Travis Vander Molen returned from a gruesome knee injury better than ever in his senior year, and he leaves Ripon Christian behind as one of its all-time best baseball players.
The Westmont-bound standout is the Southern League’s Most Valuable Player after producing offensive numbers that Coach of the Year John De Visser called both “historic” and “epic.”
It was truly a historic season for his Knights (13-1 SL, 23-6 overall), who claimed the outright league title and made its first appearance in a Sac-Joaquin Section final. They lost to league rival Mariposa 11-7 in the Division VI championship.
“You’re talking about a guy who put up historic numbers at Ripon Christian,” De Visser said. “Plus, you take into account what he did on the mount and defensively and there’s a reason why he’s going to Westmont.”
The stats are astounding. He hit .625 while boasting .733 and 1.180 slugging and on-base percentages. Vander Molen had more extra base-hits — 17 doubles, four triples, five home runs — than singles to go with 44 RBIs and 35 runs.
Vander Molen also served as the team’s ace pitcher, finishing 3-1 with a 1.04 ERA and 88 strikeouts against 14 walks in 47 innings. When not on the mount, he split time at shortstop and third base. He’ll likely play either corner infield spot for Westmont, one of the nation’s top NAIA programs.
During basketball season of his junior year, Vander Molen suffered tears to the ACL, MCL and meniscus in his left knee.
“It wasn’t just that he came back, it was how much better he was after having not played for a year,” De Visser said. “He got exponentially better from his sophomore year, which is something because he hadn’t picked up a bat in a while.
Other Ripon Christian players earning all-league honors were senior outfielder/pitcher Connor McGovern (.345, 20 RBIs; 4-0, 1.90, 89 Ks), senior third baseman Mike Fisher (.371, 20 RBIs), junior catcher Brian Thomas (.400) and sophomore catcher/pitcher Willem Hoekstra (.362, 26 RBIs; 1-0, 2.20, 38 Ks).
Freshman first baseman Jadon Vander Molen and senior shortstop Travis Zuidervaart earned honorable mention. McGovern is a three-time all-league selection.
Mariposa’s Jake Williams (.526, five HRs, 22 RBIs) was named Best Offensive Player. Gustine sophomore Oliver Perez (9-1, 1.93, two saves, 83 Ks) is the Most Valuable Pitcher.
