Watsonville High’s Patrick Miller-Brown and Monte Vista Christian’s Brady Cortez were each recognized with the highest honors possible in their respective Pacific Coast Athletic League divisions following a stellar baseball season in the spring.
Cortez was named the Mission Division’s co-Most Valuable Player alongside Stevenson’s Reggie Bell, while Miller-Brown was named the Cypress Division’s Co-Offensive Player of the Year along with North Salinas’ Jake Burkhardt.
Miller-Brown finished batting a .477 average (31-for-65) with seven doubles, three home runs, one triple, 15 RBIs, 33 runs scored, 17 walks and 20 stolen bases, according to statistics on the Max Preps website.
“I was surprised how I was hitting this season because I’m not a really good hitter,” Miller-Brown said. “But I developed my skill from my coach, to focus on the ball and let it come to you, and drive it with your hips.”
Cortez finished batting a .458 average (38-for-83) with nine doubles, 27 RBIs, 24 runs scored, 11 walks and 16 stolen bases. On the mound, he went 2-0 with a 2.10 ERA and 16 strikeouts.
“I expect perfection every time I play, so it felt like I was underperforming,” Cortez said. “But at the end of the day, I was doing everything I could for the team and what they needed out of me.”
On top of receiving his MVP award, Cortez along with teammates Carter Wright and Chris Bautista each earned All-PCAL Mission Division First Team honors.
MVC’s Mikey Melenudo and Tyson Shaw earned all-league second team honors, while Dante Darnell was named to the Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship team.
The Mustangs had a complete turnaround of a season after they finished with a 3-23 overall record in 2024. This year, they were runner-up in the Mission Division with an 11-3 record in league play behind this year’s champion Stevenson.
“It definitely helped change our perspective of who we were as a team, especially after last year,” Cortez said. “We ended up playing all throughout the summer and fall together, and we all saw a difference in the chemistry and who we were becoming.”
Miller-Brown earned All-PCAL Cypress Division First Team honors along with teammates Rudy Valdez and Kaden Ortiz. Pajaro Valley’s Steven Martinez also earned all-league first team honors.
“I was just going out there, having a good time,” Miller-Brown said. “I was smiling up at the plate and just hitting the ball…I really wanted to hit a home run because I never hit a home run before. I had a couple inside the parks, and then I finally pushed one out.”
Watsonville’s Mathew Silva and Ben Miller, and Pajaro Valley’s Alex Acosta and Brandon Perez-Moreno each earned all-league second team honors.
Watsonville’s Gabriel Lara and Pajaro Valley’s JC DeLuna each were named to the Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship team.
Watsonville was runner-up in the Cypress Division with a 9-3 record in league play behind champion North Salinas. Miller-Brown recalled the turning point of their season was a 13-11 victory over Silver Creek in non-league play on April 5.
“We were just going on a roll and that was something I’ll never forget,” he said. “It was just back and forth.”
St. Francis graduates Javier DaRosa-Fonseca and Nash Horton each received All-PCAL Gabilan Division First Team honors, while Donovan Dominguez and Nicky Fantl both earned all-league second team honors.
Teammate Noah Magana was named to the Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship Team, and St. Francis was the recipient of the Elgie Bellizio Sportsmanship Team Award.
