San Jose Sport News

The Hotline is delighted to provide Pac-12 fans with a regular dive into the recruiting process through the eyes and ears of Brandon Huffman, the Seattle-based national recruiting editor for 247Sports. He submitted the following report on April 25 …

Scorching start for Sun Devils

While last week was something of a roller coaster for Arizona State, the weekend itself proved to be quite fruitful.

Sure, the loss of quarterback Jaden Rashada and cornerback Ed Woods to the transfer portal came out of relative nowhere.

But second-year coach Kenny Dillingham and his staff’s persistence in recruiting — and doing it within the guidelines of the NCAA rules — paid off.

The string of success started last Friday, when ASU’s new receivers coach, former Pittsburgh Steelers great Hines Ward, pulled off a stunner and landed four-star receiver Adrian Wilson out of Texas.

Despite previously losing assistant Ra’Shaad Samples to Oregon — he specialized in recruiting the Lone Star State — the Sun Devils’ established connections enabled Ward and Dillingham to seal the deal with Wilson.

While that commitment came on offense, the next three all came on the defensive side of the ball from Hawaii, California and most importantly, Phoenix.

Arizona State went out to the 50th state to snag Waipahu linebacker Isaiah Iosefa, a top-10 player on the Islands in the class of 2025.

The Devils headed to neighboring California to reel in safety Benjamin Alefaio, a top-100 player in the state from powerhouse Orange Lutheran High School.

And critically, they went to nearby Mountain Pointe High School in Phoenix to grab safety Rylon Dillard-Allen, the No. 32 safety nationally and the No. 4 player in the state of Arizona.

It appeared Dillard-Allen would be heading elsewhere — he had set up official visits to UCLA and USC. But getting him on campus last weekend allowed Dillingham to secure the commitment.

And the Devils may not be done. They made a huge impact on Honolulu offensive lineman Houston Kaahaaina-Torres, the No. 1 player in Hawaii per the 247Sports Composite Rankings, when he took an official visit last weekend.

Portal-palooza heats up

The departing Pac-12 schools suffered losses to the transfer portal all week — and gains, as well.

In fact, the same school both lost and gained.

More notably, it was the same player.

The one player UCLA could least afford to lose on a graduation-gutted defense was tackle Jay Toia, but he went into the portal last week.

A visit to Texas made it seem like it was a matter of when, not if, he would commit to the Longhorns and new co-defensive coordinator, Johnny Nansen.

After all, Nansen recruited Toia to USC, and when he joined UCLA’s coaching staff, Toia followed him to Westwood. While Toia wouldn’t then follow Nansen to Arizona, the announcement that he entered the portal last week led to speculation that they would reunite (in Austin) for Toia’s final season.

But in a stunning move, Toia announced on Monday night he would return to UCLA.

Arizona State wasn’t as lucky and lost Rashada, who signed in 2023 and was the Week 1 starter after his own circuitous recruitment. (He decommitted from Miami, signed with Florida, then wiggled out of his letter of intent because of issues with his NIL package.)

Rashada announced on Thursday morning that he would transfer to Georgia, following a similar arc as fellow 2023 quarterback Dante Moore, who flipped from Oregon to UCLA, started much of the season for the Bruins, then transferred to Oregon. In Eugene, Moore will back up Dillon Gabriel for a year, then become the starter in 2025.

With Georgia’s Carson Beck coming back after a 13-1 season, Rashada heads to Athens knowing he will be the second-stringer for a season, then (presumably) take over.

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Meanwhile, Woods put his name into the portal and will visit Alabama this weekend, potentially putting both players in the SEC.

It wasn’t all bad for the Sun Devils, however.

Tight end Chamon Metayer left Colorado and announced he would be transferring to Arizona State.

Prime’s portal plunge … and purge

Very few coaches have embraced the transfer portal like Colorado’s Deion Sanders, who has made zero bones about his reasoning — and encouraging his unwanted players to use it.

Sanders has lost his share of high-profile names this spring. Cornerback Cormani McClain and tailback Dylan Edwards are major talents whose arrivals generated much publicity last year.

But Sanders has gained several transfers, as well, with Texas tackle Payton Kirkland and Ohio State running back Dallan Hayden as two of his most recent pickups.

Pittsburgh defensive lineman Dayon Hayes and Ohio State tight end Sam Hart are other well-known transfers to join the Buffaloes.

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

*** Follow Huffman on Twitter/X via @BrandonHuffman and support @AveryStrongDIPG

*** Follow me on Twitter/X: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.

By Giles Turner | Bloomberg

A small stake in the San Francisco Giants is for sale at a price that could value the team at about $4 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Major League Baseball team is owned by around 30 partners, including former catcher Buster Posey and investor Arctos Sports Partners. Charles B. Johnson, 91, a former chief executive officer of Franklin Templeton Investments, holds the largest stake at about a quarter.

The stake is less than 5% and related to estate planning, the person said, who asked not to be named discussing private information.

A spokesperson for the Giants didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

A consortium of investors led by Peter Magowan bought the Giants in 1992 for $100 million. The team has since become one of the more profitable teams in the league, and has invested in redeveloping its waterfront stadium.

The financial success of the Giants is in stark contrast to the troubled Oakland Athletics, which will play in West Sacramento, California, for three seasons beginning next year, ahead of the team’s planned move to Las Vegas.

Minority stake sales in sports teams have often passed hands unannounced, but the rapid rise in team valuations has brought extra attention to changes in ownership.

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A’s owner John Fisher recently said he is open to selling a minority stake in the team. Sportsology Capital Partners Ltd. and Ares Management Corp. are in exclusive talks to buy a stake in the Texas Rangers, valuing the team at $2 billion, Bloomberg reported in December.

Unlike other sports, new majority ownership for MLB teams has been relatively rare, with only a handful of teams changing hands over the past decade.

Earlier this year, David Rubenstein and a consortium of investors bought a controlling stake in the Baltimore Orioles, in a deal that values the team at $1.73 billion. The New York Mets, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins and Seattle Mariners have also changed hands since 2016.

Sign up for Bloomberg’s Business of Sports newsletter for the context you need on the collision of power, money and sports.

–With assistance from Randall Williams.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.

Welcome to Friday Preps Spotlight, our new feature that sheds more light on the Bay Area’s high school sports scene. For tips and story ideas, email highschools@bayareanewsgroup.com. If you haven’t already, please subscribe. Your contributions keep us going.

TRACK AND FIELD: IS RECORD IN SIGHT FOR CCS RUNNERS?

Pioneer junior Carson Hedlund ran the 1,600 meters in 4:07.36 at Arcadia on April 6, the third-fastest time in CCS history.

Track and field is a progressive endeavor. Athletes tend to get faster, jump and throw further as their training and fitness progresses and competition intensifies as the season comes to a close.

So the natural question is how much faster can Hedlund run this season?

Can he approach the two top marks in CCS history for the mile/1,600, both run in 1977 by Willow Glen’s Mark Stillman and Serra’s Stan Ross?

Hedlund talked about it Saturday after winning the 800 at the CCS Top 8 meet:

“I always watch my races afterward on film, find what I did good, find where I made mistakes, how to not make those mistakes again,” he said. “My mistake at Arcadia was being boxed in on the second lap.”

You were boxed and still ran 4:07?

“Oh yeah, it was a crazy fast race,” Hedlund said. “But that was my mistake and it cost me the race.”

So, do you have a time goal for the rest of the season?

“Not necessarily,” Hedlund said. “I want to win, I’m here to win. Racing isn’t about time, it’s about who crosses the line first. I know I’m physically fit and mentally prepared to win all my races the rest of the year. Just a matter of executing the day of.”

Interestingly enough, also last Saturday Palo Alto’s Grant Morgenfeld ran the same exact time as Hedlund for the 1,600, 4:07.36, at the Mt. Sac Invitational, and so is now tied for third on the all-time CCS list with Hedlund.

It will be interesting to see how much more those two runners can drop their times the remainder of the season.

The two top times in their sights? Stillman’s 4:06.9 mile converts to 4:05.54 for 1,600 meters, Ross’ 4:08.2 to 4:06.76.

– Glenn Reeves

BASEBALL: BISHOP O’DOWD’S TEACHABLE MOMENT

In a world where videos of players, coaches and parents critiquing and berating umpires over their calls get millions of views on social media and a referee shortage is only getting worse, Bishop O’Dowd baseball coach Brian Mouton went in a different direction.

Early in the Dragons’ 9-5 victory this week at Piedmont, one of his key players argued a strike call with the home plate umpire.

The exchange went on until O’Dowd’s first-year coach came over and told his player to stop. Mouton then pulled the player from the game.

After the game, the coach said he expects his players to respect the umpires.

“It was very much a teachable moment,” Mouton said. “I need him to be focused and understand what is expected of him. I can’t have them arguing. I had just told him the inning before to not argue with the umpire, and then he went out there and did it.”

– Joseph Dycus

BASEBALL: MILPITAS ON VERGE OF LEAGUE TITLE

Zach Canez, in his second season as Milpitas’ head coach, is not surprised his team is at the top of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino Division standings.

He sensed last season that his team was ripe for a league title and that’s exactly where the Trojans are heading now.

“I’m not surprised at our success,” Canez said. “Maybe other people are, but these kids have it. It was just trying to change that mental state and having them believe in themselves.”

After starting this season 1-4, Milpitas has found its winning formula as the Trojans are 13-6 and undefeated through 11 games in league play.

Milpitas is 3 1/2 games ahead of second-place Santa Clara with four to go.

Led by pitcher and three-sport athlete Nathan Pagba, Milpitas is allowing just 3.6 runs per game. Pagba, a junior, has an ERA of 0.29 and leads the Trojans in on-base percentage at .465.

The league title will be the South Bay school’s first in over 20 years.

“I’ve always been told Milpitas is a ‘Little League team,’” Canez said. “I think we’re finally getting some of that awareness in the community that we’re doing something good here. We’re trying to build on that every year from now on and hopefully, we’re around a long time to stay.”

