UC Davis relief pitcher Mason Lerma delivers a pitch during a 2024 game at UC Irvine. (Kyusung Gong – ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Student-athlete alums from high schools around the North Bay are competing for colleges and universities throughout the country. Here’s a look at some of their notable recent achievements.
Rancho Cotate grad Keyonee Neal reached double figures in two more basketball games for the Dominican University women over the last week, scoring 14 points with six rebounds and three assists as the Penguins won 77-72 against Biola and then scoring 17 points with seven rebounds in an 84-78 loss to Westmont.
Janelle Pena, CSU Monterey Bay women’s basketball: The Cardinal Newman grad led the Sea Otters in scoring with 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field in a 70-51 win over San Francisco State on Saturday.
Andrew Pengel, Emporia State men’s basketball: The Rancho Cotate and SRJC grad led the Warriors with 20 points in a 92-63 win over Newman last weekend. It’s his third game this season with 20 or more points.
Josh Jannicelli, UC Santa Barbara baseball: The Cardinal Newman grad struck out seven and didn’t allow a hit in 3 2/3 innings of work in his first collegiate start on Tuesday night in a 5-3 extra-innings win over Loyola Marymount.
Jordan Giacomini, University of Nevada-Reno baseball: The Casa Grande and SRJC grad was lights out in an extended relief appearance in the Wolf Pack’s 5-3 win over Utah Valley on Sunday, striking out eight with two walks, three hits and one earned run allowed in 5 2/3 innings.
Mason Lerma, UC Davis baseball: The Cardinal Newman grad earned his first win of the season in an extended relief appearance on Saturday in a 6-4 win over Santa Clara. Lerma went 2 1/3 innings with three hits and a run. The Aggies scored three runs in the top of the eighth to rally for the win.
Dante Vachini, Josh Volmerding, Cal Poly baseball: Vachini, a Petaluma grad, had a pair of multi-hit games in the Mustangs’ four-game series with Washington State last week. He went 2-for-5 with a run scored in the opener, a 9-0 win, and then went 3-for-5 in a 3-2 10-inning win in the second game. Through five games, he’s batting .261 with a double and an RBI.
Volmerding, a Maria Carrillo grad, pitched 2 2/3 innings in the Game 2 victory. He took a no-decision in the start, striking out two with a walk and two runs allowed on two hits.
Tanner Bradley, University of Oregon baseball: The Cardinal Newman grad fired two scoreless innings out of the bullpen with three strikeouts in a 3-0 win over Youngstown State last Friday.
Dario Freschi, St. Mary’s baseball: The Vintage grad delivered in a big spot on Tuesday, bringing home a go-ahead run with a pinch-hit double in the top of the 12th inning in a 10-8 win over Bakersfield.
Brice Cox, Southeast Missouri State baseball: The Casa Grande and SRJC grad fired three scoreless innings with a hit, two walks and a strikeout in an 11-8 loss to Western Kentucky on Saturday.
Lila Partridge, University of Kansas softball: The Casa Grande grad fired two innings with two hits and an unearned run in a relief appearance in a 9-1 win over Southern Indiana last week.
Jamie McGaughey, University of Hawaii softball: The Casa Grande grad had a strong week at the plate for the Rainbow Warriors. She hit a grand slam in a 9-6 loss to No. 20 Duke on Thursday, then doubled twice in a 2-1 loss to Oregon State on Friday. The junior infielder is batting .286 with two doubles, two home runs and six RBIs in 14 games so far this year.
Kyle Krupp, Hawaii Pacific men’s golf: The Petaluma grad had an outstanding showing for the Sharks at the NCAA West Regional at The Reserve at Spanos Park earlier this week, finishing tied for second overall in the field individually. The junior, who was named the PacWest Freshman of the Year in 2024, shot consecutive rounds of 2-under par 70 to finish with a score of 4-under for the tournament.