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Christian's Mike Mitchell and LCC's Justin Machado win 600th career games in a season marked by coaching accomplishments

Well, that could have gone better.

The Giants’ longest road trip of the season — a 10-game, 10-day stretch in Boston, Philadelphia, and Denver — felt downright interminable.

Only winning three games in 10 chances will do that.

Not great, Bob (Melvin)!

Yes, the worst road trip to watch since the 2012 Seth Rogan, Barbra Streisand feature “The Guilt Trip” was, in all, a deeply inauspicious stretch for the black and orange — one that raises serious questions about this team’s chances to compete for the postseason, and all that preseason optimism.

But it wasn’t all bad.

Here are three ups, and, of course, three downs, from the Giants’ road trip to forget:

UP: Ryan Walker and the bullpen

I used to believe that bullpens win divisions.

Clearly, that’s not the case, because the Giants have a pretty good bullpen — maybe the best in the National League West — and they’re not going to sniff the division lead this season.

Maybe bullpens win Wild Cards?

We know who is closing. We know one of the Rogers twins is going to come in when it’s a high-leverage situation.

But the Giants have their fireman in the pen. His name is Ryan Walker.

Over his last 10 innings of action — 10 games — Walker, a herky-jerky righty with a cross-body delivery, has allowed only three hits and no runs, while striking out 18.

He’s cooking, and if the Giants find themselves in a position to win a game after even five innings, they have to like their chances of finishing off the game.

And, one quick note: Randy Rodriguez, who saw his first big-league action on this trip, looks like he stands a chance of being an impact arm for the Giants. Sure, 99 miles per hour is par for the course in baseball these days, but I’m still impressed.

DOWN: The Giants’ good health

At least when it came to position players, the Giants were in good health heading into this 10-game road trip.

That is no longer the case. Jorge Soler is on the injured list, as are both of their catchers, and Nick Ahmed and Jung Hoo Lee both picked up knocks in Colorado.

The Giants’ lineup depth is being tested and it will continue to be tested.

Perhaps that’s a good thing, given this team’s offensive struggles — it’s a forced mix-up.

Or perhaps a bad offense is about to become worse, as not-everyday players are thrust into those roles.

UP: Thairo Estrada

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The Giants second baseman had a brutal start to the season, but he’s back to being himself, and that’s a damn fine baseball player.

Estrada slashed .282/.333/.410 on the 10-game road trip, playing every day and hitting two doubles and a homer, driving in seven runs.

On an offense with few bright spots these days, he’s unquestionably a positive at the moment.

But what has most impressed me with Estrada as of late is his glove. He’s really flashing the leather at second.

The eye test is flattering. The tracking data is enviable. Estrada is third in baseball with five outs above average at second base.

And while, yes, he did lead all second basemen in that category last year, the combination of that glove with the Giants’ left side of the infield seems like a huge advantage over the competition.

With Nick Ahmed (baseball’s second-best defensive shortstop this season, per Fielding Run-Value), the incomparable Matt Chapman, and Estrada all playing Gold Glove-level defense, the Giants should be begging their pitchers to induce ground balls all game.

If nothing else, that would get this all over with sooner.

DOWN: Keaton Winn

The young starter has the stuff to be a big-league pitcher.

But when he isn’t locating, things escalate in a hurry. (And not in a good way for the Giants.)

You want to give the 26-year-old the benefit of the doubt for what happened in Philadelphia — he was under the weather for the game he couldn’t escape the first inning, allowing five runs. Anything less than your best against the Phillies will be burned.

And sure, Coors Field is a tough place to pitch, but the Rockies are not a lineup to be feared. Yet after the first time through the order, Colorado jumped on Winn early in the count and tagged him for seven runs on eight hits.

The Giants aren’t in a position to knock Winn out of the rotation right now, but he’ll probably have one more start to prove he deserves to be in it. After that Blake Snell is likely to return and Mason Black will have a second big-league start under his belt.

That start is likely to come next Tuesday against the… Dodgers.

At least it’s at home?

UP: Michael Conforto

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He still can’t play a lick of defense, but his red-hot bat requires him to be in the lineup daily. Strangely, that makes Soler’s injury a win for San Francisco — manager Bob Melvin can stash Conforto in the DH spot, where he truly belongs.

I say “can” because Melvin decided to play Conforto in left on Thursday, with Lee on the bench, and hit Blake Sabol in the DH spot.

Regardless, Conforto is raking. On the road trip, he slashed .303/.395/.576 with two homers.

