Ceres High grad/University of Washington junior shortstop Nicole “Sis” Bates was named Most Valuable Player at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge this past weekend.

Bates was rewarded for leading the Huskies to a near-perfect 4-1 record while starring on both offense and defense.

She batted .526 (10-for-19) from the plate with five RBIs, six runs and three stolen bases.

Bates, 2018 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, committed no errors in five games.

Washington opened the PV College Challenge with a 9-1 win over North Carolina on Feb. 8.

Bates batted 3-for-4 with one RBI, two runs and one stolen base.

Washington lost 3-2 to Notre Dame in extra innings on Feb. 9.

Bates batted 1-for-3 with one run.

Washington defeated Duke 4-1 on Feb. 9.

Bates batted 2-for-4 with one run.

Washington shut out Liberty University 6-0 on Feb. 10.

Bates batted 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two stolen bases.

Washington closed out the PV College Challenge with an 8-2 victory against Baylor on Feb. 10.

Bates batted 2-for-4 with one RBI and two runs.

O’Neal chips in

Ceres High grad Mahlena O’Neal contributed on both offense and defense as the University of Georgia softball team enjoyed a successful start to its 2019 season in Boca Raton.

The Bulldogs compiled a 4-1 record at the Florida Atlantic University First Pitch Classic.

O’Neal, a junior catcher, had one homer, one double, one single, four RBIs, one run and three walks in five games.

Georgia beat St. Johns (10-1) and Florida Atlantic (4-1) on Feb. 8, and Bethune Cookman (12-0) and Virginia (15-7) on Feb. 9.

The Bulldogs lost to Indiana (6-4) on Feb. 10.

Cowell contributes

Ceres native Cade Cowell contributed at striker during the San Jose Earthquakes’ 3-0 preseason loss to USL-affiliate Reno 1868 FC on Saturday at Greater Nevada Field.

Cowell, 15, played the entire second half.

His best scoring chance came in the 56th minute when he fired a shot into the side netting.

The match was live streamed on YouTube.