Jack Mayer wasn’t just the ace pitcher for Ripon; he was also a super-utility player willing to fill any role when not on the mound.
And he’s the Trans-Valley League’s Most Valuable Player.
Mayer completed his junior campaign with a.356 batting average, 30 runs and 18 steals from the No. 2 hole in the order. Defensively, he had a .963 fielding percentage (two errors) while splitting time at shortstop, third base, and both corner outfield spots.
“His natural position is on the left side of the infield, but we had two seniors with Travis Waara at shortstop and Nick Price at third,” third-year Ripon coach Jon Manrique said. “He’s one of the most unselfish players I’ve ever met, and he really buys into the team concept. He’s also our best bunter, which kind of stinks because he can do so many other things at the plate, but he can move runners over and steals bases well.”
From the mound, Mayer compiled am 11-2 record, 2.08 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 77 1/3 innings. He had two none-hitters and a mercy-shortened no-hitter in league against Riverbank. His only two losses were against Valley Oak League powerhouses Central Catholic and Manteca in pre-league action. Manteca went on to win the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III title.
“He’s always had good stuff, even when he was a freshman, but the one thing that always stood out to us is that he’s an ultimate competitor,” Manrique said. “The boy wants the ball in his hands at all times. Even when he may be struggling he never wants to come out, it’s always ‘Coach one more, one more, one more.’ You love that tenacity in him.”
Ripon (12-0, 24-5 overall) pieced together one of its best seasons in program history and claimed its first TVL championship in 15 years. Naturally, the Indians had others rack up postseason awards. Aside from Manrique, the Coach of the Year, and Mayer, Luke Petker was named Pitcher of the Year. The rest of the top honors went to Hilmar’s Jarred Willis (Offensive MVP) and Escalon’s Parker Cosby (Defensive MVP).
Petker, also a junior, finished 8-3 with a 2.84 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 74 innings.
“Not too many teams can say they have their No. 1 and 2 pitchers coming back,” Manrique said.
Other Indians earning spots on the all-league team are senior catcher Angelo Baciocco (.417, 26 RBIs), senior outfielder Sammy Souza (.316, 25 runs), junior center fielder Matthew DeDonatis (.322, 34 runs, 20 steals) and Price (.395, 28 runs, 38 RBIs). Sophomore Donny Cooskey and Waara made honorable mention.
Baciocco did not repeat as Offensive MVP despite producing better numbers this past season. Price is a four-time all-league selection.
“We are not going to be able to replace those two,” Manrique said.  “It’s not just that they were very productive for us, but they were also extreme leaders who had the respect of our team and the league.
“I’m really proud of all of these guys,” he added. With only 12 guys this was my smallest team, but we had the right 12. Of our 12 we had six make all-league and two honorable mention. As great as my coaching staff is, having talent like that makes our job a lot easier.”