Pacheco star named WAC Most Valuable Player after finishing second in the state in steals
Abi Pikas had the greenest of lights whenever the Pacheco High School senior reached base.
It’s why Pikas amassed 69 bases steals this season, ranking second in the state.
And she did it without being thrown out all year.
Pacheco coach Charlie Pikas, who is also the father of the theft master, fully endorsed Abi Pikas’ base path aggressiveness and willingness to challenge any opposing battery.
“Once I got on base, my dad knew I was going to try to take the next one and any other base I could,” Abi Pikas said. “He trusted me enough.”
For her production on the base paths and beyond, Abi Pikas was selected as the Western Athletic Conference MVP by the conference coaches.
She also hit .613 on the season to go along with 48 runs — which ranked third in the Sac-Joaquin Section — and 20 RBIs.
“I felt very honored because I put my heart into this sport,” Abi Pikas said. “One of my main goals when I got to high school was to hopefully be named MVP of the league by the end of high school.”
Pikas posted a .585 batting average with 31 hits in 14 WAC games this spring. She scored 23 runs and averaged almost three stolen bases a game in WAC play with 34 stolen bases.
“She was the heart and soul of our team,” said Charlie Pikas, who was named WAC Co-Coach of the Year along with Mountain House’s Allison Noble.
Abi Pikas also shouldered the pitching load for the Panthers, posting an 8-6 record with a 3.36 ERA in WAC play.
“Talking to other coaches who had to prepare for us, they felt if they could keep her from doing a lot of damage they had a good chance of beating us,” Charlie Pikas added.
Los Banos High School junior Moxie Barton was named WAC Pitcher of the Year. Barton finished with a 9-0 record in WAC play with a 1.32 ERA.
Davis’ Belen Ruiz was named the Offensive Player of the Year after hitting .620 with five home runs and 25 RBIs during WAC play.
The all-WAC first-team selections were Beyer’s Jordyn Lish, Ceres’ Sehran Martinez, Ava Montesdeoco, Alizae Cole, Davi’s Avianna Alvarado, Johansen’s Jamie Zarilla, Lathrop’s Ariana Fuentes, Los Banos’ Hailee Moore and Matalie Greenwood, Mountain House’s Kaiya Simmons, Luna Lopez and Mackenzie Coffman and Pacheco’s Yanely Castillo.
The second-team was comprised of Beyer’s Mackenzie Hough, Cere’s Nani Sagapolu and Kylie Bond, Davis’ Lou Triller, Lathrop’s Luz De Luna, Los Banos’ Shay Hernandez and Isabel Orozco, Mountain House’s Isabel Obaob and Pacheco’s Des Arambula.
