Buckingham Charter High baseball, softball sweep top SMAL honors

After turning in impressive seasons, the Buckingham Charter High School baseball and softball teams each received a wave of Sacramento Metropolitan Athletic League honors.

Buckingham's Sam Lopez was named Coach of the Year in the SMAL for baseball, while Stephen Mutch was named Coach of the Year for softball.

Lopez guided the baseball team to a 9-1 record in the SMAL and a first-place split with Valley Christian, while Mutch led the softball team to a 7-1 record in the SMAL and its fifth straight league title.

Powering the Knights was Julian Gonzalez, who was named the Most Valuable Player for baseball. Gonzalez posted a .500 batting average with 19 hits, eight doubles and 15 RBI.

Buckingham's Wyatt Griffin and Jacob Loos were named first-team selections, while Jordan Guttmann made the second-team. Ethan Mahabir and RJ Bautista were honorable mentions.

Leading the Lady Knights was Liberty Drake, who took home the MVP award for softball. Drake batted .520 with 13 hits, nine RBI and 18 stolen bases.

Khloee McClough, Isabella Ebert and Sophia Burrell represented Buckingham on the first-team, while Ava SantaMaria made the second-team. Gianna Baligod was an honorable mention.

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This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 8:05 PM.