Bill Ralston earns All-America baseball honors for 2nd time
CONCORD, CA (July 19, 2022) — For the second consecutive year, Clayton Valley Charter High grad Bill Ralston was named to the ABCA Division II All-America third team after an outstanding junior season for the Metropolitan State University Denver third baseman.
Earlier he also earned all-region first-team honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings for the second straight season.
A two-time All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference first-team performer, Ralston batted .330 with 23 homers and 75 RBIs in 2022. He further earned all-region first-team honors from the ABCA for the second straight season.
He ranked third in the RMAC and seventh in Division II in homers, third and 15th in RBIs, sixth and 18th in total bases (157), sixth and 45th in runs (66) and he’s 74th in the country in slugging percentage (.701).
His Roadrunners won the RMAC tournament with an 8-5 victory over Colorado Mesa in the winner-take-all championship game, avenging their elimination in last year’s tournament by the same team. They were eliminated with two straight defeats to Texas schools in the NCAA Division II South-Central Regional.
The former Ugly Eagles and Diablo Valley College player had capped a breakout sophomore season in 2021 at Metro State by earning third team Division II All-America honors from ABCA.
A two-time all-DAL player, he graduated from Clayton Valley Charter in 2017 where he played for his uncle Casey Coakley. He was awarded a scholarship to Saint Mary’s College and redshirted in the 2018 season.
When his one-year SMC baseball scholarship wasn’t renewed Ralston went to DVC and played in the final season for Hall of Fame coach Steve Ward. Ralston then went to San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton to play under another renowned coach Reed Peters.
That 2020 season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the infielder showed enough ability that Peters recommended him to Metro State, where Peter’s son Cade was playing.
The college and Ralston are both happy that connection was made!
Jay Bedecarré
Jay Bedecarré is a long-time resident and writer in Concord and Clayton. He began his newspaper writing career while still a senior at Mt. Diablo High School and he has been part of The Pioneer since its inception in 2003. Jay also operates Bay Area Festivals, presenting events around the San Francisco Bay Area including Bay Area KidFest annually in Downtown Concord.