'It's really cool': Final regular season game sees jersey retirement and win
Ryan Ellis' jersey became the first in Walnut Creek history to be retired, and it happened right before Walnut Creek's 10-6 victory over Menlo Park.
Once Walnut Creek general manager Austin Ota emerged from the stands onto the field, the feeling of an electric moment seemed ever near. After stating what the ceremony was for, Ota provided designated hitter Ryan Ellis with a moment that he will never forget.
His jersey retirement.
However, it did not end there. Crawdads manager Brant Cummings, alongside Ota, made sure his family and first-ever collegiate coach from St. Mary's made the trip to celebrate this moment with Ellis. During the whole ceremony, including the introduction of his family, Ellis, who's usually even-keeled, couldn't help but smile throughout the whole day.
Surrounded by his teammates, coaches and family, the team rallied behind Ellis to make sure Sunday night's game, the final of the regular season, didn't turn sour. Despite locking up the one seed in the CCL North division a game prior, the Crawdads still wanted to make Ellis' final regular season game a win. They accomplished that by defeating Menlo Park 10-6 at Monte Vista High School. Ellis, who's the first player to get his jersey retired by the franchise, relished the moment.
"It's really cool," Ellis said. "It's really special how the guys were able to surprise me today. It was cool to see all the support from my teammates, the interns, the coaches and the fans."
Hitting, per usual, controlled the game. Two hitters, third baseman Aidan Robles and shortstop Kevin Parker Jr had multi-hit games while Parker Jr and right fielder Kam Taylor both contributed multi-RBI nights.
Robles went 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Meanwhile, Parker Jr went 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Taylor went 1-for-4 with a run scored and three RBI.
Yet, with playoffs right around the corner, Walnut Creek isn't allowing itself any room for complacency. The mindset going into the playoffs is the same as every other game: to continue what they've done routine-wise.
"It is just staying within that routine that has allowed us to get this far and stick with it," Ramos said. (We) just need to trust in that, and get ready for the playoffs, and do the same thing."
On the flip side, pitching played well enough to win. The consistency shown all year by those on the bump should give enough confidence and momentum going into the playoffs.
Right-handed pitcher Weston Thornbury pumped in his fastest pitches of the year, touching 94 miles per hour multiple times. He, alongside right-handed pitchers Edward Said and Myles Brand, combined for three innings of scoreless relief, allowing just two hits and no walks.
With the regular season done and dusted, the Crawdads now get two days off before the start of the playoffs. They will face either San Luis Obispo or Sonoma on Wednesday, July 29, at 4:00 p.m. PDT at Monte Vista High School.