Success in both boys’ and girls’ sports, at the same time, is a feat that is hard to pull off at the high school level. Carlmont baseball and softball, for instance, have been the gold standard for a long time. Menlo-Atherton boys’ and girls’ basketball would be another example.
In both of the above examples, however, the teams involved were playing in the Peninsula Athletic League’s Bay Division. The feat is even more rare among Ocean Division teams.
This season, however, the Sequoia baseball and softball teams are both making runs at Ocean Division titles. Heading into the week, the Ravens’ ball clubs were a combined 20-2, with the baseball team riding an undefeated, 12-game winning streak.
“We’re still riding that train,” said Mike Doyle, Sequoia baseball manager.
Seems others are noticing as well. At MaxPreps.com, the Ravens’ baseball team is ranked No. 5 in the Central Coast Section. The Sequoia softball team, at 8-2, is ranked 16th.
Ocean Division teams being ranked that high are not a common occurrence.
“We’re all over looking at MaxPreps. We’re looking at the rankings, from state to CCS and the ‘A’ level rankings because we’ve been playing a bunch of ‘A’ teams,” said Michelle Sarrail, Sequoia head softball coach. “I see some teams that are (ranked) higher than us that have played much weaker schedules. I’ve reached out to them, but they have no interest in playing us. It’s not because we’re a ‘C’ team. They look at our roster and see what we’ve done on our schedule. There is no upside potential for them to play us.”
The Ravens softball team has not assumed a top-20 ranking by beating up on Ocean Division teams — which they have done this season, outscoring division opponents 56-8 through four games.
Sequoia has earned respect by beating a number of Bay Division teams — the Ravens beat Carlmont for the second season in a row, 15-7. They mercy-ruled Half Moon Bay and shut out Redwood City rival Woodside, 4-0.
Their only losses were a 5-1 decision in the season opener against Hillsdale and then an outlier 12-0 loss to Cap.
But the Ravens more than made up for that with a 17-0 shellacking of Wilcox-Santa Clara.
The Ravens are led by sophomore Ainsley Waddell, who is doing it at the plate and in the pitcher’s circle. Waddell has a batting average of .581 and an OPS of 1.271. In the circle, she is 7-2 with a 2.32 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 54.1 innings pitched.
Another sophomore, Mackenzie Jackson, has an OPS of 1.243.
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The big thump is Talia Tolkheim, who is batting a robust .636 with 21 RBIs. Eleven of her 21 hits have gone for extra bases, including six doubles, a triple and four of the Ravens’ five home runs.
Sequoia baseball has used a similar route to its undefeated record. The Ravens are 5-0 against Bay Division teams, with wins over Menlo School (10-3), Hillsdale (2-1), Capuchino (8-2), Burlingame (9-6) and Aragon (9-3).
They are 6-0 in Ocean Division games, having swept Half Moon Bay, Woodside and, last week, San Mateo. The Ravens have piled up 78 runs in those contests.
The Sequoia winning streak will get a serious test this week, beginning today, as the Ravens will host a Menlo-Atherton squad that is also 6-0 in Ocean play and 12-5 overall. The two will go at it again Thursday afternoon.
“M-A … has given up one run through six league games and we’ve scored a lot of runs. It’s a case of the unstoppable force against the immovable object,” Doyle said. “Relative to our record, in high school baseball, I would never think any team would start 12-0, just because it’s high school baseball. It’s nothing I would ever expect.
“At this point in the year, it’s not really about jinx purposes, we just don’t talk about it. We just focus on that game.”
The players certainly appeared dialed in. The Ravens are batting .377 as a team and have four players with 10 RBIs or more. The pitching, meanwhile, has been lights out, with a staff ERA of 2.08.
Junior Dillon Goetz is having a monster year, batting .543 through a dozen games, leading the team with 22 RBIs and 11 extra-base hits — including a pair of home runs. Senior Rene Pena is also having a strong season at the plate, batting .471, with 17 RBIs.
Goetz is as dominant on the mound, boasting a 6-0 record with a 1.83 ERA, while Oliver Montclare is 4-0 with an ERA of 0.91.
The perfect mark against Bay Division teams not only have boosted Sequoia’s reputation in CCS circles, it also serves as a dry run for what the Ravens hope is a promotion to the Bay Division for the 2022 season.
“Playing Bay teams goes a long way toward [building confidence]. I’m not diminishing any of the teams in the Ocean — I’m not convinced a team like M-A isn’t among the best teams in the PAL — but you always want to play against the best,” Doyle said. “If you’re in the Ocean Division, you’re always trying to figure out how to compete against those Bay Division teams and how to become one of them.”
Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: Nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: 650-344-5200 ext. 117. Results and statistics can be emailed to: sports@smdailyjournal.com.
(1) comment
Nathan,
We love your thorough analysis of teams, and coverage of players.
Welcome to the discussion.
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