Only a sophomore, pitcher Leo Nierenberg wasn’t a big part of the Bishop O’Dowd rotation when the 2014 campaign began, but by season’s end he was the Dragon’s ace. As a result of his strong season, Nierenberg has been named Prep2Prep North Coast Section Sophomore of the Year.

Head coach Chris Kyriacou entrusted his young hurler to pitch the first game in the league tournament, and gave him the ball in the state playoff opener.

Nienberg clinched the league title for the Dragons vs. Arroyo, entering the game in the second inning and pitched 5 1/3 innings of shutout baseball. With his fastball and curveball working well, the sophomore struck out 11 batters in the win.

"My fastball was really lively throughout the whole game and my off-speed was working really well, but honestly I had great defense behind me," Nierenberg said.

Nierenberg wasn't expected to be considered the ace with Washington commit Channing Nesbitt also in the rotation. For the season, he compiled an 8-1 record and just a 0.28 ERA in 75 innings pitched. He also struck out 100 batters and only walked 15. Opposing batters hit a mere .169 versus the 5-foot-11, 170 pound pitcher.

The numbers speak for themselves as Kyriacou let his sophomore take the hill on some important games all year long.

The eighth-seeded Dragons lost a heartbreaker in the opening round of the NCS Division I playoffs, falling to Monte Vista 3-2 in 11 innings. Nierenberg threw eight innings, allowing one run on six hits and striking out four.

Heading into his junior season Nierenberg hopes to hone his craft.

"I’m working on my change-up,” Nierenberg said. “I want it to look more like my fastball and still have that little bite at the end. I’ve been able to do it for parts of the season, but sometimes I’ll leave it inside.”

Also considered: Justin Mahley, Hercules; Andrew Vaughn, Maria Carrillo; Robert Chioino, Granada; Jose Vasquez, Pittsburg; Luis Pimente, Eureka.

NOTE: We would like to thank our readers for all of the nominations you sent in for the season-ending NCS baseball awards. It is a daunting task to narrow down our selections to just the top few as we recognize there are lots of great players who make contributions on the diamond that are not necessarily well-documented but mean a great deal to the success of their teams. We salute all of the players that have made this a wonderful season of NCS baseball.