners on the bags.
“I think if I just go and compete as hard as I can, the accolades will come because of that work,” Watkins said. “That’s what I did [at St. Francis] and I think that worked out pretty well.”
