POSTSEASON PRIME 31: 10-6

10. ANDRES GOMEZ

Senior, shortstop, Capuchino

The Skinny: Whether Andres Gomez chooses to continue playing baseball once he gets to Skyline College is entirely up to him. "My decision to play is a mix of my love for the game and the level of competition," he says. College athletics are a commitment, the juggling of two full-time jobs. If Gomez chooses to stop playing to focus on his studies, his final season will be one to remember. He batted leadoff for Capuchino and helped the Mustangs to the CCS-Division II semifinals by collecting 51 hits and leading the Peninsula with a .526 batting average. He was the consummate leadoff hitter and the best bunter around. "I feel like players don't bunt as often and many don't practice it anymore," he said. "I realized I was good at bunting when my first 10 to 15 hits were bunts and my coaches began trusting me in key situations."

Season Highlight: On May 2, the Mustangs beat Hillsdale, 5-1, to complete a sweep of the Knights and all but clinch second place in the PAL Bay Division. In that sweep, Gomez had eight hits in nine trips to the plate. "That felt good," he said. "We swept them."

"I grew not only as a player, but also as a teammate. I learned a lot and pushed myself to make an impact."

The Numbers Tell the Story: The 51 hits included three doubles and a home run. He scored 30 runs and struck out just 10 times in 118 plate appearances.

Eye-Popping Stat: A .596 on-base percentage included 13 walks.

What Others Say: "Andres was very good. He was always getting on base, allowing our bigger bats to drive him in." – Declan Mendel, Capuchino senior pitcher.

9. ETHAN JOHNSON

Senior, utility, The King's Academy

The Skinny: Ethan Johnson possesses a dangerous mix of hitting for both power and average. It makes him lethal. A driver in of runs, be they off a line drive up the middle, a double down the right-field line or a long home run that clears the fence with little doubt. "If I try to become just a power hitter, I find myself being very unsuccessful," he says. "My approach is to hit it hard, to get the barrel out there. Even if I hit it into the ground, if I hit it hard, good things will happen." The University of Missouri signee was one of the Peninsula's leaders in RBI despite the fact that The King's Academy played far fewer games than most teams to take part in mid-season service missions all over the world. It's not a coincidence that, Johnson returned from working at a food pantry along the U.S.-Mexican border to have a lights-out stretch run. "It provides us some perspective of how good we have it in the Silicon Valley," he said. "Those service trips make me more grateful for what I have and what I get to do. I get to go to school, and I get to play baseball. Stepping away from baseball for a week makes me appreciate that." He showed that immediately in the Knights' first game back from their week away from baseball by hitting two home runs (of which only one counted) and driving in four runs in a 10-9 loss to Sequoia that is best remember for what looked like his seventh-inning grand slam that was disallowed when the umpire ruled teammate Nate Plata, who was on second base, had missed touching home plate. The Knights regrouped from the loss and found their way into the CCS tourney.

Season Highlight: After watching teammate Nate Plata earn PAL Bay Division player of the year honors last year, Johnson earned it this year, besting Capuchino's Andres Gomez in a close vote. "It was a surreal moment when Coach (Greg) Mugg called me to tell me I got it," he said. "That's a pretty good award to get."

"This season didn't end how we hoped it would, but it was still a fun year. We had great chemistry. We all got along. We didn't play the greatest from the get-go, but it was still a good season."

The Numbers Tell the Story: Johnson had 29 hits and a .456 on-base percentage. He also collected nine doubles and scored 22 runs. His .688 slugging percentage led to an otherworldly OPS of 1.144.

Eye-Popping Stat: Johnson and Valley Christian senior Quinten Marsh are the only Prime 31 honorees to play four positions this year. Johnson split his time in right field, and at first base, pitcher and catcher, giving him options when he gets to Mizzou. He is currently one of the catchers with the San Francisco Seagulls

What Others are Saying: "I thought it was awesome. I'm so proud that he and I won the award two years in a row, that King's has the Bay Division's player of the year two straight years. Ethan definitely deserved it this year." – Nate Plata, junior catcher, The King's Academy.

8. DECLAN MENDEL

Senior, pitcher, Capuchino

The Skinny: Matt Wilson didn't mince words when discussing the season pitcher Declan Mendel put together. The Capuchino coach called it "historic," and he wasn't embellishing. Mendel was as dominant as any Capuchino player since the days of Keith Hernandez, who graduated in 1971 and would go onto have a solid big-league career. Mendel allowed just 10 earned runs in 76 2/3 innings and came within one out of stringing together four straight shutouts. "I really didn't think much about (the streak) because I didn't want it weighing on my shoulders," said the PAL Bay Division's pitcher of the year. "I just tried to go out every start and execute for my team." Mendel used a slow curveball as well as a changeup to keep the opposition off balance. "Once the season was over, I felt pretty good about everything and knowing that I was basically undefeated."