– Nathan Canilao

ARTISTIC SWIMMING: STANDOUT WINS SEVEN GOLDS AT NATIONALS

Dalia Ovadia had herself a Michael Phelps moment at the USA Artistic Swimming Junior/Senior National Championships last weekend in Houston.

The Monte Vista senior won seven gold medals to lead Walnut Creek Aquanuts to their 19th national title.

Artistic swimming was formerly known as synchronized swimming.

“She’s on the rise to be one of the greatest swimmers this country has ever seen,” Aquanuts founder Gail Emery said. “Dalia has really grown up in our environment, matured and pursued her own excellence.”

Ovadia’s coach, Tammy McGregor, was named Junior National Coach of the Year.

– Nathan Canilao

GIRLS LACROSSE: CASTILLEJA ALL-AMERICAN TAKES BIG LEAP

Senior Riley Sterling is having yet another All-America season for Castilleja.

The midfielder averages 7.4 goals per game and has a whopping 126 shots on goal – 83 more than Julia Karsner, who is second on the team.

But after a junior season in which she struggled being the lone leader on a young team, Sterling is seeing her hard work pay off as the small all-girls school from Palo Alto has a chance to win its first league title in school history.

“What happened last year was that Riley was playing with all freshmen, so the pressure was all on her and that’s not fair for any one player,” Castilleja coach Stephen Rochlin said.

“But now we’ve been able to develop their skill sets so she can play a better brand of lacrosse,” the coach added. “She can now also develop her skills because she has the players that she can pass to and the players that are around her that she can play our offense.”

Sterling has been the best player in the West Bay Athletic League Alpine Division this spring. She is committed to play lacrosse at Colorado College next season.

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– Nathan Canilao

BOYS BASKETBALL: TEAM LILLARD MAKING NOISE AT ADIDAS CIRCUIT

Team Lillard has created a Bay Area superteam.

The AAU team, owned by NBA star Damian Lillard and sponsored by Adidas, has a roster that includes Alvin Loving (Salesian), ArDarius Grayson (Oakland Tech), Elijah Perryman (Clayton Valley), Jalen Stokes (Dublin) and Jasir Rencher (Archbishop Riordan) — all of whom were all-Bay Area News Group selections this past season.

Team Lillard recently went 4-1 in the first weekend of the 3SSB Boys Circuit in Council Bluffs, Iowa, beating AAU teams such as Fresno’s Jalen Green Elite and Atlanta’s Team Honcho Basketball.

The Oakland-based team beat will play next week at the second circuit tournament in Hoover, Alabama.

– Nathan Canilao

MORAGA – A few days before its NCAA Tournament game last month, the Saint Mary’s College men’s basketball team touted its throwback culture, one that didn’t have a single player leave or enter the program via the transfer portal the previous offseason. 

The Gaels were a relic to a time before Name, Image and Likeness endorsement deals and players hopping from team to team became a reality, a changing landscape their coach has had a hard time embracing.

“I’m worried,” coach Randy Bennett said at the time. “I don’t know what the long-term result is on this thing, but I don’t think it’s good.”

Since the end of the season, the challenges and tribulations of modern collegiate athletics have surfaced at Saint Mary’s.

The town’s favorite son, Aidan Mahaney, who graduated from nearby Campolindo High two years ago, entered the transfer portal last week and is being courted by defending champion UConn and Kentucky, among others. 

Joshua Jefferson transferred on Tuesday to Iowa State, the same day that highly-touted three-star recruit Zion Sensley of Archbishop Riordan in San Francisco decommitted – moves that, like it not, brought Saint Mary’s into the firestorm of the modern era.

“You’re gonna have to adapt to it, and you can have a good attitude about it or a bad attitude about it, and I know which one will work better,” Bennett, 61, told the Bay Area News Group on Thursday. 

Aidan Mahaney (20), shown here in a file photo, has entered the transfer portal. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 

After losing three players in a week, Bennett has no choice but to adapt now.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi of Bracketology fame is confident the Gaels will figure it out.

“Saint Mary’s has been the best true mid-major in America for a decade,” Lunardi said in an interview with the Bay Area News Group. “There’s never been a true mid-major to get back-to-back-to-back five seeds as an at-large in this era. We’re talking 1/100th of one percent.”

Even with the departures, the cupboard is not bare for the defending West Coast Conference champions. 

Augustas Marciulionis was the WCC player of the year and Mitchell Saxen was the defensive player of the year this past season. 

Both are homegrown and presumed to be returning, which has long been Saint Mary’s philosophy.

“That’s the best way to have a great culture and continue to be good year after year,” Bennett said. “And it’s not easy, especially at Saint Mary’s, but that’s the way we want to do it.”

Bennett believes his program can continue to flourish without going all-in on the changes that have dramatically impacted colleges from coast to coast.

“We tell recruits up front that this is how we’ve had success and how we want to have success,” said Bennett. “If this isn’t what you want to sign up for, then don’t sign up and it’ll save us both from having problems.”

Bennett added, “Would I rather do it with a guy we took from Day One and is homegrown? Yes, that’s the plan. But we’ll have to sprinkle in transfers, maybe three transfers this year because we’re filling holes for now and the future.”

Like Lunardi, the Sporting News’ Michael Decourcy, who has covered college basketball for decades, doesn’t believe Bennett will have any trouble filling holes given that there are about 2,000 players in the portal, according to ESPN.

“There could certainly be a player in, say, the Southland or Atlantic Sun or Big West conferences that could make Saint Mary’s better,” Decourcy told BANG.

Saint Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett will rely on Augustas Marciulionis, shown here in a file photo, to be a big part of the team again next season. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

Nobody is surprised Saint Mary’s is going through transfer portal woes.

Chris Dortch – the editor of Blue Ribbon’s College Basketball Yearbook, a 400-page annual preview of all Division I teams – noted that even the most high-profile programs are fighting to keep their best players for more than a year.

“I used to think some programs were immune until this year,” Dortch told the Bay Area News Group. “Some programs that had been bulletproof are really getting riddled.”

Count Saint Mary’s among the wounded.

Bennett said he was not surprised that Mahaney left Moraga, The coach mentioned that the two had a “good conversation” but declined to elaborate.

It’s not just the transfer portal that has reshaped college sports.

Bennett was candid about the importance of NIL collectives – independent boosters who pay athletes – and their role in a team’s success. 

“At the level we’re at, you’re not doing that without some NIL,” Bennett said. “You have to figure out how you can get good players and keep good players, and you have to have some NIL to do it at the level we’re doing it.”

Finding good players has not been an issue for Saint Mary’s. 

Under Bennett, the program has seemingly had a pipeline to talent from Australia, something Dortch said the program should continue.

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Matthew Dellavedova and Patty Mills, two of Bennett’s all-time greats, came to Moraga from down under and have gone on to capture NBA championships.

“Coaches need to be smart and find a niche where they can find talent, and Randy Bennett’s been able to do that,” Dortch said.

True to form, Bennett has Australian combo guard Joshua Dent ready to enroll in the current class.

None of the college experts interviewed this week by the Bay Area News Group have any doubt that Bennett will keep the Gaels competitive moving forward.

“He’ll be fine because he’s as good a coach as there is in this sport,” Decourcy said.

Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett, shown here in a file photo, is expected to adjust to the new reality of college athletics. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

SANTA CLARA — In selecting Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in the first round of the NFL Draft Thursday night at No. 31 overall, the 49ers created a further level of intrigue as to the status of incumbents Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.

In the meantime, they bypassed players at perceived positions of need — namely edge rushers, defensive tackles, cornerbacks and offensive tackles. Coach Kyle Shanahan said things aren’t always as they seem, and saw Pearsall as a fit to the wide receiver corps even with Aiyuk and Samuel still around.

Pearsall, Shanahan believes, has the versatility to play outside or in the slot, plays with the physicality the 49ers demand from their wide receivers and can also return punts.

“There’s like four positions we were interested in being the right pick at No. 31, and we had arguments for every single one,” Shanahan said. “When it gets there, you’ve got to take the one that makes the most sense and it’s as simple as what’s totally obvious right now . . . you package these guys, two wideouts, one wideout, three, sometimes four . . . we lost a punt returner, there are plenty of factors.”

The draft begins Friday at 4 p.m. with Rounds 2 and 3, with the 49ers scheduled to select at No. 63 in the second and No. 94 in the third.

Here’s a look at who went off the board while the 49ers were waiting on Pearsall and some potential Day 2 targets Friday:

EDGE RUSHERS

15. Laiatu Latu, UCLA, Indianapolis

17. Dallas Turner, Alabama, Minnesota

19. Jared Verse, Florida, L.A. Rams

21. Chop Robinson, Penn State, Miami

27. Darius Robinson, Missouri, Arizona

Day 2 possibilities

Marshawn Kneeland, Western Michigan

Adisa Isaac, Penn State

Austin Booker, Kansas

Chris Braswell, Alabama

Bralen Trice, Washington

Jonah Elliss, Utah

Gabriel Murphy, UCLA

DEFENSIVE TACKLES

16. Byron Murphy II, Texas, Seattle

Day 2 possibilities

Johnny Newton, Illinois

Ruke Orhorhoro, Clemson

Kris Jenkins, Michigan

Mike Hall Jr., Ohio State

Braden Fiske, Florida State

Maason Smith, LSU

Brandon Dorlus, Oregon

Mekhi Wingo, LSU

T’Vondre Sweat, Texas

CORNERBACKS

22. Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo, Philadelphia

24. Terrion Arnold, Alabama, Detroit

Day 2 possibilities

Cooper DeJean, Iowa

Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama

Mike Sainristil, Michigan

Ennis Rakestraw, Missouri

T.J. Tampa, Iowa State

Andru Phillips, Kentucky

Kamari Lassiter, Georgia

Max Melton, Rutgers

DJ James, Auburn

Caelen Carson, Wake Forest

Jarvis Brownlee, Louisville

Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri

OFFENSIVE TACKLES

5, Joe Alt, Notre Dame, L.A. Chargers

7. JC Latham, Alabama, Tennessee

11. Olu Fashanu, Penn State, N.Y. Jets

14. Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State, New Orleans

18. Amarius Mims, Georgia, Cincinnati

20. Troy Fautanu, Washington, Pittsburgh

25. Jordan Morgan, Arizona, Green Bay

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Day 2 possibilities

Kingsley Suamataia, BYU

Patrick Paul, Houston

Brandon Coleman, TCU

Roger Rosengarten, Washington

Blake Fisher, Notre Dame

Kiran Amogadjie, Yale

SAN FRANCISCO — The solution to the Blake Snell-sized hole in the Giants’ rotation may exist just up the I-80 corridor.

