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BASEBALL: Quite a ride for the GRANADA STAR

It finally dawned on Parker Warner when he saw his Senior Day poster.

The five-foot-tall banner featured two pictures side by side.

On the proper was an elementary school photo of Warner in his Little League uniform. On the left is a photograph of Warner from this season in his black and gold Granada jersey.

As the senior walked off the sphere Thursday after Granada's final home game of the regular season, he quickly realized how much time had passed since he first wore Granada's colours 4 years ago.

“It seems like yesterday when I was a freshman watching the seniors being celebrated on Senior Day,” Warner said. “But being here with all my friends that I played Little League with and seeing everyone come in and do well was definitely a cool moment for all of us.”

Warner, a Stanford commit, had his own struggles as a freshman. Like a minor player attempting to stay within the show, Warner was bounced backwards and forwards between JV and varsity during his first 12 months on the Livermore school.

But since then he has turn into the undisputed leader of the Matadors. His 1.39 ERA and 49 strikeouts make him a powerful candidate for East Bay Athletic League Player of the Year.

“Parker was an exemplary example of what we expect from our baseball players,” Granada coach Corrigan Willis said. “It’s fun to see a guy who does everything right in the classroom, in the community and on the baseball field win some accolades.”

Granada and Warner usually are not finished yet.

The Matadors, who secured the league title within the regular season, have high goals. They hope to complete the season by winning the EBAL Tournament, North Coast Section and NorCal Regional Championships.

“We set goals at the beginning of the year and it was never our goal to go undefeated or anything like that,” Warner said. “But we have a lot of talent. But I definitely knew that if we played the way we were supposed to play, we would go into the playoffs with a lot of confidence.”

– Nathan Canilao

SOFTBALL: THE INJURED WOLICZKO FINALLY TAKES A BREAK

McKenna Woliczko is as busy as a highschool athlete may be: She's gone from a nationally recruited basketball player within the winter to a premier softball star within the spring.

If you mix school and social life along with her sporting commitments, the result’s a young woman who at all times has something to do.

“I really had to learn time management,” Woliczko said. “You can’t hesitate.”

This busy schedule continued unabated until a slide into second base against St. Ignatius on April 17 resulted in a serious knee injury and a number of weeks of inactivity. For the primary time in years – or possibly ever – Woliczko needed to decelerate.

She hates it.

“That sucks,” Woliczko said. “I want to be out there and play with my team.”

The excellent news is that Woliczko didn’t suffer any serious tears or sprains and is anticipated to be back on the softball field inside the following week. The sophomore was seen catching together with his teammates between innings of a game against Willow Glen this week.

After the softball season, it's on to AAU basketball.

In other words, Woliczko can be back to her normal, busy self.

—Joseph Dycus

BASEBALL: A'S BLCKBURN HONORED BY HERITAGE

Paul Blackburn, surrounded by family and friends at Heritage in Brentwood, hoisted his framed number 24 at the tip of Wednesday's pregame ceremony. On the A's pitcher's time off, his highschool alma mater retired his number before a crosstown rivalry game Liberty back.

“I haven't been here for a while. The opportunity to come back here and make these memories is more than I could have ever imagined,” Blackburn said.

He didn't should think long before he remembered his fondest memory from his time playing at Brentwood Public School.

“I still remember my no-hitter against Deer Valley because one of my best friends played for Deer Valley,” Blackburn said, referencing his eight-strikeout performance against Blake McAuley’s Wolverines on May 1, 2012.

Blackburn was a 24/7 starter as a prep star, posting a 1.04 ERA. Blackburn, a two-way player, hit .347 as a senior in 2012. A number of months later, the Chicago Cubs chosen Heritage's ace with their first-round pick.

He has spent his entire major league profession (2017-present) with the A's, was named to the All-Star team in 2022 and began this season 2-1, the A's last in Blackburn's Bay Area.

“I grew up playing there at the Coliseum and saw some really good teams,” Blackburn said. “I remember when there was an all-you-can-eat area in the third deck behind home plate that many of us frequented when we were in high school. The move is bittersweet.”

—Joseph Dycus

SOFTBALL: NO FACT IN SECOND YEAR FOR WILLOW GLEN STAR

Alanna Clincy of Willow Glen had a freshman season that saw her go from an unknown newcomer to the ace of the NorCal Division II champions.

She was even higher as a sophomore this season, striking out 146 in 85 innings for a team on the lookout for further postseason success.

After counting on her heater last 12 months, Clincy has now added devastating breaking pitches to her arsenal.

“I'm trying to work more on my own because that's how you should compete against good teams,” Clincy said. “You don’t want to send them anything outside the box.”

However, that fastball remains to be very effective, as is her bat. She posted a .508 average with two home runs and 25 RBIs.