Conforto is never going to be the player he was for the Mets in 2020, when he was 54 percent better than a league-average hitter, but he’s been roughly 30 percent better this season. For an offense starved for, well, offense, the front office’s belief in the 31-year-old is looking wise.

Now, if only teams could stop hitting it to him in left field.

DOWN: The Giants’ season outlook

It’s too early to win anything of worth.

But it’s not too early to lose it.

The 3-7 road trip has put the Giants in a hole. It’s hardly an insurmountable one — the Giants were somehow only 2.5 games back of a Wild Card spot after Thursday’s loss — but it’s still a hole.

It’s hard to imagine that anything less than 85 wins will be enough to make the playoffs.

That means the Giants need to go 68-55 the rest of the way.

Can they? Yes.

But there’s no reason to confidently say they will.

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Ten pitches.

That was all it took Thursday afternoon to spoil the Giants’ trip home from Colorado.

After fouling off Keaton Winn’s first pitch of the fourth inning, Ezequiel Tovar lined the next one into the vast tundra of Coors Field’s center field alley, and only eight pitches later, Brenton Doyle had driven home the sixth run of the inning on a drive that cleared the wall in center and kicked the Giants’ bullpen into overdrive.

The Rockies’ ambush flipped an early advantage into an insurmountable deficit and prevented the Giants from clinching their first series sweep of the season, which would have allowed them to board their charter flight feeling better than when they arrived — with significant turbulence amid thunderstorms across the middle of the country — from a 1-6 start to the trip through Boston and Philadelphia.

Here are three takeaways from the 9-1 loss.

Tipping pitches

The Giants, like every team, have a department devoted to studying opposing pitchers and learning about what clues teams have on their own, and they certainly were hard at work as Winn began to get hit around in the fourth inning.

Running into trouble at Coors Field is hardly a problem unique to Winn, but the 26-year-old righty had cruised through the first three frames until the first six batters of the fourth connected for six hits — four for extra bases — on the first 10 pitches of the fourth.

Tover tripled on an 0-1 sinker. Ryan McMahon shot a splitter into right field at 110.7 mph. Winn went back to the sinker, and Elias Díaz drove a double at 106.5 mph off the bat. Sean Bouchard sent a slider screaming past Wilmer Flores, and singled on a splitter, setting the stage for Benton Doyle to end the assault with a 430-foot missile to make it 6-1.

Winn was tagged for seven runs on eight hits in 3⅔ innings, raising his ERA to 5.63.

After limiting opponents to five earned runs over 23 in his previous four starts (a 1.93 ERA), Winn has combined to allow 12 over only 4⅓ innings his past two — one more out recorded than runs allowed.

On the 10 games this road trip, the Giants had their starter complete six innings once (Kyle Harrison on Wednesday).

A different look

The Giants didn’t use one lineup more than four times all of last season, but almost a third of the way into 2024 have already used their most common batting order eight times. With a cavalcade of injuries, a getaway game at Coors Field and still no day off in sight, this was not one of those days.

Already missing Jorge Soler (shoulder), Patrick Bailey (concussion) and Tom Murphy (knee), the Giants took another blow when Jung Hoo Lee fouled a pitch off his toe Wednesday, knocking him out of the lineup for the series finale.

Making matters worse, Nick Ahmed was forced from the game after his at-bat in the third inning with left wrist discomfort, forcing Tyler Fitzgerald to take over at shortstop. They were already without Matt Chapman, who received a day off after snapping an 0-for-12 skid Wednesday.

Some combination of playing shorthanded and Cal Quantrill, the Rockies’ starter, halted whatever momentum the Giants’ beleaguered offense had built in the first two games of the series.

After breaking out for 13 runs the past two games — more than they had in their previous five — the Giants were limited to a lone run by Quantrill and a trio of Rockies relievers. Their only offense was provided by a home run that Michael Conforto snuck over the fence just inside the left-field foul pole, his team-leading seventh of the season.

A big home stand

The Giants (17-22) return home from their longest road trip of the season four games further under .500 and four games further out of first place than they were went they left San Francisco.

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They are closer in the standings to the last-place Rockies (9-28) than they are the first-place Dodgers (26-13), whom they welcome to Oracle Park starting Monday for the first of only two series this season between the rivals on the shores of McCovey Cove.

Something else the Giants share in common with the Rockies: the only two teams yet to win three games in a row this season.