At Triple-A Sacramento, Mason Black is off to a sizzling start. The 24-year-old right-hander was one of the final cuts in spring training, and in four starts to begin the season in the minor leagues has allowed a run in only one of them.

With 20 strikeouts to only four walks, that has produced a 1.53 ERA for the 2021 third-round pick from Scranton, Pennsylvania. In the difficult pitching conditions of the Pacific Coast League, only one pitcher with as many innings has a lower ERA.

Black, rated the Giants’ No. 7 prospect by MLB.com, was slated to take the mound Thursday night at Sutter Health Park, but could his next start come in the major leagues? Thanks to a set of favorable off days, the Giants don’t have to cover Snell’s turn through the rotation until the first week of May, when they are in Philadelphia.

“He would definitely be one of the options,” manager Bob Melvin said Wednesday. “It seems like every time he pitches five innings and does well.”

When Snell wasn’t ready to start the season, the Giants gave the start to Daulton Jefferies, which a month later may be Black’s biggest obstacle. He needs to be added to the 40-man roster, and Jefferies by all accounts is clinging to the final spot.

Since being optioned April 1, Jefferies has appeared in four games (two starts) for Sacramento with a 3.44 ERA, 17 strikeouts and five walks in 18⅓ innings. A survivor of two Tommy John surgeries and a stint with the A’s, the 29-year-old right-hander has a good story and a strong relationship with Melvin.

Black, who was on his way to medical school when the Giants drafted him, has a polished four-pitch mix, which he used to reach Triple-A for the first time in the second half of last season, earning his first invitation to major-league spring training this year.

Now to check in on the rest of the farm …

Sacramento River Cats (AAA)

Record: 15-8

The red-hot River Cats lost Wednesday night for only the third time in their past 13 games, but it wasn’t all bad news. Shortstop Marco Luciano, the Giants’ top position player prospect, launched his first home run of the season.

Luciano, 22, ended spring on a strong note — and a memorable one with a 460-foot drive off the scoreboard at Scottsdale Stadium — and had ridden that momentum into a .300/.412/.413 batting line at Triple-A but was still seeking his first home run.

This one was measured at a mere 391 feet.

Luciano has some work to do to catch up to Heliot Ramos (six home runs), Casey Schmitt (four) and David Villar (three), who are all batting .280 or better and have combined to drive in 56 runs, nearly half the River Cats’ total.

Luis Matos doesn’t have the same kind of production but has struck out only eight times in 81 plate appearances, contact ability that stands in contrast to Ramos and Luciano, who are running strikeout rates north of 25%.

The Giants have already had four rookie relievers make their major-league debuts this season, and Randy Rodriguez is making a convincing case to become the fifth. The 24-year-old right-hander is already on the 40-man roster and appears to have harnessed his arsenal, with a 1.04 ERA, six strikeouts and two walks over his first eight appearances.

Left-hander Juan Sánchez, who put himself on the radar this spring, has been even better in his first eight appearances. He has surrendered one earned run in 13⅓ innings, a 0.68 ERA, with 15 strikeouts and four walks.

Richmond Flying Squirrels (AA)

Record: 9-8

Reggie Crawford, the 30th overall selection in the 2021 draft, earned the first win of his Double-A career Wednesday night, pitching an inning of relief in Richmond’s 6-3 win to move above .500. The 6-foot-4 left-hander struck out two but was nicked for a solo home run, the first run he allowed in three appearances since joining the Flying Squirrels last week.

In his debut, Crawford flashed a fastball that reached 98 mph.

Crawford is accompanied on the pitching staff by another top-10 prospect, Hayden Birdsong, who has struck out 19 batters in 11⅓ innings, the highest K/9 rate (15.75) in the Eastern League (min. 6 IP), with a 2.38 ERA.

Eugene Emeralds (A+)

Record: 13-4

Not a roster that features many of the Giants’ top prospects, what the Emeralds lack in pedigree they have more than made up for on the field. The pitching staff, with not one of the organization’s top 30 prospects, leads the Northwest League with a 2.58 ERA and 162 strikeouts, and three hurlers combined to throw a no-hitter last week.

Dylan Cumming, who started the game, was named the Northwest League pitcher of the week and owns a 0.64 ERA in four games (three starts). The 24-year-old was signed as non-drafted free agent out of Liberty in 2021.

San Jose Giants (A)

Record: 5-11

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Bryce Eldridge returned to the field Wednesday night for the first time since leaving an April 10 game with a lower body injury. The 6-foot-7 19-year-old whom the Giants selected 16th overall last summer is batting .238 through his first six games, but four of his five hits have gone for extra bases.

Not much has gone well for the Little Giants, but Cole Foster, a third-round pick in 2023, has been a bright spot. Shifting over to second base to share the middle infield with fellow 2023 shortstop Maui Ahuna (fourth round), Foster is batting .281 with a homer and three doubles. Ahuna missed time after being hit by a pitch early in the season and is batting .224 with one extra-base hit.

Jonah Cox, the outfielder acquired from the A’s for Ross Stripling, has also torn up the base paths for a league-leading nine steals in 14 games. He hasn’t been thrown out yet.

The rookie-level Arizona Complex League, where Rayner Arias (Giants No. 5 prospect) and Walker Martin (No. 4) are set to debut, begins its season next Saturday, May 4.

Burlingame baseball player Dylan Kall is the Bay Area News Group’s boys high school athlete of the week for April 15-20.

In online voting that ended at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Kall had 36.01% of the votes to finish ahead of College Park baseball player Samuel Johnston, who was the runner-up at 29.48%.

Congratulations to all the candidates for this week’s recognition.

Kall hit a walk-off single in Burlingame’s 5-4, 10-inning non-league victory over Palo Alto. He finished the day 2 for 4 with a walk.

The senior entered this week leading Burlingame with a .418 batting average.

To nominate an athlete for next week’s poll, email highschools@bayareanewsgroup.com by Monday at 11 a.m. Please include stats and team results.

We also review stats submitted to MaxPreps.com by coaches/team statisticians for consideration.

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Winners are announced each Friday on the Mercury News & East Bay Times websites and in the print edition of the Mercury News and EB Times sports sections.

Archbishop Mitty track and field athlete Laniah Simpson is the Bay Area News Group’s girls high school athlete of the week for April 15-20.

In online voting that ended at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Simpson finished with 41.02% of the votes to edge Monta Vista track and field athlete Lelani Laruelle, who was second at 40.19%.

Congratulations to all the candidates for this week’s recognition.

Simpson, a junior, won both hurdles distances — 100 and 300 — at the Central Coast Section Top 8 meet and was the top points earner overall in the competition held at Los Gatos High.

She finished second in the 100-meter sprint, too, helping Mitty win the girls team title.

To nominate an athlete for next week’s poll, email highschools@bayareanewsgroup.com by Monday at 11 a.m. Please include stats and team results.

We also review stats submitted to MaxPreps.com by coaches/team statisticians for consideration.

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• High School Sports | Friday preps spotlight: Pioneer, Palo Alto distance runners approaching longstanding record
• High School Sports | New reality hits Saint Mary’s basketball: Experts, coach Randy Bennett weigh in on key players transferring from mid-major powerhouse
• High School Sports | Bay Area News Group boys athlete of the week: Dylan Kall, Burlingame
• High School Sports | Prep softball: Hillsdale’s Alexis Kuka celebrates birthday with dominant pitching performance
• High School Sports | Former Pittsburg High QB Jaden Rashada commits to SEC powerhouse Georgia: report

Winners are announced each Friday on the Mercury News & East Bay Times websites and in the print edition of the Mercury News and EB Times sports sections.

As warmer weather arrives, Californians are thinking about the next live sporting event or outdoor concert with family and friends. But what used to be a straightforward experience of getting tickets has morphed into a complex and costly endeavor, all thanks to the Live Nation and Ticketmaster stranglehold over consumers.

Since the two companies merged in 2010, Live Nation Entertainment has built a monopolistic empire controlling the management of venues for live sports and concerts, and also the process for buying tickets.

The monopoly now controls an estimated 80% of primary ticket sales nationwide, and holds contracts with 78% of the top-grossing arenas. The monopoly is also the dominant player in the secondary resale market, with upwards of two-thirds of the market share, according to reports.

Who loses because in all this? You, the consumer. Our wallets have been hit hard: Ticket prices have more than doubled since Live Nation and Ticketmaster merged, surging by an alarming 140% even when adjusted for inflation.

The monopoly is finally facing scrutiny from government watchdogs. Last week, the federal Justice Department revealed plans to file an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment for allegedly undermining competition in the live event ticketing marketplace, thereby violating a prior agreement they signed onto — and, potentially, federal antitrust law.

In California, legislation by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, an Oakland Democrat, aims to inject much-needed competition and choice back into the marketplace. To transform live sports ticketing for the better, her proposal addresses several key areas: Lowering fees, empowering fans, improving their experience and increasing competition.

Assembly Bill 2808 introduces greater transparency and choice into the ticketing process — incentivizing ticket sellers to enhance services, provide clearer pricing structures and reduce fees for consumers.

Consumers also deserve control over their tickets. The bill guarantees the right to gift, donate or resell tickets without unnecessary restrictions imposed by ticket sellers.

Importantly, the reforms dismantle exclusive contracts stifling competition and limiting choice for fans. For example, sports teams should partner with multiple ticketing platforms to foster a more competitive marketplace — not just Ticketmaster.

Of course, the Live Nation monopoly vehemently opposes such reforms, given their vested interest in maintaining control over ticket distribution and pricing. More surprising, however, is opposition from some of California’s biggest professional sports franchises, including the Golden State Warriors, San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams.

