Aaron Minton was just shy of turning 6 months old the last time the Serra Padres won a Central Coast Section baseball championship in 2009.
Saturday night, the sophomore provided the firepower for the program’s seventh all-time CCS crown. Minton delivered the clutch two-run double to tie the score in the Padres’ 3-2 comeback win over Valley Christian in the Division I finals at Excite Ballpark in San Jose. Minton’s heroics have also earned him Daily Journal Athlete of the Week honors.
Minton’s older brother Davis was on the top step of the first-base dugout when the game-tying double was hammered into the left-field corner. Jack Armstrong and Tyler Harrison raced around the bases to score on the play to deadlock the score at 2-all. More importantly, it was the spark the Padres needed after entering the inning being no-hit by Valley Christian left-hander Brock Ketelsen.
“That ball was smoked,” Davis Minton said. “I was fired up. Just knowing what he’s gone through this season ... him coming up huge in a situation like that ... it was just awesome to see him come through like that.”
It’s been a tale of two halves of the season for Aaron Minton, who was mired in struggles until the last week of April, opening the year in a 5 for 41 rut.
“I think coming into the season, I was just trying to do too much,” Aaron Minton said. “Obviously, being on varsity is a lot, but I think as the season progressed, I’ve stepped into my role, I’ve stayed within myself, I’ve listened to my coaches and everyone is helping me out — I’ve got a lot of love behind me.”
Then something magic happened on May 6. The younger Minton was already heating up, coming off a three-hit performance against Sacred Heart Cathedral. Then in a 13-0 Serra win over Riordan, the sophomore went 4 for 4 with six RBIs, including a triple and a home run.
The only reason he didn’t earn Athlete of the Week honors for his power show? His older brother earned the award by facing one over the minimum in firing a no-hitter.
Aaron Minton is now 10 for his last 19, and is batting a respectable .262 on the season.
“He’s where we thought he was going to be,” Padres manager Mat Keplinger said. “We know how talented of a player Aaron is. And he got off to a slow start, just as a sophomore playing at the varsity level, playing in one of the best leagues in the state. And he just stuck with it. His practices were so good. You could just see it coming and building. So, it’s just credit to him, not getting down and just sticking with the process, not worrying about his results. And then that last stretch of the season he settled in, and you see the player that he’s capable of.”
As a Catholic school, Serra has built itself on principals of faith and brotherhood. The former is a too often overlooked virtue of daily life, regardless of creed, religion or belief. It certainly kept Aaron Minton going this season, though.
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“That’s the great part about Serra,” Aaron Minton said. “All these guys, these are my brothers, having these guys — having the dugout, having the awesome student section we did, I think that really helped me out.”
The sophomore went 1 for 3 in the game Saturday, but his previous fly out to left field caught his manager’s attention.
“His first at-bat was really good to,” Keplinger said. “He just missed that ball. It was deep to left field.”
Minton’s approach carried over to his fateful second at-bat.
“I think he had a good plan of being on time to the fastball and he got it,” Keplinger said. “And ... credit to the entire offense, we wore him down a little bit and the velocity started to drop, and the command was getting a little erratic at times. ... That was all part of it. And he was ready for the opportunity when that pitch came.”
That’s where faith turned into a dream come true, as Minton lit the spark the Padres’ were so looking for.
“This is really the moment I’ve been dreaming about all season,” Aaron Minton said.
As the Serra lineup has done all season, one good at-bat fueled another. Nine batters ultimately hit in the inning. Senior Evan Bradshaw ultimately gave his team the lead on an infield grounder that was ruled an RBI single, with Aaron Minton scoring the go-ahead run.
But the loudest of Serra’s five hits in the game was Minton’s — the catalyst in the most memorable night of Padres baseball in 16 years.
“I was just trying to put the ball in play,” Aaron Minton said. “I ended up getting a good swing off, but obviously not the best, perfect result, I would say. Still a good swing. I was feeling really good. I was seeing the fastball really well. So, I was just getting ready to jump on that again. I got that same pitch again, middle inside, and I capitalized on it.”
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