Five Dragons named to Sonoma County League roster

Five members of the Sonoma Valley High Dragon baseball team were named to the all-Sonoma County League first team, and two others gained honorable mention.

Seniors Carson Snyder and Shane O’Malley were named to the team as pitchers, sophomore Max Handron as an infielder, sophomore Tucker Pierce as an outfielder and senior Colton Mertens as a utility player.

Snyder was the runner-up for the SCL Player of the Year. He sported a 5-3 record with a 0.89 earned run average. He started eight games and threw four complete games, had two shutouts and tossed a no-hitter. He pitched 55.1 innings, gave up 20 hits, walked 30 and struck out 99 batters. As a hitter, he had a .295 average, 13 RBIs and led the team with eight stolen bases.

O’Malley had a 4-3 record with a 2.12 ERA in 43 innings pitched, walking 20 and recording 44 strike-outs. He started seven games, completed four and had a shutout. As a hitter, O’Malley batted .297, drove in 22 runs and had the team’s only home run.

Handron batted .365 and led the team in runs scored with 25. Pierce led the team with a .417 average despite starting the year on the JV squad. Mertens batted .333 and led the team in hits with 26 and RBIs with 23.

Sophomore Dylan Samaniego was named to the honorable mention list as an infielder, as was junior Jeremy Mackling as a pitcher. Samaniego batted .274. Mackling was 5-0 with a .058 ERA. He started four games and had one complete game.