They are lobbying to exempt sports from Wicks’ bill. This would be a huge mistake given the presence of professional sports in California and Ticketmaster’s control of more than 80% of NFL, NBA and NHL ticketing.

There is no justifiable rationale to exempt sports, other than that these teams and their billionaire owners directly benefit from inflated ticket prices — even when it means hurting loyal fans.

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The Warriors are by far the most valuable team in the NBA, boasting revenue 48% higher than any other NBA franchise, yet most families are unable to attend their games because of oppressive ticket prices and fees. The Rams, a franchise owned by a man worth more than $16 billion, keeps raising season ticket prices. The San Francisco 49ers followed suit, doubling their latest season ticket prices for many longtime fans.

A monopoly shouldn’t dictate the terms. California needs to act on behalf of millions of fans and reshape live event ticketing to rightly benefit consumers.

With reform, we can restore fairness, affordability and accessibility to live sports and concerts, allowing more people a chance to attend. Let’s prioritize fans over monopolies and ensure California is leading the way by protecting consumers.

Robert Herrell is the executive director of the Consumer Federation of California, a nonprofit advocating for consumer rights. He wrote this column for CalMatters.

I have spent more hours than I care to count watching the NFL draft class of 2024. I tried to watch every player that had a chance of being drafted in the first seven rounds, so I lost count of how many guys that was long ago. It’s all in my notes.

And amid the countless players and countless hours, I came away with one thing I fully knew to be true — a conviction I felt deep, down in my bones:

Ricky Pearsall was the truth.

He was my favorite player in this draft, my pick not just for value, not just for a pick in the region the 49ers would be picking, but overall. No adjectives or caveats are needed.

I am fully convinced he will be the standout from this draft.

So for the 49ers to pick him with their first-round pick — No. 31 — deserves an A+ grade.

There will be plenty of folks, beholden to baseless mock drafts, who say that Pearsall was a bad pick for the 49ers at No. 31.

“They could have waited,” they’ll argue.

“No one else saw him as a first-round pick,” I heard almost instantly after the pick was made.

I laugh at both notions and any knock on Pearsall.

Watch the tape.

I did. The 49ers did. It’s impossible not to love this guy, especially when you think about him in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

This is a player that has velcro hands, quick feet, and an unmistakable feel for playing the position.

Forget all that quantifiable stuff. Feel for the game that separates guys who can run and catch with guys who can consistently win at receiver.

Amon-Ra St. Brown ran a horrible 40-yard dash and isn’t even 6 feet tall. But he feels a defense and knows how to attack space. He just rightly received the most guaranteed money for a receiver in NFL history.

Keenan Allen, Michael Pittman, Puka Nacua — these guys aren’t athletic marvels compared to some of their peers. Coming out of college, they were overlooked because they didn’t test off the charts.

But all they’ve done in the NFL is catch passes. They have feel for the game and they win again and again and again because of it.

And finding a player with that feel — that innate understanding of space, time, and situation — makes folks who watch a lot of football feel something, too.

They’re rare. And when one is available, you take them, even if Pro Football Focus or some draft YouTuber claims it’s a “stretch” or “bad value” to select them.

“Ricky was a guy that we got a lot of conviction a lot of consensus from every area of our organization,” John Lynch told KNBR after making the pick. “Ricky was a guy that just kept gaining steam.”

The same thing happened to everyone I talked to in and around the league. He was your favorite football dork’s favorite player, your no-name scout’s favorite player, and probably your favorite player’s favorite player in this draft.

Pearsall was easy to overlook amid a loaded wide receiver class this season. I know I didn’t give him his fair due until later in my evaluation process.

I knew he was good — I watch a lot of SEC football in the fall and Pearsall ripped up my Mizzou Tigers — but I didn’t think of him as an elite prospect.

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But once I did start watching him in earnest, I couldn’t stop. For the last month, he has occupied my mind more than any other prospect.

He has great hands and a seemingly infinite catch radius. He blocks at a high level. He separates consistently at the line of scrimmage. He has the kind of crazy you need to repeatedly run over the middle of the field, catch the ball, and be rewarded with a helmet in the sternum for your hard work. He’s excellent in the open field. He can run the ball out of the backfield and be your starting returner on kickoffs and punts.

Florida’s offense was a mess this past year. Pearsall made it look competent at times. And his best routes, flare screens and intermediate digs, are the bread-and-butter concepts of a Shanahan offense.

Pearsall was a good college receiver. He’ll be an even better pro receiver.

Of course, adding a receiver at this point in the draft raises questions about the current crop of receivers in Santa Clara.

I’ll say this: Brandon Aiyuk is the 49ers’ X receiver of the present and the future. The contract will come.

Pearsall might have to wait for a season to be a starter — Deebo Samuel will likely only play one more year for the Niners — but he will be the Z receiver of the future, and a perfect counterbalance to Aiyuk.

He’ll also be an easy, reliable target for quarterback Brock Purdy. These two are going to make beautiful music together.

He might be a stretch at No. 31, sure. Could the Niners have traded down a few picks and taken him? Maybe, maybe not.

But no matter where he was selected, this is a guy that the 49ers had to take.

The fact is that he is perfect for the 49ers’ offense, and had Lynch and Shanahan cared about mock drafts and other teams’ public boards, they would have passed on him.

And they would have lived with the regret of doing that for as long as Pearsall is in the league — which I suspect will be a long time.

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Pearsall would have been the one who got away.

You can’t let that happen.

In the coming hours, days, and weeks, much will be made about what this means to the rest of the 49ers’ wide receiver core.

Here’s what it means: It improved significantly in the short and long term on Thursday.

I’ll gladly put my neck out there. Pearsall is going to be a stud for the Niners. In a matter of months, no one will be complaining about where he was taken.

Jami Ganz | New York Daily News

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s love story featured some fan favorite characters last week as the stars went on a double date with Swift’s longtime pal Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper.

Donna Kelce, mom of the 34-year-old Kansas City Chiefs tight end, said Wednesday at QVC’s Age of Possibility summit in Las Vegas that the Super Bowl champ sent her a snap from the foursome’s beach day in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, People reports.

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It was during their time down the shore that Kelce realized Cooper, 49, would be in attendance at the event to serve lunch to the 50 women being honored, which included his mother.

“Travis told me you were going to be here,” Mama Kelce told the “Maestro” star-director-co-writer at the event, per People.

The star-studded trip came on the heels of Grammy winner Swift, also 34, dropping her 11th studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” last Friday.

Kelce is believed to have been the muse for two tracks on the double album. However, most of the songs appear to have been inspired by Swift’s brief relationship last year with the 1975 frontman Matty Healy, following her six-year relationship with Joe Alwyn.

Cooper and model Hadid, 29, have been linked at least since early October, when they were spotted grabbing dinner at Via Carota in New York City.

The Age of Possibility summit honored 50 “authentic and inspiring female celebrities, activists, business leaders, and lifestyle experts who exemplify the possibilities of life over 50.” The honorees, known as the Quintessential 50, or Q50, included Donna Kelce, Christina Applegate, Billie Jean King, Patti LaBelle, Queen Latifah, Martha Stewart, Liz Vaccariello, Naomi Watts and more.

©2024 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

What is it about tennis that gets such a firm grip on so many filmmakers?

Maybe it’s the sheer athleticism of the game. Or, perhaps, the tenacious, back-and-forth strategy involved. Then again, maybe it’s simply because it’s sexier than, say, chess.

“Challengers,” starring Oakland native Zendaya, the latest net winner, is rallying into theaters this week, so we decided to put on our best whites and serve up some tennis movies that we think really aced it.

All are available for home viewing.

“Borg vs McEnroe”: The iconic 1980 Wimbledon matchup between tennis titans Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe gets a vigorous, thoughtful narrative retelling with Shia LaBeouf well cast as the mercurial American pro and Sverrir Gudnason tapping in to the more interior nature of the Swedish tennis star. Where to see it: The 2017 film is available to watch for free on Tubi and is available on other platforms.

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“Final Set”: Best-selling author Taylor Jenkins Reid immersed readers into the intense mindset of a victory-seeking female tennis star as she stages a single-minded comeback in her 2022 novel “Carrie Soto Is Back.” Director/screenwriter Quentin Reynaud’s exceptional 2022 drama flips genders to tell a similar yet different story. This one’s about 37-year-old Thomas Edison (Alex Lutz, giving the role his all) and his relentless last shot at getting into the French Open.This is a heck of a watch. Where to see it: Available on Amazon Prime and various platforms.

“Battle of the Sexes”: Oscar winner Emma Stone steps convincingly into the role of a 29-year-old Billie Jean King while Steve Carrell turns in one of his best dramatic performances yet as a 55-year-old Bobby Riggs. Their performances power this entertaining re-creation of that groundbreaking match where Riggs and King squared off in a media-frenzied match in 1973. The attention to period detail is impeccable. Where to see it: Available on various platforms.

“King Richard”: Will Smith collected his first, and infamous, Oscar for his terrific portrayal of the unconventional father of two tennis greats — Serena and Venus Williams. Reinaldo Marcus Green’s feature benefits just as much from Smith’s work as from the astute performance of San Francisco native Aunjanue Ellis as his strong-willed wife. Where to see it: Available on various platforms.

“John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection”: Hot-headed tennis maverick John McEnroe continues to be the focal point of many filmmakers. (The revealing, introspective 2022 HBO documentary “McEnroe” being one of the best.) Another is this little-known 2018 gem from director Julien Faraut that takes 16-mm shot footage, mostly from the 1984 French Open, to show us how he was courting perfection. Faraut’s bold film looks at the body mechanics that made McEnroe such a powerful athlete. Where to see it: available for free on Tubi and available on other platforms.

“Match Point”: Woody Allen channels Alfred Hitchcock — after all, “Strangers on a Train” did feature a man character who was a tennis player — for this thriller about two incredibly beautiful narcissists (Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Scarlett Johansson) caught up in lies and infidelity that trigger a murder. It’s one of Allen’s better films, and features a dollop of tennis since Meyers’ character was once a tennis coach. Mostly, though, this is about people behaving badly. Where to see it: Available for free on Peacock, as well as for a fee on on various other platforms.