They went 3-7 over the 10-game trip and were outscored 55-30, failing to push more than three men across the plate in seven of those contests. While the first stretch came against the Red Sox (19-18) and the Phillies (26-12), two good teams that lead their respective leagues in ERA, Thursday’s loss to the lowly Rockies too closely resembled the start of the trip than their better-look past two games.

Set to return home Friday, the Giants have three games against the Reds (16-21) to get right before their archrivals come to town.

STANFORD – Former Stanford women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer, who became the NCAA’s all-time leader in wins during a Hall of Fame career, will have the court inside Maples Pavilion named in her honor, the school announced Thursday.

Stanford officials said a public celebration and official unveiling of the court’s name will occur in November at a to-be-determined women’s basketball home game, with additional details to be announced closer to the start of next season.

The university also announced that a women’s basketball assistant coachship will bear VanDerveer’s name. The coachship was created with a gift from Tashia and John Morgridge.

VanDerveer, who announced her retirement on April 9, won 531 games at Maples Pavilion as Stanford’s women’s basketball coach. Her last win came on March 24, an 87-81 overtime victory over Iowa State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

“I would like to sincerely thank Tashia and John for their support of Stanford Athletics and this tremendous contribution,” VanDerveer said in a statement. “This endowment will go a long way to strengthening the future of Stanford women’s basketball.

“I have many wonderful memories of leading the women’s basketball program at Maples Pavilion. It’s an honor, and a little surreal, to know that my name will be linked to both in these ways, and I look forward to celebrating with all our fans this fall.”

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In a 45-year coaching career, VanDerveer, 70, won an NCAA-record 1,216 games. In 38 seasons at Stanford, she led the Cardinal to three NCAA championships — 1990, 1992, and 2021 — and 14 Final Fours.

VanDerveer was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.

Heather Oesterle, hired by new Cardinal coach Kate Paye on April 25, will be the inaugural recipient of the new coachship.

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Jimmy Johnson, one of the best cornerbacks in both 49ers and NFL history, died Wednesday night at age 86, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced.

Johnson’s family told the Pro Football Hall of Fame that he died at his Bay Area home after a lengthy illness.

Johnson played 16 seasons with the 49ers as their top draft pick in 1961, at No. 6 overall. His jersey (No. 37) is among a dozen retired by the franchise.

Only John Brodie played more seasons (17) with the 49ers than Johnson, whose tenure lasted as long as that of Jerry Rice, the only player in 49ers history to appear in more games (238 for Rice, 213 for Johnson).

Johnson was enshrined 30 years ago into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“Jimmy Johnson was extraordinarily athletically talented,” Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said in a statement. “The 49ers enjoyed the luxury of using him on offense and defense early in his career to fill team needs. Once he settled in at left cornerback, he flourished.

“The notion that a ‘lockdown’ cornerback could cut the field in half for the opposition was true with Jimmy. Only rarely would other teams’ quarterbacks even look his direction, and more often than not regretted the decision if they challenged him.”

Johnson made the AP All-Pro first team three consecutive years, from 1970-71, while also making the Pro Bowl in those seasons, as well as in 1969 and 1974, primarily as the 49ers’ left cornerback.

“You have to be worked on, cornered in and cornered out to become as good as you can be,” Johnson said when he entered the Hall of Fame. “So actually I feel standing here today that I never reached that level, I never reached as good a football player as I could be. But thanks to God and inner talent I was able to present a picture to those individuals who were voting for the Hall of Fame, and my longevity and the level of game that I played from my rookie season to my last.

“That on this wondrous year of 1994 I’ve been given the opportunity, the glorious opportunity, to become a member of the most wonderful society: The National Football League Hall of Fame.”

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Jimmy Johnson is shown in 1973.  (AP Photo/RHH, File) 

Johnson recorded 47 interceptions in his 49ers career. He also scored two touchdowns, recovered seven fumbles, forced a fumble and a safety.

A two-way standout on UCLA’s football team (as well as an NCAA high-hurdle champion and broad jumper), Johnson did see some action for the 49ers offense, though a broken wrist before his rookie training camp delayed his two-way play.

Johnson had 34 receptions for 627 yards and four touchdowns in his second season, highlighted by an 80-yard touchdown against the Chicago Bears and an 181-yard outing against the Detroit Lions.

Johnson twice received the 49ers’ most prestigious honor, the Len Eshmont Award, for his courageous and inspirational play, winning it in 1969 and 1975.

