Turlock Christian’s baseball team dominated the Central California Athletic Alliance’s regular season, winning the league title with a perfect 10-0 record.
The Eagles kept that domination rolling by claiming the league’s top postseason honors.
Rob York and Beau Blake were named the league’s Pitcher of the Year and Hitter of the Year, respectively, while brothers Gavin and Joe Farinha were chosen as members of the CCAA’s first team. Andrew Fisher and Jayden Espinoza were named to the league’s second squad.
York, a senior who will play next season at The Master’s University in Santa Clarita, was a perfect 7-0 this year with a 0.833 earn run average. The right-hander struck out 87 batters in 52 2/3 innings pitched. He also tossed a five-inning (non-league) no-hitter against Edison of Stockton on March 15, in which he struck out 11 and walked just one.
In 20 innings pitched during league play, York fanned 34, walked just three, and didn’t surrender a single earned run.
“It was nothing I expected, but it was definitely something I was trying to achieve, said York, who hopes to pitch in college. “I got it when I was a sophomore and I was just trying to do it again.”
York also hit .408 this season with three homers and 27 RBIs.
Blake, a sophomore, hit a team-high .459 (34-for-74) this season, with 10 doubles, two triples and a homer. He drove in 19 runs in 23 games played.
In league play, Blake posted a .593 batting average with 14 RBIs in 10 games.
“I wasn’t expecting the award, but I had a feeling I might be in the running,” said Blake. “I think preparation and just working harder had a lot to do with it. Hitting in the cage and getting in reps before games, and just always trying to be ready for the first pitch, every AB.”
Another reason for his success at the plate can be attributed to his bulked-up frame.
The 6-foot shortstop, who hit .330 (24-for-73) with 22 RBIs a freshman at TC, gained 20 pounds of muscle during the offseason and weighed 160 for his sophomore campaign.
“I hit the weights pretty hard in the offseason,” said Blake, who will attend Hughson High School next season and hopes to play for the Huskies’ varsity squad.
Gavin Farinha, who gained attention last year by leading the nation with six no-hitters, was 10-2 on the hill with a 0.23 ERA. The CCAA’s Pitcher of the Year in 2022, Farinha struck out 129 batters and walked just 37 in 62 innings pitched, and tossed two no-hitters as a senior. At the plate, he batted .419 — .455 in league — with three homers and 22 RBIs. He will attend The Master’s University next season with York, his cousin.
Joe Farinha, a 6-3, 225-pound freshman, played first base for the Eagles and hit .343 (23-for-67) with a team-high 29 RBIs and one home run.
York attributes his standout season, in part, to teaming with his cousins.
“They do all they can to make me a better player and I do all I can to help make them better players,” said York. “Overall, we play better as a team.”
Fisher hit .340 with 13 RBIs for the Eagles, while Espinoza hit .338 while driving in 17. Both are sophomores.
Turlock Christian finished the season 21-4 and one win from a repeat as Sac-Joaquin Section Division VII champs, losing to 11-3 to Ripon Christian in the final.
Venture Academy coach Joe Piombo was named the league’s Coach of the Year, after guiding the Mustangs to a 6-4 record, securing a second-place finish in the CCAA and a berth in the Division IV playoffs.