Well-traveled East Bay quarterback Jaden Rashada has found another home — and this one’s a mansion by college football standards.

The former Pittsburg High star has committed to the University of Georgia, On3’s Hayes Fawcett reported on Thursday morning.

The decision returns the 6-foot-4, 190-pound Rashada to the SEC, the conference he was set to play in before he asked out of the National Letter of Intent he signed in December 2022 with Florida when a Name, Image and Likeness deal reportedly worth millions fell through.

Rashada signed with his dad’s alma mater, Arizona State, in February 2023.

In three games last fall with the Sun Devils — two early in the season, then in the finale — Rashada threw for 485 yards and four touchdowns with three interceptions. A knee injury sidelined him for much of the season.

Because he didn’t play in enough games to qualify as a full season, Rashada has four years of eligibility remaining.

He entered the transfer portal last week. On.3 reported that Rashada was the top available quarterback in the portal.

Before Rashada signed with Florida, he had orally committed to the University of Miami.

Playing time at Georgia will be a challenge for Rashada. Returning starter Carson Beck, who is 6-4 and 220 pounds, threw for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns last season while leading the Bulldogs to a 13-1 record. Sophomore Gunner Stockton, the presumed backup, is rated a four-star.

Rising high school senior Ryan Montgomery, another four-star, has committed to Georgia, as has rising high school junior Jared Curtis, also a four-star.

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Rashada’s high school career was filled with movement, too.

He played his freshman season as a backup to Jay Butterfield at Liberty in Brentwood, had a brief stint at renowned Florida powerhouse IMG Academy and spent three seasons (one spring, two falls) as Pittsburg’s quarterback.

Rashada was rated a four-star recruit coming out of high school. He threw for 5,275 yards and 59 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Pittsburg. As a senior, he led the Pirates to a NorCal championship and was named to the all-Bay Area News Group team.

SANTA CLARA — It isn’t necessarily a bad thing Thursday night if the 49ers end up taking someone only serious draft geeks have heard of at No. 31 of the NFL Draft or trading out of the first round altogether and doing their serious work on Friday and Saturday.

Taking the big swing hasn’t been a strength since coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch arrived in 2017, with some of their biggest roster additions coming from selections that brought blank stares.

The real drama will involve wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, a former first-round pick himself who may or may not have priced himself out of the 49ers’ immediate future. The 49ers were faced with a similar dilemma once before in 2020, and they made the decision to trade defensive lineman DeForest Buckner to Indianapolis and then draft his replacement in Javon Kinlaw.

Buckner has remained a mainstay with the Colts. Kinlaw, taken at No. 14, never ascended to his draft status mostly because of knee trouble and signed this offseason with the New York Jets after four seasons, with the 49ers declining his fifth-year option.

The safest, and probably best route, is to bite the bullet and fit Aiyuk into their financial puzzle in Brock Purdy’s last season on his rookie deal and use the draft to backfill an already strong roster.

The 49ers have 10 draft picks and there will be some maneuvering, but there’s no need to go too far outside the box considering the talent on the roster.

NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah is leaning that way for the 49ers.

“They’ve got a nice haul of picks. If they want to move up, they have the ammunition,” Jeremiah told reporters recently on a conference call. “I don’t see them in a position where they need to do that. I think this is more filling out your roster, getting a layer of depth. They have the stars in place so I don’t think they’re in a position where they have a must, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get up there.’ I think they can be a little more patient than that.”

Lynch addressed the difficulty of having to add draft picks because they’re cheaper while at the same time acknowledging how hard it is to get them on the field because of the quality of the roster.

“I think it’s going to be hard for these young kids to come in and make a mark,” Lynch said. “But there’s good players and it’s our job to find that because you have to have that. As many as our players as we’ve paid, you have to rely on rookie contracts.”

The 49ers, albeit with changes in their personnel department over the years, have done their best work since 2017 going for singles and doubles and moving runners along — and winding up with some cornerstone players who weren’t regarded as such on draft day.

Some examples in previous Shananan-Lynch drafts, excluding last year’s selection because it’s only been a year:

2022

Purdy, the final draft pick at No. 262, provided the late save. The only other player who has started is right guard Spencer Burford, a fourth-round pick who has started but hasn’t yet seized the job.

The top three picks were edge rusher Drake Jackson of USC (second round, No. 61 overall), running back Ty Davis-Price of LSU (3/93) and wide receiver Danny Gray of SMU (3/105). Davis-Price is already gone. It wouldn’t be a major surprise if Jackson and Gray weren’t on the team in 2024.

Still on the roster are cornerback Samuel Womack (5/172), offensive lineman Nick Zakelj (6/187) and defensive tackle Kalia Davis (6/220).

2021

The Trey Lance draft. Three first-round picks to move up to No. 3 and take a quarterback who was dealt to Dallas for a fourth-round draft pick they’ll use this year.

Aaron Banks (2/48) watched and learned for a year before becoming a solid starting left guard. The 49ers hit on three winners with their final three picks in cornerback Deommodore Lenoir (5/172), safety Talanoa Hufanga (5/180) and running back Elijah Mitchell (6/194).

Running back Trey Sermon (3/88) couldn’t beat out Mitchell. Cornerback Ambry Thomas (3/102) has had both good and bad moments. Tackle Jaylon Moore (5/155) isn’t looked at as the answer when Trent Williams hangs it up.

George Kittle (85) and Jauan Jennings (15) are examples of 49ers who were later-round picks and ended up being key players on the roster. Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group

2020

Kinlaw was referenced earlier. Aiyuk (1/25) has blossomed as a star. Colton McKivitz (5/153) played more snaps than anyone on the offensive line and was a good value pick. Tight end Charlie Woerner (6/190) was a core special teams player and solid blocker and wide receiver Jauan Jennings (7/217) epitomizes the 49ers in terms of blocking at his position.

2019

Any draft that brings aboard starters in defensive end Nick Bosa (1/2), wide receiver Deebo Samuel (2/36), punter Mitch Wishnowsky (4/110) and linebacker Dre Greenlaw (5/148) gets an “A” grade in retrospect.

Bosa, Samuel and Greenlaw have been tone-setters and leaders besides their on-field production.

2018

Tackle Mike McGlinchey (1/9) was a solid run blocker on the right side right up to the point where he departed in Denver for free agency with the 49ers not re-signing them after the deal that brought Williams from Washington. Dante Pettis (2/44) was never a fit for the physicality the 49ers demand from wide receivers. A head-scratcher in hindsight.

Fred Warner (3/70), a positionless safety linebacker at BYU, more than made up for the Pettis pick considering he’s the prototype modern inside linebacker. No draft picks other than Warner remain from this class.

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2017

The 49ers traded back a spot so the Chicago Bears could blow the No. 2 pick on Mitch Trubisky and selected Solomon Thomas (1/3), who never lacked for effort or character but was also never the game-changer the third pick of the draft is supposed to be.

Next up was linebacker Reuben Foster (1/31), whose off-field issues led to his release.

The gold nugget in this draft was tight end George Kittle (5/146) who became an ideal blocker/receiver for the Shanahan system not to mention a bigger-than-life personality in the locker room.

Baseball No. 5 De La Salle 8, Monte Vista 5

The Spartans bounced back after a tough loss to Jesuit-Carmichael on Saturday by rallying from three runs down to beat Monte Vista on Wednesday in an East Bay Athletic League game.

After De La Salle took a 2-0 in the first inning, Monte Vista answered with five in the third.

Matteo Congdon’s RBI double to left field scored Luke Claussen and Brad Ballard to cap off the Mustangs’ big inning that made it 5-2.

But it was all De La Salle after that. 

Alec Blair’s three-run homer in the fourth inning have De La Salle a 6-5 lead. Then in the fifth, senior Joe McGee hit a two-run shot to right field that scored Max Ghiglieri, tacking on two more runs for the Spartans. 

De La Salle improved to 13-4, 7-2. Monte Vista dropped to 12-8, 4-6. 

De La Salle’s Alec Blair, shown here against San Ramon Valley this month, hit a three-run homer on Wednesday in a victory over Monte Vista. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)  No. 9 James Logan 8, Mission San Jose 5

Mission San Jose came close to pulling off the upset and capturing its first win of the season, but the Colts held strong late to win their ninth consecutive league game. 

James Logan led 6-1 through four innings behind strong pitching from Evan Yau. The junior pitched 3 2/3 innings and struck out four on 40 pitches. 

The Warriors responded by scoring four runs in the fifth to cut the deficit to just a run. Vinhson Nguyen’s single to the gap in left field scored three runs to make it 6-5 heading into the sixth. 

After the Colts scored a run in the bottom half of the sixth inning to give them a three-run cushion, Jesus Vasquez struck out three straight batters in the seventh to end the Mission Valley Athletic League game. 

James Logan is 15-3, 9-0. Mission San Jose dropped to 0-18, 0-9.

No. 6 Los Gatos 11, Cupertino 1

The Wildcats scored 11 runs on 13 hits in a blowout win over Cupertino in Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division play.

Los Gatos senior Carter Johnstone was 3 for 3 with three RBIs and a home run. Donovan Freed had two hits and two RBIs.

Sophomore Ethan Williams pitched six innings, allowing just a hit while striking out seven batters. 

Malachi Perez scored Cupertino’s lone run on a sacrifice bunt from sophomore Brandon Chang. 

Los Gatos (18-3, 7-2) extended its winning streak to eight games. Cupertino is 4-13, 0-8.

Los Gatos’ Donovan Freed, shown here in a file photo, had two hits on Wednesday against Cupertino. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)  No. 2 Granada 2, Dublin 0

The Livermore school could only muster up two runs, but that’s all it needed as pitcher Jake Sekany was brilliant on the mound in this EBAL game.

The junior pitched a two-hitter, striking out eight in a complete game.

Junior Tommy Brown knocked in Granada’s only runs in the third inning when his single brought home Tyler Kardy and Nate Brown.

Granada improved to 20-1, 9-1 while Dublin dropped to 9-12, 4-7.

