In today's Courier, we celebrate individual and team accomplishments for the 2023 spring sports prep season.

Athletes of the Year

Ceres High’s Jayson Homsombath has been named the Ceres Courier’s Male Athlete of the Year.

Central Valley’s Janessa Godinez and Ceres High’s Sehren Martinez have been named the Courier’s co-Female Athletes of the Year.

Homsombath starred in boys golf.

Godinez and Martinez were standouts in softball.

Homsombath, a senior, cemented his place in Bulldog sports history by winning the Western Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player award for the first time.

He followed in the footsteps of Ceres High grads Gary Condit (class of 2019) and Ryan Thornberry (class of 2002).

Condit and Thornberry were both named league MVP three times.

“It’s a goal I set for myself,” Homsombath said. “But at the same time, I didn’t expect to get it.”

“It’s based on scoring average,” Bulldogs’ head coach Ron Edwards said. “He did great this season. He was a consistent player all year.”

Homsombath enjoyed his best season to date with Ceres High this year.

He qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters and Division-IV Tournaments.

He helped lead the Bulldogs to a third-place finish at the WAC Championships. Homsombath tied for first with a score of 85 in the individual standings.

“Freshman year, I was playing for fun,” he said. “I got more competitive. I didn’t want to lose.”

“His driver and short game are his strengths,” Edwards said. “That’s what carried him.”

A four-year starter, Homsombath earned first-team all-league honors as a junior. He was a two-time Divisional qualifier.

“I’m happy,” Homsombath said while assessing his prep golf career. “But I could have done better. I wish I would have worked harder. I regret missing practice.”

Homsombath practiced sparingly senior year due to a conflicting schedule.

“I was focusing on other priorities,” he said. “I was starting a food business and I had a job, too. I’ll definitely take golf more serious in college.”

Homsombath might join former Ceres High teammate Erik Hott at Modesto Junior College.

“I would like to play at a higher level, whether that be community college or a CSU college,” he said. “If a coach is willing to give me that opportunity, I would take it in a heartbeat.”

Godinez, a senior pitcher, compiled a 17-3 record on the season with 94 strikeouts in 1162/3 innings.

She showed tremendous improvement following a 4-6 mark in league play as a junior.

“Without Janessa, there’s no way we have the year we had,” Hawks’ head coach Jimmy Bates said. “She was the heartbeat of our team. She led by example. She was always positive. She threw every inning that mattered for us. That’s hard to do.”

Godinez batted .421 from the plate on the season with one homer, one triple, eight doubles, 16 RBIs, 38 runs and 19 stolen bases.

She earned first-team all-Central California Conference honors for her outstanding play.

Martinez, a senior shortstop who will continue her softball career at NCAA Division-I Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, was named to the Western Athletic Conference First Team.

She batted .554 from the plate with two homers, seven triples, 11 doubles, 31 RBIs, 32 runs and eight stolen bases.

She made just two errors on defense. “Her production was higher this year,” Bulldogs’ head coach Mike Corsaut said. “She’s one of the best shortstops to come through Ceres. She ranks up there with Meghan Franksen and Sis Bates. She’s a great player.”

Newcomers of the Year

Ceres High’s Brayden Clark has been named the Courier’s Male Newcomer Athlete of the Year.

Central Valley’s Gabriela Delatorre and Ceres High’s Kylie Bond earned co-Female Newcomer Athlete of the Year honors.

Clark, a junior pitcher/second baseman, enjoyed a breakout year during his first season of varsity baseball.

“I’m not really surprised,” head coach Raul Godinez said. “He’s a competitor. Brayden has heart. That’s one thing you can’t teach.”

Clark compiled a 5-1 record on the mound with 33 strikeouts.

“No matter who we faced, he did his job,” Godinez said.

Clark garnered second-team all-WAC recognition.

He’ll be Ceres High’s ace pitcher for the second year in a row next season.

“He’ll pick up right where he left off,” Godinez said. 

Delatorre, a freshman first baseman, and Bond, a junior pitcher, had productive first seasons of varsity softball.

Delatorre was named to the CCC Second Team. She batted .392 with six homers, two triples, five doubles, 28 RBIs, 30 runs and 13 stolen bases.

She hit four of her home runs during conference play.

“She stood out day one,” Bates said. “She proved she was more than deserving to be a varsity player. Her bat is undeniable. I think she’s capable of more. I’m excited to watch her grow these next three years.”

Bond was named to the WAC Second Team. She posted a 9-2 record with 62 strikeouts in 742/3 innings.

“She wasn’t planning on pitching this year,” Corsaut said. “I needed her to pitch and she stepped right in. She did a really good job. She had most of our wins in the circle. She didn’t surprise me. She’s been taking lessons from Jimmy Dyson for years. The girl knows how to pitch. She keeps the ball down and away. She’s very smart.”

Coach of the Year

First-year head coach Jimmy Bates has been named the Courier’s Coach of the Year.

Bates led Central Valley’s softball team to new heights.

The Hawks compiled a 19-3 overall record, finished first in the CCC standings (11-1) and qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-I playoffs.

Bates was voted CCC Coach of the Year at the league’s year-end head coaches’ meeting. He was quick to praise his players and assistant coaches (Brandy Cordova and Audel Valencia).

“It’s a testament to everybody being willing to buy into something bigger than themselves,” he said. “Everyone had to sacrifice throughout the year. Everybody cared about each other.”

Team of the Year

Central Valley softball has been named the Courier’s Team of the Year.

The Hawks made history.

Central Valley posted a program-best 19-4 overall record,

The Hawks claimed their first-ever league title. Central Valley won the CCC championship outright with a near-perfect 11-1 record.

Central Valley also participated in the playoffs for the first time. The Hawks won a team-record seven straight games prior to suffering an 8-3 loss to Tracy in the opening round of the Division-I postseason tournament.

“This season is a major step in the right direction,” Bates said. “The girls saw the results of what can happen when you play for people around you. Nobody was ever worried about stats. They just wanted to win.”