Vote now for the Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week (May 13-19)

Just a few more weeks of the 2023-24 school year remains which means only a few more 209 athletes will be crowned the Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week.

Players across San Joaquin County are deep into playoffs competing in the Sac-Joaquin Section and the CIF State playoffs. No matter what level, these six athletes have left it all out on the field, track, and pool to earn their spot on this week’s Athlete of the Week poll.

The poll includes athletes from the following spring sports: softball, baseball, swimming and diving and track and field. The poll can be found at the bottom of the story and closes on Friday.

Here are the candidates for May 13-19 (athletes listed in alphabetical order):

Elisa Galli, softball, Tracy: In Tracy’s first-round playoff game against Bear Creek on May 14, Galli pitched a nearly perfect four innings. She held the Bruins scoreless, struck out nine batters and only walked one. The Bulldogs shut Bear Creek out for a 5-0 dub and followed that up with a quarterfinal win over Granite Bay on May 16.

Maleiah Garza, softball, Manteca: The Buffaloes' stellar season continues thanks to Garza’s hot bat in their SJS Division 3 quarterfinals matchup vs. Pioneer on May 16. The freshman led her team’s offense with three hits and three runs. Manteca would go on to beat the Patriots 5-2 and will advance to the semifinals on May 21.

Brooklyn Goeckeritz, swimming and diving, Ripon: At the CIF State Swimming and Diving Championship Goeckeritz didn’t let the big stage get to her. The sophomore diver was one of the few players from Ripon to qualify for state this season. She finished tenth in the one-meter dive with a final score of 451.95.

Dax Hardcastle, baseball, St. Mary’s: There wasn’t much Oak Ridge could do against St. Mary’s in its best of three games series in the SJS Division 1 semifinals. The Rams relentless offense was the difference maker and Hardcastle played a key role in game two with three RBIs and a hit. His team took game two 8-0 and will play in the finals on May 23 vs. Rocklin.

Xavier Renshaw, track and field, West: Renshaw punched his ticket to the SJS Masters after a solid outing at the SJS Division 1 Championship Finals. He took home silver in the 400-meter event running a time of 49.78 seconds. He will look to carry that success over into the SJS Masters from May 17-18.

Grant Sonke, baseball, Ripon Christian: Sonke’s bat was scorched by the end of the Knights’ game two matchup vs. Argonaut in the SJS Division 6 semifinals on May 15. He racked up two home runs, four RBIs, three hits, and two runs doing it all for his team’s offense. Ripon Christian beat the Mustangs 14-6 and will compete for a blue banner on May 21.

Athlete of the Week nominations are based on information available to The Record about all high school varsity players from San Joaquin County. Nominations must be received for consideration by Monday morning following that week's games.

Anyone can nominate an athlete of the week for every sport. Nominate next week’s ballot via email. Readers can email nominations to sports reporter Shannon Belt at sbelt@recordnet.com. Please include the player's stats and a photo if possible.

Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. She can be reached at sbelt@recordnet.com or on Twitter @ShannonBelt3. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.