Oakland Tech 30, Fremont-Oakland 0 (four innings)

The Bulldogs scored 30 runs on 18 hits and cruised to their eighth Oakland Athletic League victory.

Rass Robinson went 4 for 6 and had four RBIs. Issac Estow, Vernard Scott, Elias Thompson, David Granger and Mike Martin each had three RBIs. 

Kalen Thomas threw a one-hitter and struck out seven for Oakland Tech, which improved to 13-6, 8-0.

Fremont is still winless at 0-8, 0-7.

Softball No. 1 St. Francis 14, Presentation 0 (five innings)

Senior Kate Munnerlyn and sophomore Hailey Nguyen combined to throw a no-hitter as the Lancers improved to 18-0.

Munnerlyn, who started the game, struck out seven on 42 pitches. Nguyen came in relief in the fourth inning and struck out three on 40 pitches. 

Freshman power hitter Peyton Tsao had two home runs and three RBIs. Rebecca Quinn and Shannon Keighran each had a homer. 

St. Francis is 4-0 in West Catholic Athletic League play. Presentation dropped to 5-11, 1-4.

St. Francis pitcher Kate Munnerlyn, shown here in a game this month against Mitty, struck out seven in a victory on Wednesday over Presentation. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  No. 9 Gilroy 12, No. 20 Sobrato 0

The Mustangs scored five runs in the first inning and didn’t let up. 

Ariela Yslava pitched a complete-game shutout for Gilroy, allowing just two hits and striking out seven.

Bam Mendoza had two doubles and four RBIs and Jocelyn Ta had a home run. 

Gilroy, which improved to 16-5,10-2, remained in first place in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Mt. Hamilton Division.

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Sobrato (12-10, 6-6) dropped to fourth in the standings.

Granada 8, No. 11 Foothill 7

In a back-and-forth EBAL game, Granada scored enough runs late to beat Foothill on the road. 

Foothill led 7-6 after the fifth inning, but that was the last lead the Falcons would have. 

Madison Hom’s RBI triple scored Alecsis Phillips to tie the game after the sixth. 

Hom came up big again in the seventh when she scored Sarah Deplitch to give Granada an 8-7 lead. 

With the Matadors needing three outs to seal the victory, sophomore Ella VonBergen retired three of four batters she faced to end the game.

After a slow start to the season, Granada has won five straight games to improve to 10-9, 6-5. Foothill (12-7, 5-6) has dropped back-to-back games.

PIEDMONT – Bishop O’Dowd shortstop Rashad Hayes Jr. makes fielding look easy, plucking ground balls from the dirt and whipping a pinpoint throw to second or first base for an out. 

In a 9-5 victory on Wednesday over Piedmont, he threw out three runners and caught two pop-ups for the Oakland private school.

That defensive skillset is coveted by MLB and top college teams. Hayes is rated by multiple sites among the Top 100 amateur prospects in the class of 2025.  Baseball America recently listed him as the second-best defensive infielder in his class. 

“Before the play happens, I already know where I’m going with the ball and what I want to do with it,” said Hayes, a Stanford commit. “So when the ball is hit, I’m just playing loose and allowing my body to react to what’s happening.”

Bishop O’Dowd’s Rashad Hayes (5) spins his glove on his fingers while wearing for the next pitch against Piedmont High in the sixth inning of their 9-5 win at Piedmnont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

The top-notch glovework shown against Piedmont in the West Alameda County Conference Foothill Division game was honed by hours of practice and late-night drills with his father, Rashad Sr. 

Hayes was not the most talented player growing up, remembering a Little League game where he did not get off the bench. 

The kid was crushed.

“The joy that he normally had was gone when that happened,” said Hayes Sr., whose son started playing T-ball at two years old.

Instead of pouting, he told his dad he wanted to get better. And that’s exactly what Hayes did, sending him on the path to being one of the best shortstops in all of high school baseball.

The defense in the hole was eye-catching on Wednesday, but it was his developing skills with the bat that was perhaps most intriguing.

He sent a hard-hit single through a gap to drive in a teammate during the sixth inning and also showed patience, walking once and getting hit by a pitch to reach base three times. 

The successful day at the plate was a welcome sight for the .224 hitter who is still trying to figure out that part of the game. He models his play after MLB stars CJ Abrams and Tim Anderson. 

“He has all the talent and all the tools,” O’Dowd coach Brian Mouton said. “It’s just about putting it together, because he has everything you need from a shortstop.”

Bishop O’Dowd’s Vander Cole (10), John Teti (22), Rashad Hayes (5) and Enrique Sotelo (17) watch reliever Ryan Schuh (19) making warmup throws from the mound in the seventh inning of their 9-5 win against Piedmont High at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

Hayes wasn’t the only reason the Dragons won on Wednesday.

Vander Cole had two RBIs and Ben Skiles, Dimitri Williams and Enrique Sotelo each contributed one RBI. Starting pitcher Nikolas Haas had a no-hitter through five innings and ended the day with six strikeouts and just three hits allowed. 

He appreciated Hayes’ defensive skills. 

“When you have a guy like that, you know that any ground ball to the shortstop is going to be an out,” Haas said. “As a pitcher, you gotta love that.”

Bishop O’Dowd starting pitcher Nikolas Haas (15) pitches in the first inning of their 9-5 win against Piedmont High at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

Piedmont made things interesting in the final inning, rallying for four runs to cut the deficit in half. Diego Delventhal was 2 for 3 with two RBIs, and Will Parker and Jordan Vo each had one RBI. 

Even though the comeback attempt fell short, Piedmont coach Eric Olson couldn’t help but be impressed by his team’s “moxie.”

“I was proud of the way they came out and had some quality at-bats and some hits there at the end,” Olson said. “That’s something to build on for sure.”

Olson, who spent time in the New York Yankees farm system in 2000, sees oodles of potential in Hayes. 

“The biggest thing is that his best baseball is still in front of him,” Olson said. “The sky’s the limit for him.”

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Only 16, the 6-foot-1 Hayes still has plenty of time to develop into a strong hitter while refining the other aspects of his game. It’s not MLB-or-bust either for Hayes once he graduates in 2025. 

“To be able to go to Stanford is huge, because we really value education and what that university has to offer,” Hayes Sr. said. 

Even though he’s thrilled to have an offer from one of the West Coast’s premier baseball programs, getting a shot at the pro level out of high school is something the younger Hayes aspires to as well. 

“After the season we’ve got summer ball, and that’s where I want to go out to the big events and prove who I am and why I should be drafted high,” Hayes said. “But I also try not to think about it too much … I just thank God every day for having this opportunity.”

Bishop O’Dowd’s Rashad Hayes (5) fields a grounder as he would throw Piedmont’s Markos Lagios (4) out at third in the sixth inning of their 9-5 win at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Bishop O’Dowd’s Rashad Hayes (5) dives back to first as Piedmont’s Jordan Vo (12) waits for the throw in the third inning of their 9-5 win at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Bishop O’Dowd’s Rashad Hayes (5) steals second on a high throw to Piedmont’s Diego Delventhal (1) in the third inning at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Bishop O’Dowd’s Rashad Hayes (5) slides safely to score on a wild pitch by Piedmont pitcher John Olsen (13) in the third inning at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Bishop O’Dowd’s Aeneas Salaam (7) is out at second as Piedmont’s Peter Krumins (2) throws to first on an attempt for a double play in the second inning at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Piedmont’s Diego Delventhal (1) makes a catch for an out against Bishop O’Dd High in the fourth inning at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Bishop O’Dowd’s Enrique Sotelo (17) tags out Piedmont’s Diego Delventhal (1) on his attempt to steal second in the first inning of their 9-5 win at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Bishop O’Dowd’s Ben Skiles (1) scores on a wild pitch against Piedmont High in the fourth inning at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Piedmont’s Diego Delventhal (1) throws the ball during a rundown against Bishop O’Dowd’s Cole Jones (3) between first and second in the third inning at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Bishop O’Dowd’s Cole Jones (3) is caught during a rundown between first and second against the Piedmont High in the third inning at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  Bishop O’Dowd’s Cole Jones (3) is tagged out by Piedmont catheter Markos Lagios (4) during a rundown between first and second in the third inning at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

The San Jose Sharks are starting a coaching search for the second time in three years after the organization fired David Quinn after just two seasons.

While Quinn was considered the favorite to get the job in July 2022, shortly after Mike Grier was named the team’s general manager, there does not appear to be a similar obvious choice this time.

Instead, it seems Grier will cast a wide net when it comes to finding the Sharks’ next coach.

“We’re building a list of candidates we’d like to speak to,” Grier said Wednesday, roughly an hour after Quinn’s dismissal was announced. “I don’t really have a hard timeline. This is a tough day and a tough week. … We’ll start getting into it as the week goes on, but I don’t have any hard timelines and when it will get done.”

NHL or professional coaching experience is a good thing, Grier said. But he also did not want to rule out any other candidate who could come in and impress him or owner Hasso Plattner.

“I’m not going to rule out anything or anyone if a candidate comes up that blew us away,” Grier said. “At the same time, someone who’s had some sort of time or experience in the NHL, or pro hockey, would be beneficial.

“But I don’t want to rule anyone out if there’s someone that we come across that we’d like to speak to.”

The successful candidate would need to possess certain traits Grier and the Sharks hold dear at this stage of the team’s rebuild. That might include implementing a tighter defensive system or creating a less comfortable atmosphere around the team.

“Meeting with the players and reviewing the season, I think I have an idea of what they’re looking for, what they need and what I think they need,” Grier said. “But I think I’ll keep that internal for now.”

Here are seven names, in alphabetical order, to become the Sharks’ next head coach.

CRAIG BERUBE: Berube, 58, figures to gain some interest this offseason as a Stanley Cup-winning coach. He helped turn around St. Louis’ season in 2018-19 before the Blues went on to win the franchise’s first championship.

Berube has a demanding style, and if Grier views him as a candidate for the Sharks’ job, he’ll have to determine whether the former enforcer is the right guy for this stage of the team’s rebuild. But there’s little doubt that Berube gets results, as his teams have had an above .500 points percentage in six of his seven seasons as a coach with the Blues and Philadelphia Flyers.

