MIDDLETOWN — Jacky Crachiola could fall out of bed hitting .400.
As it was, the Middletown High School senior batted a team-best .450 for the Mustangs during a 2007 season that easily could have been much better than the final result of 10-13.
“We lost some tough ones,” Crachiola said of the Mustangs” first season under coach Mitch Tucker, who took over a team not only hit hard by graduation, but by personnel losses as key players transferred out of the district or were lost for disciplinary reasons.
“A couple of runs here or there and we have a winning record easy,” Tucker said in reference to Middletown”s five one-run losses during the season, four of them in extra innings. “We didn”t get many breaks.”
Crachiola, who transferred to Middletown prior to his junior year after playing at high schools in Oregon and Sacramento his first two prep seasons, is the most valuable player on the 2007 edition of the All-Lake County baseball team as selected by the Record-Bee. Tucker, who moved up from the junior varsity level to replace Mike Robertson as varsity head coach this season, is the All-County coach of the year.
Crachiola, a solid hitter for the Mustangs during their North Central League I North title run in 2006, moved to the leadoff position this season as Tucker wanted to get the maximum number of plate appearances from his top hitter. And he didn”t disappoint.
While leading the Mustangs with a .450 clip at the plate, he also reached base in nearly 53 percent of his plate appearances (.527 OBP). His power numbers also led the team and the county. He homered five times and had a .763 slugging average while also driving in 17 runs. On the basepaths, he was 9-for-10 in stolen base attempts.
“Jacky was a pure joy to coach,” Tucker said. “His head always was in the game.”
Crachiola plans to continue his baseball career at Santa Rosa Junior College next year.
Joining Crachiola on the All-County team are senior teammates Jake Strickler, Kelley McKinley and Travis Taylor (the complete All-County team is on Page A10 of the Friday, June 15 print edition of the Record-Bee).
Clear Lake landed the most players (five) on the All-County team after posting an 11-9 mark sullied by a forfeit loss to St. Helena that not only cost the Cardinals a share of the North Central League I South title, but an automatic playoff berth as well.
Clear Lake players honored were junior Mike Zimmerman, catcher Nate Velez, infielder Connor McCrea, and outfielder Freddy Olloqui and Ryan Dixon.
