Marty Mullins surprisingly went undrafted in June
When Los Gatos High School won its first-ever CCS baseball championship in 2006, it was a given that there were some pretty good baseball players on that team. But just how talented were those guys?
Three of the players on that team are now playing professionally. Ten played baseball in college, and two more played at the varsity level in another sport.
There was definitely no lack of talent in 2006.
The Big Three: Blair, Alonso, Schafer
Kyle Blair, Justin Schafer and Carlos Alonso were all grabbed in June?s Major League Baseball Draft, with Blair going the highest to the Cleveland Indians in the fourth round. Drafter No. 120 overall, Blair remains unsigned at the moment.
Alonso was grabbed by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 32nd round, and Schafer was nabbed by the New York Mets in the 34th round. Alonso signed and is currently playing in Williamsport, PA, while Schafer signed and is playing in Kingsport, TN.
Blair, a pitcher/first baseman on the 2006 CCS champs, was named Pitcher of the Year and third-team All-American after helping San Diego win the West Coast Conference championship. He posted a 6-1 record, a 1.98 ERA and had 71 strikeouts in 54.2 innings.
Alonso, who played second base in 2006, finished his last two years of college ball playing third base at Delaware, where he hit .385, the eighth best in program history. He totaled 166 hits, 121 runs scored, 84 RBIs and 20 home runs.
Shortstop Schafer also played shortstop for UC Davis and hit .317 his final year. He led the team in runs with 43, and he had 13 doubles and 24 RBIs to go with a .432 slugging percentage.
Marty Mullins
In somewhat of a surprise, catcher Marty Mullins went undrafted last month after a stellar year at UC Santa Barbara.
After breaking his hand on May 1, Mullins returned for the final weekend series and finished the weekend 6-for-11 with three home runs, six RBI and five runs scored. He hit .319 with a team-best eight home runs and led UCSB in slugging percentage (.566) and on-base percentage (.419).
Paul Politi
A sophomore third-baseman on the 2006 CCS champs, Paul Politi just finished his redshirt freshman year at UC Davis where he started all 55 games at third base.
Politi hit .292 with 15 doubles and three home runs. He drove in 35 runs and had a .406 slugging percentage.
Joey Donofrio
As a junior, Joey Donofrio pitched a shutout in the 5-0 win over Gunn in the CCS championship game. After graduating in 2007, he went to Cal to continue his baseball career.
This year, Donofrio saw action in four games, pitching 3.2 innings. He allowed two runs and struck out one. In 2009, he pitched in three games for the Bears in a season cut short by injury.
Mike Gault
Center-fielder Mike Gault, who had a big RBI double in the CCS championship win, went on to play outfield for Cuesta College in Morro Bay, West Valley College and Menlo College.
Matt Ellis
Junior right-fielder Matt Ellis went on to sign with San Jose State University after graduation in 2007. He spent 2008 with the Spartans but transferred to San Jose City College the following season
In high school, Ellis was a two-time first-team All-Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division player who batted .365 with two home runs and 19 RBI in 2007. In 2006, he set the school record for RBI in a season with 28.
Danny Frey
After quitting baseball following his freshman year, Danny Frey walked on his senior year and ended up earning honorable mention all-league honors as a designated hitter.
But it was not baseball that he pursued after high school, opting to attend Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO to play roller hockey. During his sophomore year, Frey helped Lindenwood to its seventh consecutive national championship in roller hockey.
Bret Hampton
Another walk-on to the baseball team his senior year, Bret Hampton used his speed to help the Cats both offensively and defensively. Hampton was a three-sport star his senior season, also playing football and basketball.
Following graduation, Hampton went on to play three years of football at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA.
A note of interest: Alonso, Frey, Gault, Hampton and Mullins all played for two CCS championship teams their senior year, also helping the Wildcats? football team win CCS in the fall.
Editor’s Note: Each week, Los Gatos Observer will highlight a former Los Gatos athlete and provide a brief update on his/her current athletic endeavors. If you would like to suggest an athlete that we should highlight, please send an e-mail to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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