Berube and Grier seem to share an interest in big-boy hockey. In his NHL career, Berube had 3,149 penalty minutes in 1,054 games.

DAVID CARLE: If NHL coaching experience is not a prerequisite for the Sharks’ job, perhaps Carle, 34, will be considered. He’s run a successful program at the University of Denver for six years, and the Pioneers just won the NCAA Division I national championship.

Grier could be open-minded about hiring a college coach, given his background. Carle is considered one of the game’s bright young minds, and he could grow into the role of the Sharks’ coach alongside a rebuilding team. But hiring anyone without pro experience is a risky proposition, and if it fails and the Sharks need to look for another coach in two years, then Grier himself might be on thin ice.

DEAN EVASON: An original Shark, Evason, 59, was fired as the Minnesota Wild’s coach earlier this season after the team got off to a 5-10-4 start. Prior to that, though, Evason had a 142-67-23 record in Minnesota, leading the Wild to three straight playoff appearances, although the team failed to advance past the first round.

Evason also has experience dealing with younger players from his experience as the Milwaukee Admirals’ head coach from 2012 to 2018. He also has a history with a handful of Sharks players, including Mikael Granlund, Luke Kunin, Nico Sturm, and Calen Addison.

If the Sharks are looking for a departure from Quinn’s more easy-going style, they’ll find it in the intense Evason, who had 1,002 penalty minutes in 803 career NHL games. From 1991 to 1993 with the Sharks, Evason had 57 points and 231 penalty minutes.

GERARD GALLANT: If we’re going with the connections route, perhaps Gallant, 60, is a name to watch in San Jose. He became the Rangers’ head coach in 2021-2022, shortly after the team named Grier hockey operations adviser. They only spent one season together in New York before Grier was named the Sharks’ GM.

Gallant had winning records as a head coach with the Rangers, Vegas Golden Knights, and Florida Panthers. But is he a fit for the Sharks, given that the team is at least two years, and quite possibly more, from being a playoff contender?

MITCH LOVE: Love, 39, was in the mix for the Calgary Flames’ head coaching position last offseason before he ultimately joined the Washington Capitals as an assistant on Spencer Carbury’s staff. The one knock was that he lacked NHL coaching experience. He has that now.

Love was a successful coach in the WHL for three seasons from 2018 to 2021 before he was named coach of the Flames’ AHL affiliate. In two years, his teams went a combined 96-33-11, and he was named the AHL’s Coach of the Year both seasons.

Love would be a bold choice for Grier, but perhaps he’s the right one at this stage of the Sharks’ rebuild.

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ALAIN NASREDDINE: Nasreddine, 48, might be ready to become a full-time NHL head coach for the first time. He has nine years of experience as an NHL assistant coach and is now in his second season as an assistant on Pete DeBoer’s staff in Dallas.

A no-frills defenseman during a 15-year pro career, Nasreddine has a history with Grier, as the two were on John Hynes’ staff for two seasons in New Jersey. Grier would easily surmise whether Nasreddine is the right guy for right now.

Perhaps Nasreddine’s only drawback is that he has limited experience as a head coach at the pro level. His only bench boss experience came in 2019-2020 as an interim head coach. After Hynes was fired after 26 games that season, Nasreddine took over and had a 19-16-8 record down the stretch.

JAY WOODCROFT: Woodcroft, 47, and Grier overlapped in San Jose by a year in 2008-09. Woodcroft was an assistant on Todd McLellan’s staff while Grier was in the final year of his three-year contract with the Sharks.

Woodcroft has 10 years as an NHL assistant coach, four years as an AHL head coach, and 120 games as an NHL head coach, having led the Edmonton Oilers from Feb. 2022 to Nov. 2023.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Logan Couture are the two Sharks players coached by Woodcroft, who no doubt learned from working in a hockey-mad market like Edmonton. Is his style, though, enough of a departure from Quinn’s?

OTHER NAMES: Joel Ward, 43 (11-year NHL career as a player, Sharks player from 2015-2018, three years as AHL assistant in Henderson, in his first year as NHL assistant with Vegas); Marco Sturm, 45 (14-year NHL career as a player, Sharks player from 1997-2005, four years as NHL assistant in Los Angeles, in his second year as AHL head coach in Ontario).

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer one pitch after Joe Boyle was called for a balk in the first inning the A’s never got within a run from there, losing to the Yankees 7-3 on Wednesday night.

Anthony Rizzo and Juan Soto later homered off A’s relievers as Oakland fell to 1-11 in its last 11 games in the Bronx.

Boyle (1-4) appeared to have thrown a fastball for a called third strike on the outside corner but was charged with a balk as Judge began walking to the Yankees’ dugout. Judge then hit an outside fastball to the short porch in right field for his 261st homer, passing former captain Derek Jeter for ninth on the Yankees’ all-time list.

Boyle told reporters after the game that the balk gave Judge “a free pitch that he got to see,” chalking up the homer to poor pitch selection — repeating an outside fastball — after the balk was called when an umpire ruled he didn’t come set.

“Pitch clock was running down, probably should have stepped off, but tried to squeeze a pitch in,” Boyle said of the balk. “I felt like I stopped, but obviously they saw it differently.”

Oakland had already suffered a loss before the game as second baseman Zack Gelof was scratched with an oblique strain. Manager Mark Kotsay said postgame that Gelof will likely be placed on the injured list. Gelof had played all 24 games for the A’s this season prior to Wednesday.

A strikeout looking for Aaron Judge was saved by a balk. He then went yard on the next pitch pic.twitter.com/0adRljae6T

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 24, 2024

Boyle only made it through three innings despite allowing just those two runs on the Judge home run because his pitch count ran to 85 by the end of the third. He struck out six Yankees and allowed four walks.

“It’s something that we’ll continue to work on with Joe,” Kotsay said of Boyle’s strike throwing.

Brent Rooker hit a three-run homer in the sixth that knocked out New York starter Clarke Schmidt and tightened the game to 5-3 after a Soto sacrifice fly and Rizzo’s home run, but that was the only scoring play for the A’s. Soto hit a home run to center one inning later and Alex Verdugo had a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

Schmidt (2-0) allowed three runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander struck out six and walked two.

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The A’s work in the field was suspect, as they committed a pair of errors. First baseman Ryan Noda threw high on a potential double-play ball in the third inning, then Nick Allen committed a fielding error in the eighth inning. Neither error cost Oakland any runs, but a fourth-inning outfield misplay by Lawrence Butler turned into an RBI triple for New York’s Anthony Volpe.

The Yankees also reached on two infield singles and a bunt single against the A’s, who overtook New York for the second-most errors on the season at 20 through 25 games.

UP NEXT

Oakland LHP Alex Wood (0-2, 7.89 ERA) opposes New York LHP Nestor Cortes (1-1, 3.41) in the finale of the four-game series Thursday.

SAN FRANCISCO — This is not what the Giants anticipated every fifth day when they signed Blake Snell.

Week after week, the Giants’ worst days have been the ones on which their $62 million free-agent prize was scheduled to start. Scratched and placed on the injured list before first pitch Wednesday, the pattern only continued in an 8-2 loss to the Mets and Sean Manaea.

“As we sit here right now, it hasn’t been our best day,” manager Bob Melvin said afterward.

Watching from the dugout after being diagnosed with a strained adductor, Snell bore no blame for the mess that transpired on the field. The Giants reverted to their worst tendencies, stranding runners and running into outs, and their first game of reliever roulette went south quickly.

“It just got away from us a little bit,” Melvin said. “Next thing you know it’s an uphill battle.”

The loss prevented the Giants (12-14) from climbing back to .500 for the first time since the fourth game of the season or securing their first sweep. Besides a four-game skid after they evened their record to 2-2, the Giants have not won or lost more than two in a row through their first 26 games.

By the time Manaea exited midway through the fifth inning, the Giants had cycled through two bulk arms who put them in a 6-0 hole.

San Francisco Giants pitcher Sean Hjelle #64 reacts as New York Mets’ Tyrone Taylor #15 rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) 

Sean Hjelle was bitten twice by the home run ball for three runs, and Landen Roupp allowed the deficit to balloon by another three runs.

Recalled before first pitch to take Snell’s roster spot, Roupp was one strike away from a 1-2-3 fifth inning, but Pete Alonso sent a line drive that tailed away from Thairo Estrada and under his glove for a base hit. Roupp walked the next batter and before he struck out Harrison Bader for the third out, three runs had scored.

With Roupp and Erik Miller taking down 2⅓ innings, the Giants have gotten 99⅓ innings from rookie pitchers this season, almost 30 more than the next-closest team (Cubs, 71 ⅓). The rookies, however, have combined for a 5.62 ERA.

“That’s been a problem,” Melvin said. “We give up too many runs in games where we’re not using key guys. Those guys just have to pitch better.”

The eight runs allowed by the mixture of Giants relievers still equaled the fewest the club has allowed on any of Snell’s scheduled start days. Counting the bullpen game that filled in for him Wednesday and Daulton Jefferies’ spot start in the fourth game of the season, the Giants fell to 0-5 in those contests. They have been outscored 55-12, amounting to a 10.47 ERA from their pitchers, compared to a 3.39 mark in all of the Giants’ 21 other games this season.

“Hopefully (Snell) comes off the IL and pitches better than he had before,” Melvin said. “We talked about what a tough spring it was for him, really no spring. April’s not his best month to begin with. There’s nothing we can do about it now except try to patch it up and pitch better on that turn.”

San Francisco Giants’ Tyler Fitzgerald #49 is congratulated by manager Bob Melvin after hitting a solo home run off New York Mets relief pitcher Reed Garrett #75 in the seventh inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) 

Manaea opted out of his contract in San Francisco after last season and secured a spot in the Mets’ rotation — plus a few more million and the ability to opt out again — though he didn’t exactly leave the Giants yearning for his services, even with the pregame development of Snell hitting the IL.

The Samoan southpaw — as large as ever, though with considerably less hair — held the Giants scoreless on a handful of hits but put four batters on base via walks and ran three-ball counts to another five hitters. He required 101 pitches to fall an out shy of completing five innings, but the Giants were unable to crack him.

