For Madera Unified School District professional baseball players, Murf Gray and Alec Gamboa, it was a great year.
Former Madera Coyote, Gamboa, bounced between the Boston Red Sox and Triple-A affiliate in Worcester all season, but stuck with the big club after getting called up on August 12.
He didn’t allow an earned run in seven August appearances, which included two starts. He allowed four runs in seven September appearances, which included a start.
He became a trusted member of the Red Sox bullpen, compiling a 1.91 ERA in 21 games this season in 33 innings pitched. He was valued so much that he was placed on the Red Sox playoff roster.
Gamboa made his first-ever professional postseason appearance on Tuesday against the New York Yankees. He was a little shaky, allowing two singles and a walk to load the bases, and another single drove in a run as he was relieved. Two more inherited runs scored that night in a loss.
However, by entering the game, Gamboa became the first Madera Unified School District baseball player to play in Major League Baseball’s postseason.
Gamboa righted the ship the next night against the Yankees. He entered in the bottom of the seventh inning with runners at the corners. He got Paul Goldschmidt to fly out to right and Ben Rice to fly out to center to end the inning.
Boston was swept by the Yankees in the Wild Card Round, but Gamboa made Madera history.
However, Gamboa wasn’t the only former Madera player to excel this season.
Former Madera South Stallions’ standout, Gray, jumped through three levels in his first professional season. He impressed so much that he was named Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
It’s the first time a Madera baseball player has ever earned that honor.
Over three teams — Single-A Bradenton, Single-A Advanced Greensboro, and Double-A Altoona — Gray hit 32 home runs with 97 RBIs while hitting .305. His OPS-plus (on base percentage plus slugging percentage) was an astounding .969.
He closed out his first season at Altoona, hitting nine home runs with 27 RBI while maintaining a .258 batting average.
Gray was drafted in the third round in 2025 by the Pirates.