Prep baseball: Chemistry, talent takes Whitney Wildcats back to section championship game

The Whitney Wildcats will defend their Sac-Joaquin Section Division I baseball championship after beating St. Mary’s of Stockton 9-5 on Thursday in a way that was emblematic of how head coach Jackson Watt’s group has come together over the past two years.

They have each other’s backs. They have built bonds away from the field that Watt and his players say are just as important as anything — including an immensely talented roster.

“One word to describe this team is family,” Watt said earlier this week. “They truly love each other and compete for each other no matter what happens. They stay together more than any other team I’ve ever seen.”

Whether it’s team dinners, which occur twice a week, fishing for widemouth bass, figuring out who gets the coveted lunchbox after each practice — given to the player that works the hardest that day — or the gaudy swag chain on game days, the bonds shared up and down Whitney’s roster are palpable.

And they factor in the team’s return to the Division I championship game May 26 against Franklin of Elk Grove to defend the crown the Wildcats won last season, which followed three straight losing campaigns. Many of the players were on the Tri City Little League team that reached the Western Regional championships in 2018, but came up just short of reaching the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

“It’s so fun being out here with these boys,” right fielder Tyler Allen said. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I think one thing with this team, we never think we’re out of it. We always battle back. We always stay in the game. We never give up and it showed over the past two seasons.”

That also showed Thursday in the decisive game of a three-game semifinal series against St. Mary’s, which won Game 2 on Wednesday 3-1 to set up a winner-take-all affair.

Whitney responded to two runs scored in the top of the first inning from the visiting team with four runs in the bottom of the frame. Two came via home run from Jace Gillmore, Whitney’s leading home run hitter with four and one of the team’s aces on the mound.

Gilmore is headed to Santa Clara next season on scholarship and has a fastball that reaches the low 90s. He was the starter in last year’s championship game and could get the nod next Friday against top-seeded Franklin.

Whitney has others expected to play in college next year. Shortstop Luke Oyler, who hit .411 in the regular season, is committed to Saint Mary’s. The team’s other ace, Gavin McLendon, is headed to San Diego State and is another option to start on the mound. Allen led the team with a .423 batting average while infielder Jax Gimenez hit .400 as a junior.

Sophomore flame thrower Corden Pettey was pumping 88 mile-per-hour fastballs Thursday, according to a radar gun behind home plate, during a key stretch in the fifth inning, confirming why he’s jumped onto the radar of scouts as an underclassman.

So Whitney isn’t going to the section championship for a second straight season just because the vibes are good. The Wildcats have the talent to compete with anyone in a baseball-rich region like Sacramento.

Pettey on Friday entered the game in the fifth inning with the season hanging in the balance. St. Mary’s loaded the bases with no outs and scored a run to make it 7-4. Pettey, who had five saves while striking out 34 in 17.2 innings during the regular season, came in and struck out the side. The sequence came to define the game — and exemplified each player fighting for the guy next to him.

“He’s come into big moments, high leverage situations, all year long and he’s delivered,” Watt said of Pettey. “He came in against De La Salle in a big game. He’s come in in some league game situations against crosstown rivals like Rocklin and he’s just been unflappable. He just goes out there and throws strikes, throws hard and has a really good breaking ball. I’m excited to see his future. He’s a great kid too.”

Watt, The Bee’s reigning Coach of the Year, was sure to point out the love for baseball all over Whitney’s campus that has helped the program reach its lofty heights.

Jeff Dietrich is an assistant principle who was a long-time varsity baseball coach at nearby Del Oro. Woodshop teacher Bret Hunter helped build the team’s recently installed backstop and has classes littered with ballplayers. Rob Dorchak still teaches exercise science classes after stepping down as the head baseball coach in 2016. Practices are regularly attended by supportive staffers.

“These kids have earned that support,” Watt said. “The whole community comes and watches this team because these kids are so great. ... There’s a lot of people that are proud of them. I’ve already checked my phone and it’s blown up with all those people we talked about, all those different baseball people that have been so supportive of us throughout this time.

“It takes a village,” Watt continued. “There’s going to be a lot of really grateful people and a lot of really happy people on our campus this next week. I’m really proud of this group.”

Sac-Joaquin Section

Baseball championship games:

Division I

No. 1 Franklin vs. No. 2 Whitney

Friday at Sacramento City College, 6 p.m.

Division II

No. 4 Rio Americano vs. No. 7 Granite Bay

Thursday at Sac City, 6 p.m.

Division III

No. 3 Central Catholic vs. No. 4 Pioneer

Thursday at Islander’s Park, Lathrop, 6 p.m.

Division IV

No. 1 Woodland vs. No. 2 Oakmont

Wednesday at Sac City, 6 p.m.

Division V

No. 1 Sutter vs. No. 3 Bradshaw Christian

Tuesday at Sac City, 6 p.m.

Division VI

No. 1 Leroy Greene vs. No. 2 Argonaut

Wednesday at Islander’s Park, 6 p.m.

Division VII

No. 1 Turlock Christian vs. No. 3 Ripon Christian

Tuesday at Islander’s Park, 6 p.m.