See which players were named to the All-Sac-Joaquin Section baseball team
On Tuesday, the All-Sac-Joaquin Section baseball team was announced giving athletes from the 209 another chance to celebrate following the 2022-23 season.
The All-SJS team represents the top baseball players across the section in their respective graduating classes. Here are 16 baseball players hailing from San Joaquin and Amador counties who made the list.
(Players are listed in alphabetical order.)
Class of 2023
Ace Begovich
School: Argonaut
Position: Shortstop
Summary: Begovich was one of the Mustangs' hottest bats this season ending the year with a 14-game hitting streak. The Cuesta College commit had the team's second-highest batting average of .451. The speedy baserunner also lead his team in stolen bases and played a big role in getting his team to the SJS Division 6 title game against Leroy Greene Academy.
Caleb Hendricks
School: Lincoln
Position: Catcher
Summary: Hendricks played a crucial role as a captain for the Trojans this year. When his team needed him to come through in the postseason, he answered the call. The senior knocked in three runs in the first two rounds of the SJS Division 1 playoffs. He ended the postseason with a batting average of .500 and an overall batting average of .344 and 27 RBIs.
Samuel Kahler
School: St. Mary’s
Position: Utility
Summary: The San Diego State commit was a solid slugger for the Rams this season hitting .350, the third-highest batting average on the team. Kahler led the Tri-City Athletic League in home runs at three and was ranked second in league for stolen bases. He ended the regular season going on a nine-game hitting streak and had 10 RBIs. Kahler proved to be a great fit for St. Mary’s after transferring from Bear Creek his senior year.
Andrew Wright
School: Lodi
Position: Pitcher
Summary: Wright was the guy on the mound for the Flames throughout the regular and postseason. The Cal State Fullerton commit had a 0.99 ERA in 56.2 innings, the second-highest in the TCAL. One of his best starts in his high school career came against St. Mary’s on March 31 where he pitched a complete game without allowing an earned run and striking out 10 batters. Wright was also named the Record Athlete of the Week for April 1.
Class of 2024
Beckett Bo
School: St. Mary’s
Position: Pitcher
Summary: Toeing the slab for St. Mary’s 13 times this season, Bo delivered six wins for the Rams. The lefty helped St. Mary's make a deep Division 1 playoff run, pitching for 49.1 innings and striking out 40 batters. Bo closed out his senior campaign with an ERA just above one. These solid performances on the mound made him one of the elite pitchers in the TCAL.
Dustin Hoekstra
School: Ripon Christian
Position: Pitcher
Summary: Hoekstra was a stingy pitcher for the Knights ending his junior year only allowing five earned runs all season. He closed out the year with an ERA of less than one at 0.71 pitching for 49 innings and wracking up 87 Ks. His lethal pitching and his hitting helped secure Ripon Christian the SJS Division 7 blue banner. Hoekstra hit .430, the second-highest batting average on the team with 38 RBI on the season
Ray Olivas
School: Lincoln
Position: Pitcher
Summary: Olivas had a stellar season on the mound for the Trojans in his junior campaign. He ended the year leading the TCAL in batters struck out, 70. The 6-foot-1 righty also went 7-1 with a 1.21 ERA as Lincoln’s go-to pitcher. Like Hendricks, Olivas shined in the postseason against McClathcy and River City in the first round and quarterfinals, respectively.
Michael Quedens
School: St. Mary’s
Position: Pitcher/first base/outfielder
Summary: Quedens was an all-around player for St. Mary’s leading its offense all season long. The Michigan commit had the Rams' highest batting average of close to .400 and wracked up 37 hits, 27 RBIs and 13 doubles. In the postseason he remained consistent at the plate and on the mound. He added 16 base hits for St. Mary’s during its playoff run to the SJS Divison 1 semifinal. Defensively, Quedens ended the season picking up five wins and 48 strikeouts.
Grant Sonke
School: Ripon Christian
Position: Catcher/outfielder
Summary: Sonke’s bat stayed hot for the Knights during the regular and postseason. He closed out the year with the team’s highest batting average of .455 batting in 40 runs and going deep for four home runs. These stellar at-bats had Sonke ranked No. 1 in California for total runs, 55, and No. 7 in stolen bases, 40. He will be a player to watch during his senior campaign next year.
Rex Watson
School: Manteca
Position: Outfielder
Summary: Manteca’s best slugger this season was Watson. As a junior, he got a hit in nearly half of his plate appearances to finish with a .494 batting average. The San Diego State commit also led the Buffaloes in hits, runs, doubles, triples and stolen bases this season. Watson will look to stay consistent offensively for Manteca next season.
Owen Wilbur
School: Ripon
Position: Pitcher/infielder
Summary: Wilbur was a home run-hitting machine for Ripon as they came within one run of advancing to the SJS Division 4 playoff semifinals. The junior hit eight home runs this season to end with a .315 batting average. Wilbur also added 28 hits, 24 runs and nine doubles for the Indians. He will look to be even more productive for Ripon in his senior year.
Class of 2025
Player of the Year: Tanner Grove
School: St. Mary’s
Position: Pitcher
Summary: After pulling off the big postseason win against Folosom that helped the Rams advance to the semifinals, Grove earned the title of Player of the Year for the Class of 2025. Grove pitched for 10 innings with the Bulldogs holding a one-point lead to help St. Mary’s win 6-1. He also got the W against Franklin — the Division 1 champ — during the regular season. As just a sophomore, he pitched a total of 49 innings, picking up 68 Ks and a perfect 8-0 record. He will look to be a problem on the mound for batters next year.
Eric Alvarez
School: Linden
Position: Pitcher/Utility
Summary: Alvarez played an essential role as a pitcher and utility player in Linden’s historic 23-1 overall record finish. In his sophomore year, he only allowed four earned runs in 39 innings with 64 strikeouts for the Lions. Alvarez was also a solid slugger for Linden hitting .306 and batting in 10 runs. He helped the Lions to an undefeated 14-0 finish in the San Joaquin Athletic Association for the school’s first league championship.
Brock Sell
School: Tokay
Position: Pitcher/shortstop/outfielder
Summary: Tokay’s standout player this season was Sell who led the way on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Sell had the Tigers' highest batting average of .351 and banged in 26 hits. As a sophomore, he also was Tokay’s fastest base runner leading the team in stolen bases, 16. On the mound, Sell struck out 45 batters in 36.1 innings.
Class of 2026
Player of the Year: Hunter Lynch
School: Argonaut
Position: Pitcher/infielder
Summary: The MVP of the 2022-23 season for Argonauts was Lynch earning him the Player of the Year title for the Class of 2026. The 6-foot-2 pitcher mowed down batters to end the season by striking out 52 batters in 42.2 innings while recording a 1.48 ERA. Lynch was also lethal offensively. With 67 at-bats he hit four home runs, seven doubles and 19 RBIs.
Dax Hardcastle
School: St. Mary’s
Position: Infielder
Summary: In his first year of varsity ball, Hardcastle proved he can hang with the big dogs on the Rams' loaded roster. He ended the season with a batting average of .325 and banged in 14 RBIs and seven doubles. Defensively, he was solid as well closing out with a 0.989 fielding percentage. Entering his sophomore season next year, Hardcastle will be a key slugger coming back for St. Mary’s.
Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. She can be reached at sbelt@recordnet.com or on Twitter @ShannonBelt3. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: See which players were named to the All-SJS baseball team
