Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week: Linden's Millee Holguin

The Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week was a tight race this week but Millee Holguin of Linden softball ended up on top making her this week's Athlete of the Week. In an online poll that closed on Friday, Holguin received close to 39% of votes cast for a total of 5,418 votes.

The sophomore earned this recognition after having the Lions hot bat during their league game against rivals Bear Creek on April 26. She led her team's offense with three runs, three hits, and three RBIs as Linden would continue its perfect San Joaquin Athletic Association record with a 12-0 victory over the Bruins. She has been a consistent contributor for Linden this season with the team's second-highest batting average of .417.

Holguin and Lions followed up that shutout win with an even larger dub over Franklin on May 1. They beat the Yellowjackets 35-0 notching their second 30-plus run game of the season. Holguin finished that game with two runs, two hits and an RBI. Linden is now 11-0 in SJAA play and well on its way to a league championship.

Here's a look at the past winners:

• Aug. 26: Samson Hunkin, St. Mary's football

• Sept. 2: Eliana Williams, St. Mary's girls' volleyball

• Sept. 9: Landen Ly, Linden, football

• Sept. 6: McKenna McIntosh, St. Mary's girls' volleyball

• Sept. 23: Matthew Schallberger, Linden, football

• Sept. 30: Sophia Martin, Escalon, girls' volleyball

• Oct. 7: Keely Hummel, St. Mary's, girl's volleyball

• Oct. 14: Taylor Zalunardo, Sierra, girls' flag football

• Oct. 21: Katie Martin, Ripon, girls' golf

• Oct. 29: Kaydence Bispo, St. Mary's, girls' volleyball

• Nov. 5: Dax Weber, Linden, football

• Nov. 12: Reyna Biedermann, Ripon, girls' water polo

• Nov. 19: Asante Carter, St. Mary's, football

• Nov. 26: Emma Gilmore, Sierra, girls' basketball

• Dec. 3: Nylah Dyson, East Union, girls' basketball

• Dec. 10: Ricardo Velasquez, Weston Ranch, boys' soccer

• Dec. 17: Mario Rodriguez, Linden, boys' soccer

• Jan. 7: Jaden Ryan, Kimball, boys' basketball

• Jan. 14: Landon Gillespie, Ripon, boys' basketball

• Jan. 21: Donez Lindsey, Lincoln, boys' basketball

• Jan. 28: Mateen Rafiq, Weston Ranch, boys' basketball

• Feb. 4: Destiny Martinez, Stagg, girls' basketball

• Feb. 11: Morgan Reihl, Linden, gymnastics

• Feb. 18: Natalin Hout, Chavez, wrestling

• Feb. 25: Jace Beidleman, Ripon Christian, boys' basketball

• March 3: Marcus Madoski, Ripon, boys' basketball

• March 10: Jackson Fay, East Union, baseball

• March 17: Alana Hernandez, Ripon, softball

• March 24: Brayden Wilson, St. Mary's, baseball

• March 31: Aaron Bayhon, Bear Creek, baseball

• April 7: Elysia Duarte, Kimball, softball

• April 14: Brent Godina, Lodi, baseball

• April 21: Tanner Grove, St. Mary's, baseball

Editor's Note: Anyone can nominate an athlete of the week for every sport. Nominate next week’s ballot through email. Readers can email nominations to sports reporter Shannon Belt at sbelt@recordnet.com. Please include the player's stats and a photo if possible.

Original story: Spring high school sports in the 209 is wrapping up the regular season as playoffs are right around the corner.

Teams have captured league championships, set personal records and furthered their chances of making the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs. No matter what sport in which these six athletes shined, they are more than deserving to make this week’s Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week poll.

The poll includes athletes from the following spring sports: softball, baseball, boys’ volleyball and track and field. The poll can be found at the bottom of the story and closes on Friday.

Here are the candidates for April 22-28 (athletes listed in alphabetical order):

Taleia Anderson, track and field, Lincoln: Anderson has had a stellar junior season shining in the long jump and 400-meter events for the Trojans. She ran the 400-meter race in one minute and 16 seconds at the TCAL Center Meet #2 cracking the top 10. The junior also set a personal record that day in the long jump event.

Alexander Wolf-Gallegos, baseball, Venture Academy: With the Central California Athletic Alliance championship on the line, Wolf-Gallegos locked in for the Mustangs. The senior two-way player led his team past Millennium on April 25, racking up 11 Ks on the mound. Offensively, he reeled in two runs and two hits to help Venture Academy beat the Falcons 8-2 to secure the CCAA championship.

Zach Grabowski, baseball, East Union: There wasn’t much Kimball’s offense could do against Grabowski on the mound. The 6-foot-3 senior finished the game with 15 strikeouts and only allowed the Jaguars four hits all game. He led East Union to a 9-0 victory helping the Lancers move to fourth place in league play.

Venture Academy baseball: The ups and downs that made Venture Academy baseball's 2023-24 season so successful

Millee Holguin, softball, Linden: The Lions are on their way to a San Joaquin Athletic Association championship thanks to its explosive offense. Holguin had the hot bat in their matchup against Bear Creek on April 26, going 3-for-3 during her at-bats. She finished the game with three runs, three hits and three RBIs as Linden beat the Bruins 12-0.

Daniel Huerta, boys’ volleyball, St. Mary’s: St. Mary’s swept its crosstown rivals Lincoln on April 24, and leading the charge was Huerta. The senior opposite-side hitter led the Rams offense with 16 kills, three aces and seven digs. With his lethal offense, St. Mary’s is on its way to a Tri-City Athletic League championship.

Aariyah Leach, softball, Edison: As just a freshman, Leach led the Vikings offense past McNair on April 26. She finished the game with a team-high three runs, two hits, two RBIs and four stolen bases. Edison would go on to beat the Eagles 15-0, earning its sixth SJAA victory of the season.

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Athlete of the Week nominations are based on information available to The Record about all high school varsity players from San Joaquin County. Nominations must be received for consideration by Monday morning following that week's games.

Anyone can nominate an athlete of the week for every sport. Nominate next week’s ballot via email. Readers can email nominations to sports reporter Shannon Belt at sbelt@recordnet.com. Please include the player's stats and a photo if possible.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week: Linden's Millee Holguin