All-Empire honors for Parnow, Thomasen

The All-Empire baseball teams, as named by the Press Democrat, are sprinkled with talent from Petaluma teams.

Chosen to the large school first team were Casa Grande junior Eric Parnow and Petaluma High senior Austin Thomason. St. Vincent junior George Sammon and sophomore Dominic Pederson were named to the small-school first team.

Parnow was the ace of a solid Casa Grande pitching staff. Although 4-3 on the season, he had a miniscule 0.89 earned run average. When he wasn’t on the mound, he anchored the Casa outfield in center, batting .326 with 29 hits in 27 games. He had a .402 on-base percentage.

Thomason was the senior leader of Petaluma’s 21-game-winning Trojans, providing solid defense behind the plate and batting clean-up in the lineup. He hit .326, with 15 RBIs, six doubles and a triple with a .431 on-base percentage.

Sammon was the Most Valuable Player of the North Central League II. He led a good-hitting St. Vincent team with a .413 batting average. His team-leading 31 hits in 25 games, included five doubles, a team-high five triples and three home runs. He had a .506 on-base percentage, meaning he reached base more than half the time he came to the plate.

Pedersen was one of the Empire’s best defensive catchers on any level. He was also one of the Mustangs’ top hitters with a .375 average and 27 hits in 25 games. He led the team with 25 RBIs and matched Sammon with three home runs. He had a .489 on-base percentage.

Casa Grande’s outstanding freshman, Spencer Torkelson, was named to the second team for large schools, along with Petaluma juniors Austin Gabbert and Hunter Williams. St. Vincent’s Liam Galten was chosen to the small-school second team, along with Anthony Feliciano from Tomales.

Torkelson had an amazing rookie high school season, batting .429 with 33 hits in 27 games, including four doubles. He had a .546 on-base percentage and led the team with eight stolen bases.

Gabbert, an outfielder, was Petaluma’s best all-around hitter, batting .333 with a team-leading 34 RBIs, nine doubles, two triples and a home run.

Williams was the top Trojan pitcher, winning seven games without a loss with a 1.77 earned run average. He led the team with 52 strikeouts.

Galten, a sophomore, hit .355 with 21 RBIs and five doubles. As a pitcher, he had a 5-1 record with a 2.06 earned run average and led the team with 54 strikeouts.

Feliciano was a standout on a Tomales team that contended for the North Central League II title. He batted .455 with 20 hits in 14 games, with a team-leading 15 RBIs, a double and a triple.

Petaluma junior first baseman Ben Sanderson was selected to the third team for the large schools, while St. Vincent’s Max Cowell and Tomales’ Jacob Brady were picked for the small schools.

Sanderson was pleasant surprise for the Trojans, winning the first base job with a .364 batting average that included one of the team’s two home runs. He hit six doubles and two triples, driving in 13 runs. His on-base percentage was an impressive .403.

Cowell hit .397 for the Mustangs, driving in 16 runs with three doubles and a triple. He walked 16 times, leading to a .530 on-base percentage.

Brady was the Braves’ pitching leader, compiling a solid 2.45 earned run average.

Maria Carrillo senior Peter Hoge was the large school Player of the Year, while honors for small schools went to Cole Brodnansky. a junior from Clear Lake

Large school Coach of the Year was Derek DeBenedetti of Maria Carrillo. Small school top coach was Zane Jensen of Clear Lake.

LARGE SCHOOLS

Player of the Year

Peter Hoge, Maria Carrillo, senior

Coach of the Year

Derek DeBenedetti, Maria Carrillo

First Team

Andrew Vaughn, INF, Maria Carrillo, sophomore; Keith Wallach, C, Maria Carrillo, senior; Jared Noonan, P, Montogmery, senior; Jeff Rebello, INF/P, Cardinal Newman, senior; Eric Parnow, P/OF, Casa Grande, junior; Grant St. Martin, C, Analy, senior; Garrett Hill, INF, Analy, senior; Vinnie Albano, OF, Sonoma Valley,senior; Austin Thomason, C, Petaluma, senior

Second Team

Austin Martinez, IF, Maria Carrillo, senior; Josh Lenney, IF, Montgomery, senior; Alex Roeser, OF, Cardinal Newman, junior; Spencer Torkelson, IF, Casa Grande, freshman; Connor Littleton, P, Rancho Cotate, senior; Evan Hill, P, Analy, senior; Austin Gabbert, OF, Petaluma, junior; Hunter williams, P, Petaluma, junior; Dan Deely, INF, Sonoma Valley, senior

Third Team

Zach Scott, P/IF, Maria Carrillo, junior; Sam McBeth, OF, Montgomery, senior; Ray Hernandez, IF, Cardinal Newman, senior; Robbie McIntosh, IF/OF, Ukiah, junior; Kenny Beeler, IF, Analy, senior; Ben Sanderson, IF, Petaluma, junior; Mitch Hood, P, Sonoma Valley, senior; Jimmy Flatt, P, Sonoma Valley, senior; Tony Martignoll, IF/OF, Piner, junior

SMALL SCHOOLS

Player of the Year

Cole Brodnansky, Clear Lake, junior

Coach of the Year

Zane Jensen, Clear Lake

First Team

Dimitri, Betts, Willits, junior; Jackson Graff, St. Helena, senior; Josiah Amos, Middletown, senior; David Mansell, Clear Lake, senior; Mitch Seely, Clear Lake, senior; George Sammon, St. Vincent, junior; Dominic Pedersen, St. Vincent, sophomore; Devin Dooley, Mendocino, senior; Tim Sanders, Point Arena, senior

Second Team

Alex Archer, St. Helena, sophomore; Jonathan Villarreal, Kelseyville, senior; Brad Bologna, Middletown, senior; Justin Thom, Willits, sophomore; Dillon Williams, Clear Lake, junior; Liam Galten, St. Vincent, sophomore; Adam Gockel, Rincon Valley Christian, junior; Anthony Feliciano, Tomales, senior; Dylan DeLaMontanya, Sonoma Academy, sophomore

Third team

Noah Lyndall, Kelsyville, sophomore; Tyler Ashby, Fort Bragg, senior; Matt Heller, Clear Lake, junior; Hank Harris, Willits, senior; Tyler Holt, Middletown, junior; Max Cowell, St. Vincent, senior; Mark Breaux, Rincon Valley Christian, junior; Jacob Brady, Tomales, senior; Justin Sundstrom