On Monday, May 19, varsity baseball’s season officially came to a close, as the team did not qualify for the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs. This season marked a shift from the previous year, when the Panthers played in the Division I bracket of CCS.
The team finished with a 10-16 record, placing seventh out of eight in the Peninsula Bay Athletic (PAL) league. Although the Panthers faced challenges throughout the season, they were still in playoff contention until the final stretch, ultimately falling short of qualification.
“We honestly thought that we were done with a week left in the season, and then our coach actually told us before our last game that there was still a chance… all we could do is just hope and see what could happen,” senior Rodrigo Beltranena said.
After a highly successful season the previous year, led by a strong group of 12 seniors, junior Grayson Howard said the Panthers entered this season with lower expectations, considering their younger roster that featured only five seniors.
“I think a lot of it was we were just young,” junior Grayson Howard said. “Everybody was expecting us to be not as good as last year, obviously, coming off of a win in our league with about 12 seniors.”

Beltranena said the Panthers might have seen better results if they played more cohesively as a team.
“That was our struggle, having everybody pull in the same direction. We had a lot of independent players, kind of playing for themselves and not playing to have fun,” Beltranena said.
According to Beltranena, another factor in the Panthers’ struggles this season was their limited offensive production, as only one player recorded a batting average over .300.
“We definitely had to work on our hitting, which we did. We just don’t know what happened in the games that caused us to not hit,” Beltranena said.
Throughout the season, the Panthers experienced multiple losing streaks and close defeats, which Howard said gradually diminished their playoff hopes.
“It was a series of games and events that led to us sort of being on a losing streak and not winning games that we should have won,” Howard said.
Despite the challenges, Howard said several key players stepped up through their play and leadership.
“Mark O’Grady, he took a huge step up as a sophomore, obviously won MVP, overall amazing player,” Howard said, referring to their Most Valuable Player. “Dionisios Vorrises on the mound was incredible to watch. Nash [Trautwein] as well, another sophomore stepped up. I think we had a lot of talented guys.”
With many players returning next season, Howard said the Panthers will have an advantage from continuity and strong team chemistry.
“We’ll definitely have the advantage of having a lot of seniors and having a lot of leaders, especially. We got to keep on playing our game: baserunning, lot of contact… deep pitching staff. We got a lot of guys next year that are going to be super solid,” Howard said.