When you think of the success the Arcadia baseball team had this season, junior Damian Catano was in the middle of it. Whether he was pitching or hitting, he was dominant in both.

Catano was one of the area’s best hitters, batting .408 with 24 RBIs, five doubles, three triples and scored 40 runs. He had three hits or more in a game six times.

On the mound, the left-hander was one of the area’s top pitchers. Catano finished 10-2 with a 1.27 ERA in 66 innings with 49 strikeouts.

Catano did all this with an Apaches team that had one of its best seasons ever. The Apaches finished 26-4, went undefeated in the Pacific League and reached the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. He was named the Pacific League’s most valuable player.

For his efforts, Catano has been selected the San Gabriel Valley’s 2025 baseball player of the year.

“It was an amazing season and being able to help my team on the pitching and offensive side was a blessing,” Catano said. “Being able to strike someone out and come in and get a big hit when our team needed it was a surreal feeling.

“I had more opportunities this year to pitch and felt like I did a good job in being able to be calm and confident while on the mound and finding a way to help my team win. We had some really close games and this was one season I will remember forever.”

There were several big moments for Catano. It started in the Pizza Chalet tournament in the opening week of the season. Catano was dominant in the championship game, going six innings while allowing two hits with nine strikeouts during a 6-1 victory over Bonita.

In the Apaches’ final league game against rival Crescenta Valley, with a chance to finish league play undefeated, he threw a shutout for 8 1/3 innings and allowed only four hits. It was a wild game that the Apaches eventually won 6-5 in 10 innings.

Catano also played a major role in the Apaches’ 2-1 victory over Aliso Niguel in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs. Catano hit a home run in the second inning and took over on the mound in the 10th inning with the score tied 1-1. Catano threw two shutout innings to earn the win as the Apaches scored in the 11th for a walk-off victory.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR

Tomas Bilvado, San Marino, Senior: From start to finish, nobody was better on the mound than San Marino’s Tomas Bilvado. He earned Rio Hondo League player of the year honors and is the SGV pitcher of the year.

Bilvado finished 11-1 with a 0.92 ERA. He threw six complete games and two shutouts, finishing with 96 strikeouts in 68.2 innings.

Bilvado never allowed more than five hits in any game this season. He threw a two-hitter in a 3-1 win over La Cañada. In both wins against Monrovia that helped the Titans win the league title, Bilvado threw complete games. In an 8-1 victory, he had 13 strikeouts and allowed just four hits. In the second game against the Wildcats, he pitched another complete game, allowing four hits with eight strikeouts in a 3-1 win.

Bilvado was undefeated until the Titans’ first-round loss to Great Oak 7-0 in the CIF-SS Division 4 playoffs. The Titans committed five errors and no runs were charged to Bilvado.

He also was a solid hitter, batting .346 with 22 RBIs and three home runs.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Dean Brosterhouse, San Dimas, Freshman: Dean Brosterhouse had a huge impact for San Dimas as a freshman pitcher, finishing 8-2 with a 1.90 ERA for a Saints team that reached the CIF-SS Division 3 championship game.

Brosterhouse earned the SGV’s newcomer of the year award. He pitched a four-hit shutout in a 2-0 win over Wood Cross with 10 strikeouts. In a crucial game against Colony, he threw a two-hit shutout with six strikeouts in a 3-0 victory. He finished with 57 strikeouts in 66 innings.

Brosterhouse also pitched two shutout innings in the Saints’ 2-0 loss to Glendora in the Division 3 championship game at Cal State Fullerton.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Jerry Lewallen, Glendora: Glendora coach Jerry Lewallen has been selected the SGV coach of the year after leading the Tartans to the CIF-SS Division 3 championship. It was the school’s first title since 2010.

Glendora finished 23-11 and beat San Dimas 2-0 in the championship game.

It was Lewallen’s first title as a head coach.

“I’m so proud of our guys,” Lewallen said after the win. “We didn’t know what the outcome was going to be and obviously it was in our favor and we’re extremely happy. But what I’m most proud of was our journey as a club and the way these guys came together and showed resiliency.”