Jonah Imberg not only had a 1.57 ERA for the strong Miramonte pitching staff, he also hit .377 with two home runs and added 16 stolen bases. And even better, he’ll be back next year.
It was another successful season for Miramonte athletics, as the Mats added to the North Coast Section (NCS) title won by boys’ lacrosse (see June issue) with impressive efforts in baseball, softball, and track and field.
The strong finish capped a very good year for athletic director Sean Hennessey and the coaches and athletes he supervises, and set the stage for more improvement in 2026-27.
Baseball
Steve Hammond’s first year in charge was a step forward for the baseball program, as the 16 wins was the highest total since 2018, and the only team that finished ahead of Miramonte in the Diablo Athletic League (DAL) Valley division was eventual Division 2 champion Northgate.
Junior Alex Heath highlighted his DAL Most Valuable Pitcher season by holding Acalanes to just one run and leading the Mats to their first victory over their Lafayette rivals in seven years.
Two juniors – Jonah Imberg and Graham Jenkins – plus sophomore Jack Porter were first-team all-Valley players, and senior Ian Hughes and junior George Gilbert were second team.
Hammond was not only excited about his group’s performance this year, but he’s looking forward to next season as well, since all but two seniors will return.
“We have the talent and depth to make a big jump next year,” said Hammond.
Boys’ Golf
Hunter Sabarese shot an 85 to lead the Matadors’ golfers at the North Coast Section Division 2 championships, but it was a step back from the team’s usual postseason level. Ryan Stemmler was first-team all-DAL in the Foothill Division and Brooks Butler joined Sabarese on the
second team.
Track and Field
Though Milla Ohrbach won the NCS Tri-Valley discus and finished second at the Meet of Champions (MOC) with a throw of 131-7, she chose to go through graduation rather than attend her third State Track Meet.
Ohrbach also finished third in the shot at the MOC with a toss of 37-7, wrapping up perhaps the most impressive track and field career in Miramonte history.
Freshman Jaya Patel finished sixth at the MOC with a 10-6 pole vault and junior Alex Howe came in 10th in the boys’ shot put after a throw of 46-7.
Other MOC participants were freshman Olivia Durnik (400), junior Kate Knight (200), junior Mia Cortesio (high jump) and senior Logan Letulle (3200).
Amaya Kennedy, Cortesio, Durnik and Knight also qualified for the MOC in the 4×100.
Softball
After winning the NCS Division 5 title in 2025, the Mats’ softball team moved up to Division 4 in 2026, and promptly knocked off sixth seed Piner in the first round.
Miramonte was once again led by senior pitcher Abby Warren, who was joined on the Valley Division first team by freshmen Sammy Hardy and Sydney Saben. Sophomore Lucy Daoust and junior Talia Kardon were second team.
The Mats followed up a 19-win season in 2025 with 18 this year, a marked turnaround from the previous seasons. The team got those wins this year by combining strong hitting (a .402 team batting average), excellent pitching (nine shutouts) and solid defense (.902 fielding percentage).
Though Warren graduated, plenty of experience returns in 2027, so coach O.C. Schott is confident Miramonte will continue its upward climb.