The spring postseason is all but upon us and athletes are showcasing their best performances left and right.
With that in mind, it’s time to vote for this week’s Desert Sun Athlete of the Week.
Just read what each of this week’s five candidates did and then vote for your favorite in the poll at the bottom of this article at desertsun.com. Whoever has the most votes at noon on Saturday will be the weekly winner.
Speaking of which, last week, you voted and you chose Cathedral City softball standout Lauriana Romo, the talented freshman pitcher.
We love to get submissions, too. If you know an athlete that has excelled at a spring sport, send us the details to sports@desertsun.com.
Here ae this week’s nominees in alphabetical order. Happy voting!
Edgar Avila, Coachella Valley tennis
What he did: Despite rolling his ankle during warm-ups, Avila completed the coveted three-peat, winning his third straight DVL individual tennis title. He was also the league MVP and went undefeated for the third straight year. He beat Twentynine Palms’ Jeremy Burks 6-3, 6-1 in the final.
Natalie Barrios, Cathedral City softball
What she dd: Barrios has been reliable at the plate with a robust .595 batting average and 16 RBIs this season which includes three home runs, but it’s her commitment to help the team by playing different positions — she recently made the tricky switch from second base to third base — and being a leader that her coaches rave about.
Luis Oliveras, Indio baseball
What he did: In what proved to be the league-clinching win over a tough Twentynine Palms team, Olivarez came through with the big hits as he had two doubles, a stolen base and scored two runs in a 3-1 road win over the Wildcats. The Rajahs are now 7-0 with a four-game lead with just two league games remaining.
Camila Ramirez, Palm Desert softball
What she did: Now here’s a good day at the plate. In a win over Xavier Prep, Ramirez went 5 for 5 with two singles and three triples. That’s right three triples! It all added up to a four runs scored and a whopping eight RBIs. For the record, the Major League Baseball record for triples in a game is three, which Ramirez tied. It’s only been done once in the majors in the last 14 years.
Joaquin Sterling, Shadow Hills track
What he did: Sterling continued his, well, sterling year with a double record-setting performance at the DEL track and field meet on Tuesday’s Day 1. Sterling won both the shot put (53 feet, 5 inches) and the discus (168 feet, 5 inches) setting new Desert Empire League records in both. His discus throw beat the previous record by more than 20 feet.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: It’s time to vote for Desert Sun Athlete of the Week
Reporting by Andrew John, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