—Joseph Dycus

SOFTBALL: PRESENTATION HAS ITSELF A YOUNG LEADER

Even though she is simply a sophomore, Julia Simón is already the most effective young players within the West Catholic Athletic League.

The presenting catcher leads her team in batting average (.469), on-base percentage (.542), hits (23), RBIs (20), slugging percentage (.795) and extra-base hits (11).

Simón attributes her dominant 12 months to a change in approach from her first season.

“I was a big home run hitter last year,” she said. “But this year I got more base hits and did my job at the plate. I focused on getting a runner in scoring position because we don't have the biggest hitters on our team. So I just played small ball, got on base and did my job.”

Although Simón will not be quite halfway through highschool, he has already taken on the leadership role on the team.

“This year it was easier because I was named co-captain,” Simón said. “I communicate very well with my coaches about what everyone on my team needs. That comfort alone has also helped me be a leader on the field.”

While Presentation (5-13, 1-6) remains to be an up-and-coming team, the core group of players is primarily made up of underclassmen. The Panthers will only graduate three seniors this 12 months, meaning this group can have experience next season.

“I’ve seen a lot of our freshmen really grow since the beginning of the year,” Simón said. “We're not the biggest team at Presentation, but there are so many girls who have so much potential. I really hope we can all grow in the coming seasons.”

– Nathan Canilao

Candace Parker all the time said she would know when it was time to retire. That day got here on Sunday.

The three-time WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist announced on social media that her profession was over after 16 seasons.

“The competitor in me still wants one, but it’s time,” Parker wrote an Instagram post. “My HEART and my body knew it, but I had to give my mind time to accept it.”

Parker, 38, had said The Associated Press in November she desired to play one other season if she could get healthy a foot injury That kept them off the sphere last season. However, she warned against cheating “the game” or herself, and expressed the identical when announcing her retirement before the Aces try and win a 3rd straight title. Parker has had ten surgeries throughout her profession.

“I promised that I would never cheat in the game and that I would leave it in a better place than when I came in. … I always wanted to leave the square without a parade or a tour, just privately with those I love,” she wrote. “What was supposed to be my last game, I left the pitch with my daughter. I ended the journey the same way I started it, with her.”

Parker played her first 13 seasons within the league with the Los Angeles Sparks, establishing her dominance early because the No. 1 pick, winning Rookie of the Year and league MVP in the identical season. Parker was the one WNBA player to realize this feat. He averaged 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and three.4 assists while helping the Sparks to a 10-win improvement in 2008.

Parker earned her second MVP award in 2013 and won her first title with the Sparks in 2016.

“We are deeply grateful for the remarkable contributions that Candace Parker has made to the Los Angeles Sparks and the sport of basketball as a whole,” Eric Holoman, managing partner and governor of the Los Angeles Sparks, said in a press release. “She will forever be enshrined in Sparks history – from their outstanding MVP and Rookie of the Year seasons to their lead in the 2016 WNBA Championship and the way she revolutionized the game has. Her impact on the community and her ability to inspire will always be felt here in LA. From my many conversations with her about life after basketball, I am confident she will be just as successful in the boardroom.”

She would win a second title with the Chicago Sky in 2021 and a 3rd with the Las Vegas Aces last season. She is the one player in league history to win a championship with three different teams.

“The memories Candace Parker created for a generation of female basketball fans will forever remain embedded in our collective consciousness, but she gave much more to the game than her accolades and statistics,” the Aces said in a press release. “As a teammate and mentor, mother and wife, ballplayer, broadcaster and businesswoman, she has inspired countless young people, boys and girls, to pursue and achieve their dreams.”

Parker played for the late Pat Summitt's last two national championship teams at Tennessee in 2007 and 2008. She then left the corporate with one yr of eligibility remaining.

She won Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012 before being surprisingly left off the team in 2016.

“I think Candace has obviously had an amazing career. I'm a little sad about it because you love competing against her, the legend that she is,” said Liberty star Breanna Stewart. “What she did on and off the field was great for our league. I appreciate everything she has done to help me get to where I am. We will definitely miss them this season.”

Liberty coach Sandy Brondello coached Parker overseas in Russia for several years throughout the winter.

Parker began working in broadcasting during her playing profession. She has worked as an NCAA Tournament analyst for CBS Sports and for NBA TV.

She had surgery on her foot in July 2023 and told the AP that it still caused her pain late last yr.

“This offseason hasn’t been fun if you don’t cooperate,” she wrote in her post on Sunday. “My life's mission, as Pat Summitt always said, is to 'pursue people and passions and you will never fail.'” Being a wife and mother remains to be a top priority and I've learned that point flies, so I plan to enjoy my family to the fullest!”