Pacific Coast Athletic League all-league baseball teams
Gabilan Division
Individual Awards
Most Valuable Player: Alan Gonzalez, Palma
Offensive Player of the Year: Matt Maxon, Carmel
Pitcher of the Year: Trent Roach, Hollister
First Team
Ty Arnold, Carmel
Sean Carr, Carmel
Matt Maxon, Carmel
Trent Roach, Hollister
Gavin Rodriguez, Hollister
Johnny Carnazzo, Palma
Manny Dorantes, Palma
Alan Gonzalez, Palma
Rocco Rezzeca, Palma
Jordan Isla, Salinas
Daniel Valenzuela, Soledad
Javier DaRosa-Fonseca, St. Francis
Nash Horton, St. Francis
Second Team
Josh Beretti, Carmel
Kenny Sanchez, Carmel
Jake Esparza, Hollister
Jordy, Quezada, HOllister
Conner Rose, Monterey
Evan Takehara, Monterey
Wyatt Baker, Palma
Gabriel Serrano, Palma
Aiden Veliz, Palma
Rafael “Vidal Perez, Soledad
Anikan Tavarez, Soledad
Donovan Dominguez, St. Francis
Nicky Fantl, St. Francis
Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship Team
Alex Hirschfield, Carmel
Anthony Bolin, Hollister
Patrick Adams, Monterey
Damian Ybarra, Palma
JT Lopez, Salinas
Zaryk Alvarado, Soledad
Noah Magana, St. Francis
Elgie Belizio Sportsmanship Team Award
St. Francis
Mission Division
Individual Awards
Co-Most Valuable Players: Brady Cortez, Monte Vista Christian; Reggie Bell, Stevenson
Pitcher of the Year: Julian Valadez, Alisal
First Team
Sebastian Benitez, Alisal
Julian Valadez, Alisal
Fabian Gonzalez, Greenfield
Chris Bautista, Monte Vista Christian
Brady Cortez, MVC
Carter Wright, MVC
Jered Kallenberger, North Monterey County
Ben Garry, Pacific Grove
Brody Edmonds, Pacific Grove
Cecil Short, Racho San Juan
Reggie Bell, Stevenson
Jacob Hall, Stevenson
Phinn Thomas, Stevenson
Second Team
Angel Barajas, Alisal
Alexander Loredo, Alisal
Diego Corona, Alvarez
Ivan Chavez, Alvarez
Danny Nava, Greenfield
Mikey Melenudo, MVC
Tyson Shaw, MVC
Tyler Baldwin, NMC
Greg Jimenez, NMC
Brody Nelsen, NMC
River Lyon, Pacific Grove
Aiden Munoz, RSJ
Henry Blaxter, Stevenson
Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship Team
G.P. Serrato, Alisal
Roman Garcia, Alvarez
Nate Hernandez, Greenfield
Dante Darnell, MVC
Gavin Carruthers, NMC
Nathaniel Wade, Pacific Grove
Adrian Espinoza, RSJ
Flint Dickenson, Stevenson
Elgie Bellizio Sportsmanship Team Award
Rancho San Juan
Cypress Division
Individual Awards
Co-Offensive Players of the Year: Patrick Miller Brown, Watsonville; Jake Burkhardt, North Salinas
Pitcher of the Year: Josh Degroodt, North Salinas
First Team
Mateo Blair, King City
Joe Pina, King City
Kaleb True, Marina
David Avina, North Salinas
Jake Burkhardt, North Salinas
Josh Degroodt, North Salinas
Preston Hobbs, North Salinas
Zach Sims, North Salinas
Steve Martinez, Pajaro Valley
Ethan Vasquez, Seaside
Kaden Ortiz, Watsonville
Patrick Miller-Brown, Watsonville
Rudy Valdez, Watsonville
Second Team
Jason Moreno, King City
JC Navarro, King City
Leo Alvarado Mancillas, Marina
Douglas Ciloino, Marina
Johnny Benabidez, North Salinas
Drew Cervantez, North Salinas
Julian Gabriel, North Salinas
Isaac Sigala, North Salinas
Alex Acosta, Pajaro Valley
Brandon Perez-Moreno, Pajaro Valley
Christopher Antoz, Seaside
Ben Miller, Watsonville
Mathew Silva, Watsonville
Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship Team
Jacob Hernandez, Gonzales
Sebastion Lizardi, King City
Elias Ramirez, Marina
Jake Burkhardt, North Salinas
JC DeLuna, Pajaro Valley
Gabe Moulton, Seaside
Gabriel Lara, Watsonville
Elgie Bellizio Sportsmanship Team Award
Seaside
