Stars power Franklin over Whitney in clash of top teams to capture first section title

For all the star power, the role players and the journey just to get here, one thing especially stands out for the Franklin Wildcats baseball team this season: sportsmanship and a deep sense of appreciation.

Facing defending champion Whitney on an unseasonably cold night at Sacramento City College in front of an overflow crowd, Franklin on Friday night backed up its Bee No. 1 ranking for all but a week of this campaign. The Wildcats of Elk Grove beat the Wildcats of Rocklin 6-2 to capture the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship, the first in program history.

These were the section’s clear top teams all season with Franklin coming in state-ranked fifth by Cal-Hi Sports and Whitney 10th.

After the celebration, Franklin’s two anchors — Nic Abraham and Nolan Stevens — stood near the pitcher’s mound and spoke about everyone else but themselves. They raved about their teammates, their coaches, their school and each other.

Abraham overcame a shaky first inning, when he allowed three hits and two runs, to pitch a gem, striking out 10 to improve to 10-0. The 6-foot-4 junior right-hander, a national recruit, thanked his teammates for saving his hide. Stevens is a four-year starter, a 6-2 powerhouse slugger and pitcher who is off to one of the top college baseball programs in the country in Mississippi State.

Franklin could have started Stevens on the mound, but no one disagreed that Abraham was the man, as he had been all season. Stevens has also been the man, and his two-run double down the right-field line surged Franklin ahead 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning to seize control and momentum.

“Nic earned this start,” Stevens said. “He deserved to start. He’s the No. 1 pitcher in California.”

Abraham said the first inning “was all on me”, adding: “ The later innings, it was a completely different atmosphere. I had a rough start and my guys picked me up. Nolan saved me. Saved me big time.”

Part of that save job involved words of encouragement from Stevens, the first baseman who in that first inning walked over to Abraham and told him, “Hey, man, you got it. You’ve done it all year. Make sure you breathe and embrace the moment. Don’t let it get too big. One pitch at a time and breathe.”

In other words, you be you, Nic.

Lopez provides a spark

Abraham settled down and everyone did their job in extending Franklin’s winning streak to 15, including 5-0 in the playoffs. In the postseason, Franklin has outscored teams 43-4.

Franklin leadoff hitter and spark plug Jordy Lopez set the offensive tone by walking three times and scoring two runs, and he made a spectacular diving catch in the outfield for the second out of the final inning.

“He’s our instigator. He gets things started for us,” Franklin coach Bryan Kilby said of the Cal-committed Lopez. “He’s the fuel to our engine.”

More sportsmanship: Both teams complimented each other. A big part of that is because the coaches stress that class counts, Kilby and Jackson Watt of Whitney. What’s more, a lot of the players know each other through travel ball and showcase events. Whitney leadoff hitter and second baseman Jax Gimenez spoke for both teams about the thrill of playing in front of an electric crowd at Union Stadium, a venue in which fans are looking down on the action. It is one of the gem facilities in the state.

“Nothing better than a Division I section championship game here, two great teams, the crowd and everything,” said Gimenez, who had two hits and played his usual superb defense. “A lot of us know each other. It sucks to lose but the season’s not over.”

Franklin (29-4) and Whitney (26-8) both advance to next week’s CIF Northern California regional tournament, a single-elimination event that runs Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The CIF will post brackets on Sunday afternoon.

In the third, freshman Dylan Minnatee scored Lopez on a fielder’s choice RBI for Franklin’s first run, followed by senior shortstop Derek Pham’s RBI to tie it. In the fourth, senior Tyler Willett scored on a passed ball for a 3-2 lead, setting up Steven’s crushing double.

Kilby’s chaotic week

Cool and calm as he always is, Kilby was beaming afterward. The head coach since 2012, Kilby regularly mows the grass at Franklin while his pitchers groom their pitching mound. He has for years poured himself into all things Franklin High, as has longtime athletic director/baseball coach Mike Cody. Those two are the only varsity head coaches the Wildcats have had since the school opened in the Elk Grove Unified School District in 2002.

Kilby is also the school’s activities director, and this was some week. Kilby was at the forefront of Franklin’s graduation ceremony on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center, and he was up late on Sober Grad Night.

“This game isn’t just for us,” Stevens said, “It’s for our coaches, our school, our families. Coach Cody was almost tearing up.”

Kilby, when told of how Stevens and Abraham handled their postgame with such class, said: “Those two guys are pros. They’re impressive guys, the way they carry themselves on and off the field. Just great players and great attitudes.”

The coach added: “It’s so difficult to win a section championship. How many good teams and coaches haven’t won one? It’s that hard.”

Kilby said he never doubted his team or his ace after the sluggish start, saying: “The first inning was a little unorthodox. Once we settled in, Nic took over and dialed in, and once we took the lead, I liked our chances.”