Season Highlight: On April 12, the Mustangs were in the throes of a four-game losing streak, when they took on rival Burlingame in a night game at Oracle Park. Mendel went the distance, throwing a four-hit shutout – the first in the string – to beat the Panthers. "I'll always remember when I got that last strikeout to win the game." Capuchino closed the season with eight wins in their final 10 games to cruise into the CCS tournament.

"It felt great to be able to command all of my pitches and execute when I needed to in order to help my team."

The Numbers Tell the Story: The scoreless streak grew to 27 2/3 innings before a seventh-inning, two-out error on an infield grounder allowed two runs to score in Cap's 11-2 win over Hillsdale on April 30. Opponents hit just .159 against him.

Eye-Popping Stat: In a lengthy varsity career, Mendel put together a 21-8 record with a 1.60 earned-run average. He struck out 197 batters in 193 innings

What Others Say: "Every time he pitched, the energy in our dugout was very high. I always felt that when Declan pitched it would be a guaranteed win." – Andres Gomez, senior shortstop, Capuchino.

7. NICK CHOW

Senior, pitcher, Saint Francis

The Skinny: Nick Chow knows there's going to be a time very soon when a third pitch – probably a changeup – is going to be a necessary part of his arsenal. "Its 100 percent needed in college," said the Santa Clara University signee. "You can have two pitches as a closer, but if you want to be a starter, you need three good pitches." Chow, coming off an arm injury, spent his junior year being used out of the bullpen, but stepped up in a big way for Saint Francis this year by teaming with Landon Kim to form arguably the best one-two pitching punch this side of Valley Christian. They were the stalwarts in leading the Lancers to the Northern California-Division II championship game. Back to the changeup, Chow dabbled with it this year. He didn't throw it much – maybe three times a game – but after a season of bullpen sessions, he's getting more comfortable with his off-speed stuff. "Early on, I had zero feel for it," he said. "Then I started to gain a little bit of confidence in throwing it in certain situations." That will be a handy tool with a fastball that already touches around 90 mph and figures to get even faster after an offseason in the weightroom. In looking back at his first season as a varsity starter, two pitches – the fastball and slider – were more than enough to get high-quality high school hitters out.

Season Highlight: In a season filled with highlights, Chow chose his final Saint Francis start – a complete-game four-hit shutout of Central Catholic – in the NorCal quarterfinals as his the one he'll remember most. "It will be memorable because it was more heartfelt," he said, choosing that one over a graduation-day victory over St. Ignatius Prep in the CCS-Division I quarterfinals. "It was the last time I would pitch for my school."

"In the long run, I am prioritizing the next couple of years: getting another pitch, gaining some velocity and getting yoked in the weightroom. We'll see what happens after that."

The Numbers Tell the Story: Chow allowed just 10 earned runs in 73 innings. Opponents batted just .152 against him this year.

Eye-Popping Stat: In two varsity seasons, Chow compiled a 10-3 record with a 1.10 earned-run average. He struck out 146 batters in 108 innings.

What Others Say: "Someday, Nick is going to get paid to play this game." – Erik Wagle, Saint Francis coach.

6. LUCAS ZAYAC

Senior, catcher, Capuchino

The Skinny: Lucas Zayac, who played four seasons of varsity baseball at Capuchino, remembers his freshman year with more cringe than it probably deserved. "I was more worried about messing up," he says, moving on quickly to the next three years when the Mustangs made it to two CCS championship games – including the only CCS title in school history in 2024 – and advancing to the semifinals this year. "We were one game away from getting to our third straight championship game." Zayac was the model of consistency over the last three seasons. He was a solid defensive catcher, while batting second in a lineup that was the most potent in the PAL Bay Division. In four seasons, Zayac was in the winning dugout 74 times. "It was a blast to go out there every day and grind with my teammates. ... Playing four years of varsity baseball, I believe, helped me grow as a player." Consider that Zayac, who will play ball in the fall at the University of La Verne, leaves Cap with a career batting average of .383. He also has 125 hits in his tenure. "My approach was just to hit the ball where the pitch was thrown. I learned you hunt for fastballs but stay back for off-speed stuff."

Season Highlight: Playing at Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, was a thrill he says. The 1-0 victory over Burlingame on April 12 – a game highlighted by Declan Mendel's four-hitter – is one he'll always remember. However, nothing tops 2024, says Zayac. "My personal highlight is being on the first team in our program's history to win a CCS championship," he said.

"I was proud that I didn't strike out much. I was always told that if you put the ball in play, good things happen."

The Numbers Tell the Story: Zayac had 47 hits – third most on the Peninsula after Serra's Ian Josephson (55) and Cap teammate Andres Gomes (51) – and an on-base percentage of .500. He also scored 25 runs – a number skewed by the fact that catchers are afforded a courtesy runner much of the time to speed up the game – and had a triple.

Eye-Popping Stat: In a failure-based game, Zayac defied the odds by succeeding most of the time. He struck out just four times, while committing just one error on defense and compiling a fielding percentage of .994.

What Others Say: "Lucas and I have been playing together since we were 8 or 9. ... It's nice having someone catching you when you know them so well and have been playing with them for so long." – Declan Mendel, senior pitcher, Capuchino.