Colfax's Maeder is PVL MVP; Falcons land 5 on all-league first team

Colfax High School's Marcus Maeder was named Pioneer Valley League MVP for the 2023 baseball season. Maeder was one of the most dominant pitchers in the Sac-Joaquin Section and amassed 108 strikeouts this season, third in the section and 24th in the state. Maeder's most impressive stretch came at the end of the regular season, when he threw two consecutive no-hitters to help the Falcons lock up a share of the PVL title. The senior struck out 22 in those two games and reached double-digit strikeouts in seven of his 10 appearances. The 6-foot-4 right-hander was 8-0 with a 0.48 ERA this season. Colfax landed five players on the all-PVL first team: Gabe Garcia, Jack Erickson, Gavin Hooper, Dylan Stallions and Bradley Nave. Stallions, a senior, was one of the top leadoff hitters in the region with a .427 batting average in 27 games. In PVL play, Stallions batted .600 with 24 hits in 40 at-bats. Stallions also led the team in stolen bases with 19. Garcia and Erickson were starting pitchers two and three for the Falcons and combined for a 12-1 record with each boasting sub-3 ERAs. Garcia was second on the team in strikeouts with 77 and was 6-1 in 13 appearances. Erickson was 6-0 in eight appearances and served as the catcher when he wasn't pitching. He hit .412 with 33 hits and 28 RBIs in 99 plate appearances. Nave and Hooper were the two Colfax juniors named to the first team. Hooper was one of four Colfax hitters batting above .400 and was as reliable with his glove as he was with the bat with a fielding percentage of .973. Nave was another reliable bat for Colfax with 30 hits in 78 at-bats. Seniors Brady Liden and Charlie Satterlee were named to the All-PVL second team, and Chris Nave was the league's co-coach of the year alongside Sutter's Stewart Peterson. Colfax finished its season 21-6 overall and made it to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V semifinals.