His older brother, Rafer, was the 1960 Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon; he passed away in 2000, also at age 86. Rafer was his brother’s presenter for enshrinement in the Canton, Ohio hall.

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“Rafer Johnson is in fact my hero and that is an amazing thing in itself,” Jimmy Johnson said when he was enshrined. “Most young men growing up usually have a hero in another town, another city, another country, and they will write to this individual, receive an autographed photo and then tack that photo up on the wall and worship that photo, play for that photo and get inspiration from that photo. No such problem for me.

“I had a brother living with me on a day-to-day basis that I was able to talk to, ask the pertinent questions, get the pertinent feedback and get corrected in my direction, if needed. I must say I must give brother Rafer credit for everything that I have accomplished in the field of athletics. And I just wish that we could split this trophy, this bust of myself, right down the middle because he surely deserves half of it.”

Jimmy Johnson graduated from Kingsburg High School in 1957. In 2022, Johnson was among 100 players selected for induction into the California High School Football Hall of Fame by the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation.

The Associated Press contributed to this story. 

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Not often does the departure of an assistant coach generate a reaction comparable to the situation developing along I-15 in northern Utah.

When Chris Burgess left the Utah men’s basketball staff last week, the alarm sounded.

KSL.com noted “a perception, even if it is false, that he bolted to get away from a proverbial sinking ship.”

The Salt Lake Tribune referenced “an explosion of concern … over a possible Ute basketball collapse.”

All because of an assistant coach who had been on the job for just two seasons? No, all because of Brigham Young.

Burgess moved 45 miles down the freeway for his second stint on BYU’s bench. (He was soon followed by Utah big man Keba Keita, who entered the transfer portal and committed to the Cougars.)

Had Burgess left Utah for any other school — for UCLA, perhaps, or Oregon — the move would have been cause for lukewarm concern in Salt Lake City. But because he left to join the utterest enemy of all, the decision sparked an uproar.

Welcome to a new chapter in Holy Lore, folks: Utah vs. BYU, the Big 12 era.

Granted, the Utes won’t officially enter their new home until Aug. 2, when 10 schools depart the Pac-12 for various leagues across the land. But the pressure generated by competing in the same conference as the Cougars is already mounting.

And college sports fans are the beneficiaries, because the only thing better than a good rivalry is a good intra-conference rivalry.

Utah and BYU haven’t competed in the same conference since the 2010-11 academic year, when both were members of the Mountain West.

Then Utah bolted for the Pac-12, and the Cougars became an Independent in football and a member of the West Coast Conference in basketball.

The rivalry continued, but without the extra sauce provided by membership in the same conference.

When they were separated, a Utah football victory over USC had zero impact on BYU’s postseason fortunes.

Starting in the fall, every result produced by one school will impact the other as they compete in the Big 12 race and jockey for bowl position.

That reality applies in basketball, as well, with conference tournament seeds and March Madness resumes.

Utah made expert use of the Pac-12’s revenue and reputation, upgraded its recruiting and left the Cougars behind, at least on the field.

The Utes won eight of nine football games against BYU during their life in the Power Five. They also played in two Rose Bowls and made six appearances in the end-of-season Associated Press top-25 poll.

Meanwhile, the Cougars struggled for traction as an Independent and appeared in the end-of-season AP rankings just twice.

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Collisions on the court were less frequent, more balanced — the Utes won four of seven head-to-head matchups — and far less significant.

The Cougars spent years searching for entry into the power conferences and found salvation in the Big 12, joining the conference last summer along with Houston, UCF and Cincinnati.

When Utah becomes a member of the Big 12 in a few months, everything about the rivalry will be amplified: the vitriol, the stakes, the repercussions, the elation and dejection.

Developments that seemed largely inconsequential when the schools were separated will feel momentous now that they are members of the same steel cage.

At this point, the advantages are with Utah football and BYU basketball, particularly after its impressive showing in the rugged Big 12.

Will those positions hold relative to each other once the schools are entrenched in the same league?

Could BYU’s football program regain the ground it lost over a decade?

Could Utah basketball somehow pull even with the Cougars?

It should be fascinating to watch from afar and riveting to experience on the front lines along the I-15 corridor.

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

*** Follow me on Twitter/X: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.

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The Hotline is delighted to provide Pac-12 fans with a regular dive into the recruiting process through the eyes and ears of Brandon Huffman, the Seattle-based national recruiting editor for 247Sports. He submitted the following report on May 8 …

QB dominoes

The week was filled with commitments, especially those sourced in the transfer portal. But the biggest news at the high school level was Washington landing its second quarterback commitment in the 2025 class.