“That might’ve been one of the best worst games I’ve ever had in my life,” Manaea told reporters in the visitors’ clubhouse.

Loading the bases with nobody out in the second, the Giants failed to get anything out of the situation when the bottom three hitters in their lineup couldn’t make a productive out, let alone a deliver a timely hit, and the next inning ran themselves into an out after the first two men reached base.

Stealing second after a leadoff walk, Austin Slater was promptly picked off when Manaea caught him leaning toward third.

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The Giants went hitless in seven tries with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 men on base. They only got on the board after chasing Manaea from the game, when Tyler Fitzgerald lined a solo shot off reliever Reed Garrett, his first home run of the season.

San Francisco Giants’ Tyler Fitzgerald #49 hits a solo home run off New York Mets relief pitcher Reed Garrett #75 in the seventh inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)  Notable

Thairo Estrada left the game in the sixth inning with left hamstring tightness, but Melvin said the move was precautionary. “He wanted to stay in the game, but we wanted to be proactive,” Melvin said. “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. He’s going to come in and get some treatment.”

Mitch White, from San Jose, made his team debut in the ninth inning, walking the first batter he faced and issuing a two-run home run to Francisco Lindor, the second of the game from the Mets shortstop.

Up next

The Giants will enjoy only their second day off at home Thursday before welcoming the Pirates for three games to close their longest home stand of the season. Kyle Harrison (2-1, 5.00), Jordan Hicks (2-0, 1.61) and Keaton Winn (2-3, 3.54) are lined up to start the series, which will also mark Joey Bart’s return to San Francisco.

• San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Ryan Walker #74 throws against the New York Mets in the first inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants left fielder Michael Conforto #8 catches a fly ball hit by New York Mets' Brett Baty #22in the first inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• New York Mets' Pete Alonso #20 on the ground after being hit by a pitch thrown by San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Ryan Walker #74 in the first inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• New York Mets starting pitcher Sean Manaea #59 throws against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants' Nick Ahmed #16 takes a strike thrown by New York Mets pitcher Sean Manaea #59 in the second inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. He ended up flying out. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants second baseman Thairo Estrada #39 throws out New York Mets' second base Jeff McNeil #1 at first base in the second inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• New York Mets' Brandon Nimmo #9 slides safely back to first base during a pick-off attempt in the third inning of their MLB game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants pitcher Sean Hjelle #64 throws against the New York Mets in the second inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• New York Mets' Francisco Lindor #12 hits a two-run home run off San Francisco Giants pitcher Sean Hjelle #64 in the third inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Landen Roupp #65 throws against the New York Mets in the fourth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• New York Mets' Francisco Lindor #12 celebrates his two-run home run with Brett Baty #22 in the third inning of their MLB game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants' third base Matt Chapman #26 makes a throwing error to first base on a hit by New York Mets' Harrison Bader #44 in the fourth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• New York Mets' Tyrone Taylor #15 and Harrison Bader #44 celebrate Taylor’s solo home run off San Francisco Giants pitcher Sean Hjelle #64 in the fourth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Erik Miller #68 throws against the New York Mets in the sixth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• New York Mets starting pitcher Sean Manaea #59 is taken out in the fifth inning of their MLB game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• New York Mets' Brett Baty #22 is congratulated by teammates after scoring on an RBI double by Tyrone Taylor #15 in the fifth inning of their MLB game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• New York Mets' Pete Alonso #20 grounds out into a double play in the seventh inning of their MLB game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants shortstop Nick Ahmed #16 completes a double play to first base as New York Mets' shortstop Francisco Lindor #12 is forced out at second base in the seventh inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• New York Mets' Francisco Lindor #12 smiles after San Francisco Giants shortstop Nick Ahmed #16 completed a double play to first base, getting Pete Alonso #20 out in the seventh inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants' Tyler Fitzgerald #49 celebrates his solo home run off New York Mets relief pitcher Reed Garrett #75 in the seventh inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants' Michael Conforto #8 hits a double off New York Mets relief pitcher Reed Garrett #75 in the seventh inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Taylor Rogers #33 throws against the New York Mets in the eighth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants' Jung Hoo Lee #51 hits the ground after a tight pitch by New York Mets relief pitcher Adam Ottavino #0 in the eighth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• New York Mets' shortstop Francisco Lindor #12 hits a home run off San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Mitch White #54 in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. It was Lindor’s second home run of the game. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Mitch White #54 throws against the New York Mets in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Mitch White #54 reacts as New York Mets' shortstop Francisco Lindor #12 rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the ninth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. It was Lindor’s second home run of the game. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• New York Mets relief pitcher Edwin Díaz #39 and catcher Tomás Nido #3 celebrate their 8-2 MLB win over the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• New York Mets' Francisco Lindor #12 and Harrison Bader #44 celebrate their 8-2 MLB win over the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• New York Mets' Jeff McNeil #1 hits an RBI single off San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Landen Roupp #65 in the fifth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• New York Mets' Tyrone Taylor #15 celebrates with teammates after scoring on an RBI single by Jeff McNeil #1 off San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Landen Roupp #65 in the fifth inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

• New York Mets' Francisco Lindor #12 and Brett Baty #22 celebrate their 8-2 MLB win over the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

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The NFL Draft starts on Thursday and it’s a vital one for John Lynch and the San Francisco 49ers.

Sure, the Niners might be the reigning NFC Champions and the team to beat going into 2024, but this offseason — and this draft — is a time for a re-set in Santa Clara. The future of this team has to be imported this spring.

With 10 picks in this draft and loaded classes at multiple positions of need, Lynch’s team is sitting pretty.

This mock draft represents something of a best-case scenario, blending moves I expect the Niners to make and moves I think the Niners should make, given their values and schemes.

And it all starts with a big trade.

Trade: Picks Nos. 31 and 124 to Washington… Picks Nos. 36 and 78 to San Francisco

Pick No. 36: Kingsley Suamataia – OT – BYU

Suamataia has everything you’re looking for in a future starting left tackle, save for the necessary polish with his feet and hands. He’s 6-foot-6, 325 pounds and moves with grace and power. Teach him how to harness all that natural ability and you have a cornerstone player for the next 10 years. Suamataia also represents a jumping off point in this draft, which is loaded at tackle, but, like the Niners’ roster, top-heavy — he’s the last reasonable “future starting left tackle” pick in this draft.

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No. 67: Ruke Orhorhoro – DT – Clemson

A one-gap monster with insane get-off, Orhorhoro represents a perfect scheme fit for the Niners’ defensive line. His athleticism should translate to interior pressures, sacks, and tackles for loss. His functional strength on the field should help the Niners’ run defense be more stout in 2024. He’s a high-floor, high-upside pick.

Trade: Picks Nos. 78 and 211 to Baltimore… Picks Nos. 93, 113, 130 to San Francisco

No. 93: Cooper Beebe – OG – Kansas State
No. 94: Ben Sinnott – TE – Kansas State

Back-to-back Kansas State Wildcats fill big-time needs for the Niners. The first pick gives San Francisco a trustworthy and attacking guard with a massive punch. Let Aaron Banks and Spencer Burford fight over one spot instead of putting two in jeopardy.

With Sinnott, the Niners get a No. 2 tight end who is solid in the run game and has enough polish and upside potential to fill in as a No. 1 should George Kittle become injured.

And with both Wildcats, you know you’re getting Grade-A toughness.

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No. 113: Brennan Jackson – DE – Washington State

The Niners need a 5-technique defensive end who can hold the edge and chip in some sacks, too. San Francisco was at its best up front when Arik Armstead held the role (before the Niners shifted him to 3-tech, and, eventually, 1-tech). This Jackson, unlike his namesake Drake, is capable of doing that. With a big motor and surprising polish, he’s the highest-floor defensive end prospect you can land outside the top-25. (It’s a terrible DE class.)

No. 130: Cedric Gray – LB – North Carolina 

The 49ers need a linebacker to replace Dre Greenlaw for at least the beginning of the season. Gray is the best linebacker in this class and should be available after pick 100. Is it the biggest pressing need? No. But the Niners need great (cheap) depth across the board and Gray, a torpedo of a linebacker, would provide just that.

No. 132: Ainias Smith – WR – Texas A&M

It might be a bit of a stretch to take Smith here, but with the Niners doing a lot of work in his area of the draft, they shouldn’t hesitate to reach up a bit and take Smith, who of the draft’s “Deebo Samuel types” looks to be the most ready to provide such an impact upon arrival in the league. He won’t beat press coverage or separate much as a route runner, but if you scheme him open (a Kyle Shanahan specialty), he will run for ages with the ball. He also becomes your top punt and kick returner, with the latter job much more valuable this season with the NFL’s new rules.

No. 135: Malik Mustafa – S – Wake Forest 

A smart, dependable safety who can play in the box or in coverage and brings the boom every time he drives, Mustafa is one of the most underrated prospects in the draft and will prevent the Niners from signing a safety (or two) off the street again this season.

No. 176: Kimani Vidal – RB – Troy

Vidal is a bowling ball and a workhorse. He’s also uber-dependable. He didn’t fumble once in college, despite rushing the ball over 700 times. Christian McCaffrey needs a viable No. 2. Vidal can be the thunder to McCaffrey’s white lightning.

No. 215: Daequan Hardy – DB – Penn State

The Niners need to bring someone in who can play the slot — they’re keen on letting Deommodore Lenoir play outside corner in 2024. Hardy thrived in that role last season for Penn State. Questions about his size will weigh down his draft stock, but the Niners’ best nickelback, K’Waun Williams, was 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds with questions about his deep speed. Playing the slot requires a different kind of temperament. I think Hardy has it.

No. 251: Dylan McMahon – C – NC State

His movement profile is off the charts and when you are looking for a center in an outside zone system, that’s where you need to go first. Given the proliferation of the scheme across the NFL, I’m surprised that McMahon is a Day 3 pick — much less a late one — but questions about his play strength persist. The Niners can afford to build that up, likely sending McMahon to the practice squad for the 2024 season.