College

David Stanton faced a monumental task when he was hired in May to become the new San Jose City College women’s volleyball coach.  Since the sport is played in the fall, the prime recruiting period had long passed. Situations such as Stanton’s usually go two...

Seryna Esparza had to wait a long time before college softball programs started showing her some attention.  That puzzled Hollister High coach Andrew Barragan, who would’ve fast tracked Esparza’s recruiting process and told anyone who was willing to listen they would be getting an absolute...

Over the years, only a handful of student-athletes from the San Benito High girls volleyball team have been good enough to go straight from high school to a Division I program.  Lauren Sabbatini, a 2018 graduate, is one of them. A redshirt junior at Fresno...

From being a nobody on the leaderboards last season to becoming a state champion and throwing in front of an Olympian this year.  That’s one of the ways in how Zach Sims aptly described his meteoric ascent into California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) history....

In her recently completed senior year at Hollister High, Gia Felice played golf in the fall, basketball in the winter and track and field in the spring sports season.  But, softball is the sport which she’ll have the chance to compete in at the next...

Infield defense is crucial in softball and Hollister’s Emma Gutierrez has been a key component for the Balers at second base.  Force plays at second, catching a throw and turning to fire to first base for a double play, fielding hard-hit grounders and line drives...

Hollister pitcher Trent Roach had a season for the ages in 2025. He was untouchable, with a 0.00 ERA in 78 innings, no earned runs allowed and only one unearned run yielded. Roach, who also hit .525 for the season and was named to...