PLEASANT HILL – With two runners on with no outs in the bottom of the fourth inning of the North Coast Section Division III baseball championship game, California righthander Ryan Giffins put down the bunt of his life on the scorching Diablo Valley College field.
He pushed the ball in between three Marin Catholic fielders before sprinting down the first base line to load the bases.
“I just had to get the job done for the boys,” Giffins said.
His catcher and fellow senior Nolan Jess made the small-ball tactic pay off a few moments later, lacing a double to right and driving in two runs, giving the Grizzlies a three-run lead in what would eventually become a 6-1 triumph and the program’s first section title at any level.
“There’s a lot of emotions, and a lot of excitement,” Jess said. “A lot of hard work was put in this year. It’s been a long season.”
California had 10 hits, nine of them being singles, and three steals as the Grizzlies employed a steady, selfless, and successful approach to moving runners from station to station.
“Our short game has come a long way this year,” second-year Cal coach Sam Carter said. “It’s a testament to them to buy into it and accept that role, because it’s not always easy. Sometimes, you want to swing it.”
The San Ramon school scored one run in the second, three in the breakout third, and then one in the fifth and sixth innings each. Marin Catholic avoided the shutout by plating a solitary run in the sixth on a Cooper Mitchell single.
Jess had two hits, and Grayden Wright was 2 for 2 with a pair of RBI while teammates Jacob Casiano and Ethan Rye each drove in one run apiece.
Mitchell had two of Marin Catholic’s three hits, with the Wildcats getting on base an additional eight times via walk but failing to come up with the play they needed. Cal shortstop Angelo Sherman was a particular standout, contributing a game-high six assists and helping turn two double plays.
“We gave ourselves opportunities, but we just didn’t get that big hit,” Marin Catholic coach Jesse Foppert said.
PLEASANT HILL – Marin Catholic baseball players listen to an assistant coach after losing the North Coast Section Division III baseball championship to California 6-1 on May 30, 2025 at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill (Joseph Dycus/Bay Area News Group)
Marin Catholic stranded five runners in scoring position, usually after Jess went out to give his pitcher a quick pep talk in the 90-degree heat.
“Hey dude, you don’t have to do too much,” Jess told Giffins during a meeting in the third inning. “You’ve just got to trust yourself, and go out there, believe in yourself. Hit my glove and we’ll win this game.”
“(He also) told me to stay on my legs, stay hydrated, and just take deep breaths,” Giffins remembered.
After seven innings of taking deep breaths on the mound, and later while watching reliever Ryken Redondo throw three scoreless innings, Giffins could finally exhale … and celebrate.
“It’s an unreal feeling,” Giffins said. “I’m speechless right now.”
The Grizzlies endured a rocky road to the section title game.
California struggled in East Bay Athletic League play, going 5-8 in the EBAL gauntlet and losing four straight to De La Salle and San Ramon Valley to finish the regular season.
But facing more even competition in a lower bracket, the San Ramon school has taken full advantage. The Grizzlies beat San Leandro 6-2, Washington-Fremont 4-0 and Freedom 7-4 to reach the Division III final.
“We never had a doubt in our mind that we were not gonna come out of NCS,” Jess said, adding that starters Jacob Cassiano and Logan Kellogg bolstered the lineup after they returned from injuries for the postseason.
Meanwhile, Marin Catholic had a similar story to tell. The Wildcats finished sixth in the Marin County League and were sent down to D-III.
The private school then bested Analy 7-6 in eight innings, Kelseyville 11-4 and Northgate 4-3 to give the program a shot at a seventh section crown.
“I’ll remember how we had to fight to get in, and how we made a good run,” Foppert said.
Because only the Division III section champion advances to NorCal play in that bracket, Marin Catholic’s season is over at 16-13.
California (16-11) will learn who its regional opponent is on Sunday.
No matter who it is, Carter is feeling confident.
I don’t know if we’re hosting or if we’re going on the road, but the boys are ready to roll, and the boys will be ready on Tuesday,” the coach said.