The San Joaquin County has spoken: Tokay girls softball Brooklyn Schaede is Martin Dentistry’s Athlete of the Week for March 16-21.
In an online poll that closed Thursday, Schaede earned just under 43% of the votes with 9,504 ballots cast. East Union boys track and field JP Abrew placed second with 7,462 votes.
Handling one role at a high level is difficult. Handling two is something else entirely.
Brooklyn Schaede has made it part of her routine.
The two-way standout continues to impact games both in the circle and at the plate, delivering production that rarely dips regardless of the role.
That balance showed March 17 in a 20-1 win over McNair.
Schaede went 3 for 5 with a home run and four RBIs, driving the offense while also striking out six over three innings in the circle.
Two days later, she showed a different side of her game.
In an 8-7 loss to Bear Creek, Schaede threw a complete game, striking out nine and allowing just two earned runs while continuing to compete at the plate with two RBIs.
The performance highlighted her endurance as much as her skill. Even in a tight game, her production didn’t fade.
That workload isn’t new.
Last season, Schaede made 19 appearances and threw 98 1/3 innings, posting a 2.78 ERA with 87 strikeouts.
At the plate, she was just as effective, hitting .554 with 22 RBIs.
For Schaede, “complete” isn’t just a description of one outing. It’s the way she plays the game — contributing in every phase and giving her team a steady presence every time she steps on the field.
Here’s a look at the past winners:
Original story: The Record will nominate several high school athletes in San Joaquin County for the Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week award.
It’s up to you, the readers, to choose the winner for March 16-21.
The Martin Dentistry Award highlights top performances from 209-area schools — excluding boys basketball, which has its own poll. This week’s ballot features seven nominees from Stockton, Ripon, Escalon, Lodi, Mountain House and Manteca.
Anyone can nominate an athlete of the week for every sport. Readers can email nominations to sports reporter Dylan Ackermann at dackermann@gannett.com. Please include the player’s stats and a photo if possible.
The poll at the bottom of this page closes at noon on Thursday, March 26. There are no voting restrictions, so vote now and vote often.
Here are the March 16-21 nominees (Athletes listed in alphabetical order by last name):
JP Abrew, Boys Track and Field, East Union
Speed jumps off the screen when JP Abrew plays football.
Now it’s taking over the track.
The Air Force-bound senior ran a personal-best 10.78 to win the 100 meters at the Carl Chandler V Invitational on March 21.
He followed by anchoring the 4×100 relay to a 42.73 first-place finish.
Abrew also soared to 20-2.5 in the long jump to tie for first, showing he can do more than just run.
Gracelynne Duenas, Girls Track and Field, Lodi
What’s it like to not finish first?
Gracelynne Duenas rarely finds out.
The Lodi standout has won 13 of her 14 shot put and discus events this season.
Her only second-place finish came at the Capital Invitational on March 20, where she threw 36-4 in the shot put.
Even in that event, she still owns the Sac-Joaquin Section’s best mark at 38-10, set March 13 against Tokay. She also took first in the discus at the same meet with a 130-2, though her season-best of 151-4 came Feb. 25 against Tracy.
Laiana Saguiguit, Girls Track and Field, Mountain House
Winning long jump has become the expectation for Laiana Saguiguit.
After opening with a 17-7 and a second-place finish at the Highway 4 Invitational, she has steadily taken off.
Every week, the distance has grown.
She captured first with jumps of 18-4 on March 5 and March 7, then broke into the 19-foot range with a 19-4 on March 12.
At the Jaguar Invitational on March 21, she reached a personal-best 19-5 — the best mark in the Sac-Joaquin Section this season — with a reported 19-11 on March 19 showing there may be even more ahead.
Brooklyn Schaede, Girls Softball, Tokay
Playing both ways isn’t easy.
Pitching and hitting at a high level demands a rare combination of skill, endurance and focus.
Brooklyn Schaede makes it look routine.
In a 20-1 win over McNair on March 17, she went 3 for 5 with four RBIs and a home run, while also striking out six over three innings in the circle.
Two days later, she showed her toughness, throwing a complete game with nine strikeouts and just two earned runs allowed in an 8-7 loss to Bear Creek, while adding two RBIs at the plate.
Cru Sullivan, Boys Golf, Ripon
His swing is pure, and his game is well-rounded.
What stands out most, though, is Sullivan’s composure in pressure moments — a critical trait in golf.
The sophomore shot a 5-under-par 66 on March 16 at the Aiello Invitational at Discovery Bay Country Club, winning a tournament that featured 21 schools.
He followed with a 6-under 66 on March 19 at Teleli Golf Course in Sonora, placing first among the seven Trans-Valley League teams.
Sullivan’s round at the Aiello Invitational was bogey-free, and his only bogey at Teleli came on his final hole.
Arianna Velasco, Girls Softball, Escalon
The accolades from basketball season speak for themselves.
The Record’s Co-MVP. Trans-Valley League MVP. A section appearance and a run to the program’s first CIF State regional semifinal.
But as strong as she is on the court, softball may be where Velasco shines brightest.
She wasted no time proving it, going 4-for-4 with three RBIs and two triples in a 15-0 win over Ripon Christian on March 17.
Velasco followed with a home run and two RBIs in a 4-3 loss to Ripon and is now batting .714 through four games — all while taking a visit to UC Riverside over the weekend.
Mallory Wagner, Girls Softball, Lincoln
Every at-bat matters for Mallory Wagner.
And more often than not, she delivers.
In a 9-4 win over Merrill West on March 17, Wagner went 3-for-3, falling just a home run short of the cycle with a single, double and triple.
She followed with a 2-for-4 performance and an RBI in a 10-6 loss to Kimball on March 19.
Now hitting .645 with 14 RBIs through 10 games, Wagner continues to prove why she earned a spot on The Record’s Top 27 marquee players list.
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This article originally appeared on The Record: Meet the SJ County Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week March 16-21
Reporting by Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record / The Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
