Until his senior year at Pleasant Grove High School, 20-year-old Alan Quirarte-Guzman did not see himself playing college baseball until community colleges showed interest in recruiting him.

Now a sophomore in his second season on the Cosumnes River College baseball team, he led the team in batting average, extra-base hits, walks, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

Quirarte-Guzman said he had interest from other Los Rios baseball programs but was drawn to CRC because of assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator Scott Haynes’ belief in him.

“Coach Scott was really persistent in texting me and just letting me know that he wanted me and believed in me to come here,” Quirarte-Guzman said. “After a meeting with him, I ended up deciding to come here, and it’s been the best decision I’ve made so far.”

In Quirarte-Guzman’s freshman season, he led the team in batting average and hit .343. He was named to the All-American list by the California Community College Baseball Association.

Quirarte-Guzman said his first year with the Hawks was a challenge with trying to manage balancing school, baseball, work and family.

During that year, he said his mom had to have treatment for cancer. Quirarte-Guzman said he felt completely supported by head coach Don Mico and his teammates during his mom’s battle with cancer because Mico encouraged him to put family first.

“He was there for me every step of the way,” Quirarte-Guzman said. “He would just check in on me and make sure everything was good.”

Since then, his mom has been in remission.

Mico said Quirarte-Guzman has been professional in how he’s navigated everything going on in his life.

“He’s handled everything to the utmost, so I’m very proud of how he’s handled all of the situations,” Mico said.

Quirarte-Guzman said his favorite memory from his two years at CRC was a team gathering that was held after he told Mico about his mom’s cancer.

“When I first told Mico about the stuff going on with my mom and my family, he had the team get together in front of the bleachers, and me and like two other teammates agreed to shave our heads on camera,” Quirarte-Guzman said.

This year, Quirarte-Guzman has been a mainstay for the Hawks, playing in every game of the season. In addition to his consistent offensive performance, he has played multiple positions around the infield including shortstop and all three base positions.

This season, he has also become more of a team leader.

“He’s definitely been the team captain,” Mico said. “He’s taken that whole leadership role and he’s done a good job.”

Quirarte-Guzman’s teammate, sophomore outfielder Angelo Nunes, described him as a team leader and a good person.

“He hustles, and he’s a really hard worker,” Nunes said. “He’s somebody that leads by example as a player and as a person. Alan is one of the nicest dudes I know.”

Quirarte-Guzman batted .395 in the regular season with four home runs and 21 doubles. He was also named to the first team all conference.

Quirarte-Guzman said he credits his successful season to the hard work he put in the off-season.

“I was in the weight room a lot more, and also in the spring I am still trying to work out three times a day,” Quirarte-Guzman said.

Another person Quirarte-Guzman relied on was Judah Morris, a former CRC baseball player who now plays for the Athletic’s single-A affiliate, the Stockton Ports.

Morris came to some practices and worked with him on his swing.

“Him and I really just worked on trying to hit for more power and just more consistency,” Quirarte-Guzman said.

Quirarte-Guzman said he was happy to see the results of his hard work pay off and that his time at CRC has helped him grow not only as a player but as a person.

“I feel like I wouldn’t be the same person now if I hadn’t chosen to come to CRC and play baseball here,” Quirarte-Guzman said.

Nunes said that one quality that stands out about Quirarte-Guzman is his integrity.

“Over the last two years Alan’s been one of my best friends on the team because of his high character on and off the field,” Nunes said.

After CRC, Quirarte-Guzman plans to transfer to a four-year college to study computer engineering. He hopes to continue his baseball career when he transfers.

“I think he’s going to be a good get for any baseball program that recruits him,” Mico said.