St. Vincent’s Galten shares NCL II MVP honors

The leaders of the two hottest rivals in the North Central League II shared honors as league Most Valuable Players on the All-League team as selected by the league coaches. St. Vincent de Paul’s Liam Galten and Sonoma Academy’s Dylan De La Montanya top a star team that had players from just three schools on the first team.

St. Vincent and Sonoma Academy met three times this spring, with St. Vincent winning two of the three, including once in North Coast Section play. St. Vincent also came out on top in a tight two-team race for the North Central League II championship, finishing league play with an 11-1 record, while Sonoma Academy finished at 10-2 in league.

Galten was a huge part of that record. He pitched the majority of the big games for St. Vincent, compiling a 5-3 record with a 3.50 earned run average. He struck out 45 batters in 36 innings.

At the plate, he batted .384 with 28 hits in 25 games. He was one of only two Mustangs to hit a home run and drove in 27 runs while scoring 23.

Galten was joined on the All-Empire first team by teammates Bradley Leach, Dominic Pedersen and Nick Vollert.

Leach , a senior, batted .382 with 26 hits in 25 games, He drove in 20 runs and scored 21. But those statistics don’t reflect the No. of runs he saved with his outstanding glove work at shortstop.

Pedersen was one of St. Vincent’s most effective pitchers, compiling a 6-3 record with a 3.11 earned run average. He struck out 62 batters in 45 innings. He would have pitched more had he not been so valuable as a catcher. Considered one of the Empire’s best defensive receivers, he was also one of St. Vincent’s most productive hitters with a .383 batting average that included 31 hits in 26 games with 24 RBIs and 24 runs scored. He led the team with seven home runs and tied with Galten with two triples.

Vollert, like Leach and Pedersen, was an outstanding defensive player, mostly at third base. He batted .324 with 14 RBIs and a team-leading 35 runs scored.

Seniors Alex Dombrowski and Reilly Tobin were placed on the second team. Outfielder Dombrowski batted .317 with nine RBIs and 15 runs scored. A contact hitter, he struck out just 11 times in 41 at bats and walked 13 times. He made a habit of coming up with big catches in clutch situations. Tobin, a sure-gloved second baseman, batted .286, but walked 18 times, while striking out three times all season.

St. Vincent’s Trevor Bovaird received honorable mention notice. As the season progressed, Bovaird developed into St. Vincent’s main relief pitcher. He won four games without a loss and had a 1.14 earned run average, He struck out 22 batters and walked only four in 24? innings. He was also a major contributor to the St. Vincent offense with a .305 batting average, 16 RBIs and 18 runs scored.