Voting open for SJ County Martin Dentistry Baseball AOTW for May 11-16

Each week during the 2025 San Joaquin County high school baseball season, The Record will honor one standout player with the Martin Dentistry Baseball Athlete of the Week award.

The winner is decided by you, the readers.

The Martin Dentistry award highlights the top performances from 209-area schools. This week’s May 11-16 ballot features five nominees from Stockton, Ripon, Escalon and Manteca.

Everyone is encouraged to submit nominations for the upcoming week to [email protected].

The poll at the bottom of this page closes at noon on Thursday, May 21. There are no voting restrictions, so vote now and vote often.

Here are the May 11-16 nominees (Athletes listed in alphabetical order by last name):

Brayden Camara, third baseman/pitcher, East Union

Early in the season, Brayden Camara could have let frustration win.

Five straight hitless games. Seven hitless performances in his first 11.

A lot of players would have cracked.

Instead, the East Union football star and school single-season rushing touchdown record holder kept grinding, and by season’s end, the growth was undeniable.

Even in No. 4 East Union’s CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV semifinal losses to No. 1 Roseville, that progress showed. Camara was one of just two players to record a hit in an 8-0 Game 1 loss against a UC Davis commit, then followed with a 1-for-3, one-RBI effort in an 11-1 Game 2 loss against a Vanderbilt commit.

After earning first-team VOL honors a year ago, he elevated even further, finishing with a .381 batting average, 22 RBIs, a 2.51 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings as part of arguably the greatest season in East Union program history.

Jeremy Cross, pitcher, Manteca

Confidence tends to follow Jeremy Cross whenever he takes the mound.

As Manteca shortstop Nate Slikker said, “they’re going to have a good chance to win.”

Even in defeat, that belief never changed in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division III semifinals against No. 7 El Capitan.

In Game 1, Cross bounced back from a difficult opening inning and kept Manteca alive, pitching six innings while allowing seven hits and three earned runs in a 3-0 loss — the Buffaloes’ first shutout of the season. “Jeremy threw well,” coach Mark Ruiz said. “He kept us in the game the entire time, which is what he does. We just didn’t have any timely hitting.”

Game 2 brought a 10-0 shutout loss that ended Manteca’s season, but it did not change Cross’ body of work — a 1.29 ERA, 76 strikeouts, nine wins and only two losses in 59 2/3 innings.

And for opponents, that is not the end of the story. He is only a junior.

Dax Hardcastle, third baseman/pitcher, St. Mary's

Few players impact a playoff series the way Dax Hardcastle just did for St. Mary’s.

The Mississippi State commit spent the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinals reminding everyone why he is one of the most dangerous two-way players in the county.

Game 1 opened with a quieter contribution, as he reached twice with two walks in a 3-2 win over No. 4 Granite Bay on May 12.

Then came the heartbreak of Game 2 two days later, where Hardcastle looked to have delivered the series-clinching moment, driving in the go-ahead run in the ninth as part of a 4-for-5, two-RBI night before Granite Bay answered late.

So when the season came down to Game 3 on May 15, he grabbed control, striking out 12 over 6 2/3 innings while allowing just three hits and one earned run in a 7-1 win, adding an RBI at the plate. His season totals now stand at a .424 average, 24 RBIs, a 0.64 ERA and 100 strikeouts.

Jackson Howell, infielder/pitcher, Ripon Christian

Forty-eight days without a loss had become the norm for No. 1 Ripon Christian.

Then came Game 1 against No. 5 Colfax, and Jackson Howell faced one of his toughest outings of the season. He allowed five earned runs in 2 2/3 innings of relief during a 10-4 loss on May 12, adding a 1-for-4 day at the plate.

The response, though, showed exactly how important he has been to the winningest season in program history.

In a 6-1 Game 2 win two days later, Howell went 1-for-4 with two RBIs.

With the season hanging in the balance, he delivered in every way, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs in a 10-2 win while also pitching 1 2/3 innings and allowing one earned run. He is now hitting .514 with 31 RBIs while posting a 1.98 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings.

Zach Wells, first baseman/pitcher, Escalon

Playoff baseball asks pitchers to battle, and Zach Wells answered.

With Escalon riding the momentum of its upset over No. 1 Lincoln, Wells got the call in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division V semifinals against No. 5 Wheatland.

Just four days after Brody Abbott’s complete-game gem, Wells kept the Cougars alive with five innings of four-hit ball, allowing three earned runs and giving Escalon every chance to stay in it.

The bats never got going, managing just one hit in a 3-1 loss, and Escalon’s Cinderella run ended two days later.

Still, Wells was a major part of getting them there, finishing the season hitting .303 with 22 RBIs while posting a 3.16 ERA and 70 strikeouts across 73 innings.

VOTE HERE

This article originally appeared on The Record: SJ County Martin Dentistry Baseball Athlete of the Week, May 11-16