POSTSEASON PRIME: 15-11

15. Chase Frolich

Los Gatos - junior - second & third base

The Skinny: Chase Frolich has a January grooming routine that began in 2025 when he was a sophomore on the Los Gatos JV team. He bleached his hair blond and then cropped it with a buzz cut. He had a good year, so he decided to do it again this year. No need to test fate. Superstitions are real, right? You get the feeling that, after Frolich drove in a school-record 49 runs in his first varsity season, he'll be headed back to the salon for the start of his senior season. "It's kind of my thing," he said. Actually, being transformed into a run producer is his new schtick. No one on the Peninsula came near the number of runs he drove in this year. And he accomplished this by hitting just one home run – albeit a memorable one. "I knew my role on this team," he said. "With Beau (Musser) and Brady (Simon) in front of me, they were usually on base and it was my job to get them in. ... I couldn't have done it without them. Hitting with them on base made it easy to get RBI." Frolich moved back and forth between second and third base, depending on who was on the mound for the Wildcats. With experience at both positions, that made him a versatile piece in Mike Minkel's lineup construction. "I knew that gave me a boost going into the season," he said. "I knew if I got an opportunity, I'd work hard to make the most of it and the most of myself."

Season Highlight: Frolich hit a seventh-inning grand-slam homer against Bellarmine in the CCS quarterfinals to tie the game and send it to extra innings, where they won it an inning later of Brady Simon's walk-off three-run homer. "That was the best moment of my life and probably the biggest swing I will have in my high school career," he said.

"I didn't expect to have anything close to the season I had. It seemed like there was something about my mindset. Something was different when I came up with runners in scoring position."

The Numbers Tell the Story: Along with the 49 RBI, Frolich scored 31 runs, meaning he was involved in 79 runs this season (a run is subtracted for the home run). That's the best mark on the Peninsula.

Eye-Popping Stat: Frolich hit .500 with runners in scoring position this season. Bonus stat: He had five triples.

14. Chuck Wynn

Menlo School - senior - catcher

The Skinny: After being a part of his third straight Central Coast Section championship team, Chuck Wynn took a break from it all by going to Disneyland. It sounds like a Super Bowl commercial, minus the fanfare. "I'm going to Disneyland!" Wynn's spring – heck, his entire three-sport career at Menlo School – are an example of when can happen when you wish upon a star. He went into his final high school baseball season with plans of getting noticed by a college where he could play baseball. He found Chapman University, which wants him to play both football and baseball. "Getting the rare opportunity to play both sports in college is awesome," he said. "I know it will be extremely hard, but I've never had an offseason in high school, either. Both coaching staffs were extremely supportive about it and encouraged me to try it." As loudly as his rushing stats spoke last fall, Wynn's baseball numbers screamed off the page. He led the Peninsula with 10 home runs this year. "I spent a lot of time in the weightroom during the offseason, which is soccer season for me," he said. "It also has to do with confidence. At practice, every other ball I hit would go out, so just bringing that same swing and competitiveness to the games really helped."

Season Highlight: On April 4, Wynn hit three home runs and drove in a career-high eight runs in a 17-1 thrashing of Aptos, the team they would beat in the CCS-Division III semifinals in nine innings. "It is a huge accomplishment and something nobody really gets to say," he said. "However, I wish the game was a bit closer so they would have actually meant something." When they meant a month later in the CCS, Wynn didn't see many strikes thrown his way – and no fastballs.

"We had been to this spot three years in a row. So, we knew what it took to be locked in but also have a little fun on the way so we could enjoy our last moments together."

The Numbers Tell the Story: Wynn walked 25 times and had 34 hits, which added to a .511 on-base percentage. He struck out just 13 times in 119 plate appearances.

Eye-Popping Stat: Wynn had an .869 slugging percentage and an OPS of 1.429.

13. Ethan Williams

Los Gatos - senior - pitcher

The Skinny: It should surprise no one that Ethan Williams wrapped up pitcher of the year honors in the CCS when you look at his stats. In his three-year varsity career at Los Gatos, he never was on the losing end of a decision. He's a kid who spent this season mastering the art of pitching downhill. "I think getting ahead is the key," he said. "Just one pitch at a time, that same kind of idea." The Saint Mary's College signee subscribes to the theory that living in the moment is the key to success – and happiness. "If you really buy into it, it really shows up," said the senior right-hander. "When you can say to yourself that this pitch is the only one that matters." For hitters, baseball is a game flush with failure. The best hitters who ever lived went without a hit seven of every 10 times they step to the plate. That said, the table is turned on pitchers, who, by that same way of thinking, should come through 70 percent of the time. "For us it's more of a success thing," Williams said. "Our mindset is different." And maybe that's why a rough outing is a bigger deal to a pitcher than an oh-fer is to a hitter, and that doesn't take into account the off days to think about getting hit around the park. Williams has always had a maturity to his game, but this year he thinks he took it to another level. "I think there was more maturity in how I approached the day-to-day stuff. ... When things don't go well, you have to trust the process and trust that what you're doing is proven to work."

