Dobie and Gnibus land top Coast awards

Two of the key components of Mission's Coast-South title were awarded the top two conference awards, Saints coach Bobby Hill recently announced. Jayce Dobie was named the league's Most Valuable Player, while Will Gnibus earned Pitcher of the Year honors.

Dobie, a freshman pitcher/utility player out of Santa Clara High School, led the Saints offense in conference action with a .443/.529/.929 slash line (AVG/OBP/SLG), seven homers, 31 hits, 37 RBI and a pair of triples. He was second on the Saints with nine doubles.

"Jayce was the conference player of the year, and he earned every bit of it," Hills said. "It seemed like he was always the player at bat in big moments and he never disappointed, usually finding ways to get the job done. He is, without a doubt, one of the heartbeats of our team. Addidtionally, he was one of our starting pitchers and, towards the end of the season, he was asked to close out games." 

Gnibus was the league's unparalleled reliever. He finished 1-1 with a pair of saves with 31 strikeouts and a team-high 2.31 ERA and 11.96 K/9. The sophomore right-hander out of Bellarmine High School picked up the win Friday in Mission's first-game victory over Skyline in the CCCAA NorCal playoffs. Gnibus highlighted the 7-6 come-from-behind win with three K's in two innings of relief that included a three-up, three-down 9th that set the stage for Mission's walk-off.

"Will threw clutch innings for us this year to help us secure big wins against tough opponents," Hill said. "It has been a pleasure to coach and watch this young athlete. I have no doubt he will continue to grow and succeed, and I look forward to watching him play after he leaves us for Kansas St."