The Huskies already held a pledge from Dash Beierly from Mater Dei, the prep powerhouse in Santa Ana. He originally committed to coach Jedd Fisch at Arizona and quickly switched to the Huskies once Fisch was hired.

On Tuesday, though, UW added a second passer in the class, this one in the form of the reigning Gatorade State Player of the Year for Hawaii: Treston Kini McMillan, a three-star recruit from Mililani High School.

With the Huskies losing Dylan Morris and Austin Mack and 2024 signee Dermaricus Davis entering the portal (more on him later), they needed quarterbacks — even after getting Will Rogers to transfer in from Mississippi State.

McMillan provides vital depth.

Portal movement

Davis, the former UW signee, didn’t go far. In fact, he’s that much closer to home. The Southern California product entered the portal after coach Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama, then took his name out of the portal when Fisch recruited him back to Seattle.

But after Demond Williams emerged from spring practice as a legitimate candidate for UW’s starting job, Davis re-entered the portal. He didn’t have to wait long for an option. UCLA pursued him immediately, and he committed.

Davis isn’t the only former Husky quarterback who found a home with an outgoing Pac-12 school.

Sam Huard, the former five-star prospect and Husky legacy who had one ill-fated start as a true freshman in 2021 — and was then beaten out by Michael Penix — announced this week that he’s headed to Utah.

Huard transferred to Cal Poly, where his former high school head coach, Sheldon Cross, was the offensive coordinator. After throwing 18 touchdowns last season, Huard put his name back in the portal.

A return to Washington was a possibility while Iowa, Northwestern and Connecticut also pursued Huard. He opted for Utah, where he’ll provide depth as a backup to starter Cameron Rising.

Safety at Stanford

The Cardinal picked up a pair of commitments this week — both from safeties and both from out of state.

Donte Utu, a three-star prospect from Punahou HS, the famed Honolulu power, pledged to the Cardinal on Monday. A day later, another three-star recruit, Omari Gaines from Newark, N.J., did the same.

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Ducks on defense

While Oregon had some significant pickups in the transfer portal, no commitment was bigger than that of four-star edge rusher Nasit Wyatt, from Mater Dei.

The Ducks have built a nice connection to the school that was once a USC pipeline. Wyatt will follow his former Monarch teammate, Aydin Breland, to Eugene.

Wyatt is a top-70 player in the 247Sports composite rankings, the No. 8 edge rusher nationally and the No. 5 recruit in California at any position.

Sun Devils stay hot

Arizona State’s torrid start to the 2025 class, particularly on the offensive line, continued with two more pledges.

The Sun Devils pulled in commitments from Long Beach tackle Maki Stewart and Salt Lake City tackle Rob Lapuaho. Both carry three-star ratings.

No assistant coach in Tempe has been on a tear quite like Saga Tuitele, the Sun Devil’s offensive line coach.

All in all, ASU has 13 commitments in the class of 2025 and the top-rated haul in the Big 12.

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

*** Follow Huffman on Twitter/X via @BrandonHuffman and support @AveryStrongDIPG

*** Follow Wilner on Twitter/X: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.

SAN JOSE — James Lick baseball coach Rudy Iniguez always has to be prepared to fill holes in his lineup. Even in the middle of a game.

In his San Jose program, it is not uncommon for a player or two to leave before the final out.

In addition to baseball and schoolwork, some of his guys hold down jobs.

“Quite a few of my players are helping their families,” Iniguez said. “I probably have five or six of my players that are working and playing ball at the same time.”

James Lick’s Richard Vega (5), Nicolai Navarro (21) and Roberto Rodriguez (4) run to the dugout during a game at Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) 

But the sudden absences haven’t stopped Lick from having a magical spring.

The school that was once home to Heisman Trophy and Super Bowl-winning quarterback Jim Plunkett has captured a league baseball championship for the first time since 1971.

When the Comets beat Independence on Monday, they clinched first place in the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s West Valley Division and have a shot to reach the Central Coast Section playoffs that start next week.

“It took a lot of time and a lot of hard work,” senior shortstop Enrique Mendez said. “It took a lot to get the guys out here and we managed to get all of our grades together. We never took a day for granted and our hard work has us where we are right now.”

When Iniguez was hired as a junior varsity coach at Lick nine years ago, the program did not enjoy much winning.

But that all changed when Iniguez took over the varsity in 2021.