Season Highlight: Williams, who threw a no-hitter this year, said his personal highlight came in Los Gatos' extra-inning victory over Bellarmine in the CCS-Division I quarterfinals, which might have also been his toughest outing of the year. The Wildcats' forced extra innings with a Chase Frolich grand-slam in the seventh and Brady Simon won it with a walk-off three-run homer in the eighth. "That was my favorite moment," he said. "It allowed us to keep playing together for another two weeks. ... It wasn't my best day, but it was still one of my favorite days of my four years at Los Gatos."

"This was our last season together and we really like each other a lot. That's what makes what we have special."

The Numbers Tell the Story: Williams walked just 15 batters in 68 innings, while throwing 1,009 pitches. Opponents had a .177 batting average against him.

Eye-Popping Stat: In three varsity seasons, Williams compiled a record of 24-0 with 197 strikeouts in 171 2/3 innings. His career earned-run average was 1.14.

12. Kai Kung

Half Moon Bay - senior - pitcher

The Skinny: At the start of the season, many passed it off as hyperbole when Half Moon Bay coach Brian Anderson said senior Kai Kung could be the best pitcher in the PAL-Ocean Division. When the coaches met for their all-league meeting, it was Rallin Covey and Christian Louie who shared the award and Kung didn't mince words. He felt slighted by not being included. He turned out to be the last man standing by leading the Cougars to their first-ever CCS championship and a NorCal-Division IV crown. And when he looks at his statistics, "it feels magical," says Kung, who will attend Canada College in the fall. "I know the numbers are spectacular. They are insane. I don't know if it has fully sunk in yet, but it was very special run." In four postseason starts, he won all four games by pitching 24 1/3 innings and not allowing a run. He gave up 13 hits and struck out 28. He became everything Anderson had predicted – and more. "I'm speechless by that kid," said junior shortstop Riley Jackson. "Just look at his stats and you'll see everything you need to know about him as a player but somehow he is an even better person off the field."

Season Highlight: There are so many highlights. Pitching five no-hit innings at Oracle Park on May 1, getting the win in the NorCal championship game, but Kung points to the CCS-Division V title game at Energy Ballpark, where he and Louie traded zeroes for seven innings before the Cougars scored the only run in the eighth. "That game was so intense," he said. "It was so much fun getting to compete against (Louie). I got to be the last one standing. That was one of the best times of my life."

"The whole season was an in-body experience. I worked hard in the offseason, but a lot of it had to do with good coaching and having confidence in my stuff. I get on the mound, and all my worries go away. I throw a little white ball. It's as simple as that."

The Numbers Tell the Story: Opposing hitters had a batting average of just .161 against Kung this year and their on-base percentage was .234

Eye-Popping Stat: Kung pitched 95 1/3 innings this season, by far the most on the Peninsula. "I thought I could get to 60 innings," he said. "At the end, I was tired. It took a lot to get up for the NorCals."

11. Colton Hadfield

Valley Christian - junior - infield

The Skinny: Colton Hadfield started his varsity career at Valley Christian as a second baseman, a sophomore surrounded by plenty of Division I talent and by the end of the 2025 season, he was playing shortstop. That's where he began this season, but then it was determined he would be more useful at third bases. "I definitely think my natural position is shortstop, but playing third base was definitely best for the team," said Hadfield, who had committed to play baseball at UCLA in the fall of 2027. "Transitioning to a new infield position has never been too difficult. It's the same thing at every position: make a play and then make a throw." Hadfield and Nathan Choi solidified the left side of the infield, which was essential in the Warriors runs to CCS-Division I and NorCal-Division I championships. Valley won in the postseason because it exceled at moving runners along and scoring runs any way possible. Hadfield, the leadoff hitter, always seemed to be on base, and his teammates found ways to get him across the plate. "Situational hitting is the most important part of offense," he said. "... the hitters did an excellent job of coming through in big moments."

Season Highlight: A 3-0 victory over De La Salle, the defending NorCal champion, in the semifinals was Hadfield's season highlight. "I think there were a couple of things that motivated us to work harder come playoff time," he said. "One of the things being losing in the CCS championship game last year. Another one being that nobody believed we should have been there. ... We wanted to prove everybody wrong."

"Batting leadoff on this team is super fun. I think it just takes the ability to get on base to change a game. Without the guys behind me, none of it would be possible."

The Numbers Tell the Story: Hadfield led the Warriors with 25 runs scored. He walked 17 times and had an on-base percentage of .444.

Eye-Popping Stat: The Warriors were hit by 46 pitches this year, including five by Hadfield, which seems modest compared to the 12 taken for the team by first baseman Christian Nevarez.