Care of the Santa Cruz Sentinel (Jim Seimas):
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
DAVID GUGALE, ST. FRANCIS
Friends and family often refer to St. Francis High sophomore David Gugale as "Digger," which is an awesome nickname given his prowess on the diamond. The majority of Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League baseball coaches contacted earlier this week referred to him as something else: "Clutch."
Now, the Sentinel gives him yet another label: All-County Player of the Year. Gugale -- a sure-armed shortstop who possessed an even more lethal bat -- batted .395 (34 for 86) with seven doubles, a county-leading five home runs, 24 RBIs and 21 runs scored. He also had a team-leading .651 slugging percentage. He helped the Sharks go 20-8 overall -- their highest win total ever -- and 10-2 in SCCAL play to secure a share of the league crown, their first in program history. Soquel earned a share of the title by winning the SCCAL Tournament.
Gugale edged teammates Calvin Nakagawa and Sahid Valenzuela, Soquel's Caleb Fidiam and Scotts Valley's Joe Gillette -- the coaches' pick as SCCAL MVP -- for the top honor. Gugale left little doubt he deserved top billing, even as a sophomore.
Four of his home runs came in league -- against San Lorenzo Valley, Harbor, Soquel and Scotts Valley -- and, seemingly, when his team needed it most. His three-run shot in the season opener against visiting SLV came in the ninth inning, good for a 6-3 walk-off win. The Sharks said that shot and win gave them confidence that they could compete in league.
"He's a sophomore who plays like a senior," SLV coach Shane Sutcliffe said. "He treats it like Whiffle Ball," before clarifying, "He seems to have a lot of fun when he's playing. He has this confidence."
Nakagawa drew plenty of walks this season, some intentional, and Gugale often made opponents pay for the strategy. That was the case against SLV. "He accepted the challenge," Sutcliffe said. "He wasn't afraid of anybody. It seemed like he relished the fact that someone would throw to him. He controlled the game like he was a star. He can flat-out swing it."
Said Harbor coach Joseph Allegri: "If we made a mistake, he hit it. He hit to all fields when he faced us." Gugale's shot against Scotts Valley tied the score in bottom of the seventh on April 23, but the Falcons rallied for a run in the eighth to pull out a 7-6 win.
"He clutched up," Falcons coach Rick Erlin said. "It was a no-doubter. "... He can play."
COACH OF THE YEAR
KEN NAKAGAWA, ST. FRANCIS
Nakagawa took a team that featured just two seniors -- his son Cal at third base and Fresno State-bound pitcher Dillon Houser -- into uncharted territory.
The Sharks claimed the school's first league title in the sport and earned a berth to the CCS D-III playoffs. It was just the second time in the school's seven-year history that it posted a winning overall record and first time it had a winning SCCAL record.
League coaches also voted Nakagawa coach of the year. In addition to posting a school-best win total, the Sharks' schedule was also their toughest yet, featuring some of the nation's top programs at a Las Vegas tournament and a slew of testing non-league battles.
Given Gugale, Valenzuela and numerous other starters who are slated to return, the Sharks are poised for similar success in 2014.