Although the SCHS school year is coming to a close, the baseball team has been able to create one of the most impressive CCS runs in SCHS history.
The stage was set to face the Saint Francis Sharks on Friday, May 30, 2025. For head coach Pedro Martinez, the game was quite meaningful.
“It’s special. Never in my wildest dreams (have) I thought we could do this,” Martinez said.
Players such as senior Greg Salgado agreed with Martinez, understanding that making it to the CCS finals is an experience few high school athletes receive.
“It means a lot. It’s our first playoff win in 20 years,” Salgado said. “So (this is) a very special group of guys, and I feel like we work well together. It means a lot to us, the coaches, the fans, the school.”
Many names came up when asked about the success of the team, such as seniors Jaxton Chao and John Kepner. As Salgado looked back on the season, he mentioned these important players who have helped the team obtain the CCS title.
“John has been a key player. John’s been great with the bat. He’s been great on defense, too,” Salgado said. “Obviously, our MVP Jaxton Chao, he’s done everything for us.”
Similar to Salgado, Martinez highlighted memorable plays throughout the season.
“Our postseason has been filled with moment after big moments. But you know, the Greg Salgado home run in the top of the ninth in our semi in our first round game was special,” Martinez said. “As well as John Kepner’s performance in our latest nine inning affair at the end of that midnight where he went at the pitch limit and gave us exactly what this team needed.”
Before the finals match, the Bruins discussed their strategy heading into the game, focusing on the importance of pressuring the Saint Francis Shark’s starting pitcher.
“The game plan was to go after their starter. Obviously, their starter is their guy, so I feel like we got to get at him early, make him come to us and attack when he makes mistakes” Salgado said.
While understanding the challenge of the game, Martinez highlighted the importance of self improvement.
“We’ve hit all year, and you know, our offense is that good. We knew we’re gonna face our toughest task ever. We had to earn every bit of it if we get this done,” Martinez said. “We’re just focusing on ourselves. We know we can only beat ourselves.”
The idea that they can only beat themselves was a belief the team had all year. Coming into this season, the coaching staff had high expectations for the team, knowing they had plenty they could accomplish.
“We talked over this team, what our goals would be and what we could accomplish,” Martinez said. “We thought we could win 20 games or more. Accomplished. We thought we could win the league. Accomplished. And we thought we can, you know, make noise in CCS.”
The Bruins did in fact “make noise” in CCS as their season came down to Friday’s game against the Sharks, where they won the CCS Division 4 championship with an 8-0 victory.
Before the game Martinez commented on the possibility of becoming a CCS champion as both a coach and player, a goal which has now become a reality.
“I’m not trying to be selfish about it, but for me to be in a small group to have done it (win CCS) as a coach and as a player. I think it’s a small fraternity, and I would love to join that fraternity,” Martinez said.
