Scholar Athlete award winners include seniors Chase Morton and Landon Gaskill, junior Noah Oxley and sophomore Conner Meade. Photo courtesy of Head Coach Scott Ahlstrom

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - The Cordova Lancers held their end of season awards banquet on May 21 at Cordova High School, honoring the players whose hard work made their spring season so special. 

Players, coaches, family and friends gathered during the team’s annual acknowledgement dinner to celebrate a Lancers team that advanced to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Sac Joaquin Section Division II playoffs this spring. Additionally, individual team-specific awards were handed out to players in recognition of their efforts, and players who earned All-Metro League awards were also honored during the event. For Cordova Head Coach Scott Ahlstrom, holding the event is a great way to recognize all of the players who contribute to the success of the program rather than just the top performers. 

“It is important,” said Lancers Head Coach Scott Ahlstrom. “It’s more than just what our main guys get recognized for, it’s about the guys that do the dirty work, the glue guys. I enjoy talking about those guys and letting people know the things they do that people maybe don't see. It’s good to recognize them.”

This spring the team elected to recognize both senior pitcher Levi Nyberg and junior shortstop Bro Ahlstrom as Co-MVPs (Most Valuable Player) for their stellar efforts both on the mound and at the plate. This spring, Nyberg recorded a 2.38 earned run average (ERA), along with 64 strikeouts which both led the team. Offensively, Nyberg also led the team in hits (33) and ranked in the top three of multiple offensive categories to round out his final season at Cordova after being one of the programs' top players in recent memory.

Senior Levi Nyberg and junior Bro Ahlstrom were named Co-MVPs for the Lancers this spring. Photo courtesy of Head Coach Scott Ahlstrom

Ahlstrom was not to be outdone however, notching 32 hits to rank second on the team at the plate, but led the Lancers with 20 RBIs. He also led the team in batting average (.410) and on base percentage (.519). On the mound, he ranked second on the team in strikeouts with 30. 

“Initially we weren’t going to give out an MVP award this year because it was a real team effort,” Ahlstrom said. “At the end of the day, Bro (Ahlstrom) was a better hitter this year and had better production at the plate, and Levi (Nyberg) was a little bit better on the mound this year. Without the two of them working hand-in-hand it wouldn’t have worked out the way it did this year.”

Other awards given were as follows.

Coaches Award: Juniors Gage Cordova and Gabriel Bargas, sophomore Nate Jones

Leadership Award: Senior Landon Gaskill

Most Improved: Sophomore Sawyer Nyberg and senior Chicago Bush

Scholar Athletes: Seniors Chase Morton and Landon Gaskill, junior Noah Oxley, and sophomore Conner Meade

Additionally, five Lancers were given All-Metro League honors: 

All-Metro League First Team: Seniors Levi Nyberg and Chase Morton, junior Bro Ahlstrom, sophomore Conner Meade

All-Metro League Second Team: Junior Nathan Tran

Congratulations to all of the players and coaches that made for a memorable spring season at Cordova!