In his first season, the Comets went 11-6, which marked the first time the program finished with a winning record since 2008. They had another winning season in 2022. This season has been the icing on the cake – 14-3 overall and 13-1 in league.

James Lick’s Enrique Mendez looks at the field from the dugout against Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) 

Success at Lick rarely comes easily.

While strong high school programs typically have year-round players, Lick often has to recruit students from the school hallways who have never played.

Most years, the Comets don’t have enough players to field a JV team, which makes it difficult to develop their underclassmen.

This season, Lick has 13 players on the varsity, in addition to having a JV squad.

Senior right fielder Humberto Ulloa never played baseball before joining the varsity team two years ago. Ulloa, a football player, was asked by Iniguez to give baseball a shot after the coach saw his athletic gifts on the gridiron. 

“I started playing my sophomore year after football,” Ulloa said. “I didn’t get any playing time at first, but coach helped me out through batting practices and helped me with my fielding and conditioning off the field. Once I got a chance to prove myself as a junior, I officially became a starter.”

The coaches at Lick take pride in teaching and developing players.

Iniguez and assistant coach Vijay Punian understand that it is unlikely that a high-level transfer is coming their way. But they are just as satisfied knowing the talent on the team learned the game organically. 

”It means a lot that they just stuck with it,” Punian said. “And now to see these kids finally have success, it’s been great.”

James Lick’s Nicolai Navarro stands at bat against host Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) 

Winning on the field has also translated to winning in the classroom. 

According to Lick principal Honey Gubuan, athletes at the San Jose school have historically struggled to keep up academically. But since Iniguez started coaching at Lick, he has only had one player deemed ineligible to play because of poor grades. 

“Our neighborhood and our students have their challenges,” Gubuan said. “The only way you can support them is to get to know them and know their families because at the end of the day, we want to cultivate good students and great human beings.”

What players and coaches at Lick revel in the most is how they’ve become their community’s team.

According to Niche.com, 52% of East San Jose residents are Hispanic. Lick’s baseball team reflects that statistic as most of its players are of Mexican origin. 

“Just seeing the team brings me chills because I’m Mexican,” Lick athletic director Anna Chavez said. “I know it means the world to our kids to see representation because it’s not a sport that’s predominantly Mexican. It’s an honor to see our team grow.”

Mendez wears elbow pads and shin guards that dawn the Mexican flag. The school itself is located in the Alum Rock district of San Jose, one of the oldest and most notable Mexican-American districts in the state.

“It means a lot,” Mendez said about representing his Mexican heritage during games. “There’s a lot of kids at our school who don’t speak English and who want to come out and play the game. To me, it’s all about having fun and meeting new people and getting to share the field with people of different cultures.”

James Lick’s Enrique Mendez pitches against Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) 

Lick came close to winning a league title last season, but this year has been different. 

In December, Iniguez took his players inside the Lick gym and showed them the last dark green banner that was raised for winning a league title. 

It read, “League Champions baseball: 1971.”

“Coach just told us we could be the first team to win the league title in a long time,” senior center fielder Richard Vega said. “To be honest, I didn’t really believe it. Fifty years have gone by and there hasn’t been a James Lick team to win a league title. It’s just awesome to me that in our last year, we could be that team.”

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Though Lick averages more than 13 runs a game, small ball is the team’s identity. The Comets have an on-base percentage of .600 and a run differential is 166.

The team is led by Mendez, who has an absurd batting average of .721, to go along with 47 steals. The senior plans to play at Hartnell College in Salinas next season.

Winning a league title was the No. 1 goal this season for Lick. Qualifying for the CCS playoffs would cap off this historic season.

As a “C” division champion in the BVAL, Lick must beat the third-place Evergreen Valley from the BVAL’s “B” division in a play-in game on Friday to advance to CCS.  The Cougars finished the regular season 16-10, 13-5. 

“I want to see how far we can go in CCS because I think we have the team to do it,” Iniguez said. “That’s the focus until the end of the year for us.”

James Lick’s Nicolai Navarro bats while teammate Marcus Cohen warms up on deck against Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)  James Lick’s Marcus Cohen smiles while running for first in the fourth inning during a game at Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)  James Lick’s Richard Vega smiles in the fifth inning during a game at Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)  James Lick’s Richard Vega smiles in the fifth inning during a game at Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)  James Lick’s Enrique Mendez pitches against Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) 

Padres prospect Leodalis De Vries dealing with shoulder issue, hasn't played with Lake Elsinore Storm since May 1