Clipboard: Salinas’ Hunter has a touchdown catch in Nebraska debut

A national television audience caught a glimpse of Nyziah Hunter, and the former Salinas High wide receiver put on a show with six catches for 65 yards and a touchdown in Nebraska’s 20-17 win over Cincinnati last Friday.

Having entered the transfer portal in the off-season, the 6-foot-2 Hunter is in his first season with the Cornhuskers after spending his first two collegiate seasons at Cal.

Sporting the No. 13, the redshirt sophomore caught Nebraska’s first touchdown in the first half and added a clutch 24-yard reception in the second half that led to another score.

Hunter had 30-plus Division I schools offering him a scholarship just hours after entering the transfer portal.

Last fall Hunter was among the ACC leaders in touchdowns at Cal with five, finishing with 40 catches for 578 yards. The 20-year-old caught at least one pass in all 12 of the team’s games, having multiple receptions in 11 games.

Over his last two seasons at Salinas, Hunter caught 93 passes for 1,565 yards and 12 touchdowns, while adding 170 yards and five touchdowns on designed runs.

A multiple sport athlete at Salinas, Hunter set a school record in the 100 meters in reaching the state track and field championships as a junior in 2022. He also led the basketball team in rebounds as a senior.

Orozco returns to the pitch

Having missed all of last season with an injury, Malin Orozco has shown no ill effects from being sidelined for a year, producing two assists in Santa Clara University’s first three women’s soccer matches.

Orozco recorded assists in matches against San Jose State and Texas Tech for the Broncos, who are 1-2-0.

The 5-foot-2 redshirt sophomore was named to the West Coast Conference All-Freshman team in 2023, after producing three goals and three assists in 21 matches, including a game-winning goal.

In her one season playing high school soccer at Notre Dame, the forward had 27 goals and 11 assists in 10 matches, earning the league’s Most Valuable Player award.

Orozco was rated No. 8 in the Class of 2023 by Top Drawer Soccer, and has been invited to the National Team training camp five times.

Milovale in the trenches at Hawaii

Helping keep his quarterback upright in a 23-20 win over Stanford was Seaside High graduate James Milovale, who started at right tackle for Hawaii.

The 6-foot-6, 320-pound Milovale is an NFL prospect, having earned a 70.8 grade from Pro Football Focus for his run blocking.

Milovale started the final 10 games of last season for Hawaii – eight at right tackle and two at left guard.

The former Hartnell College All-State lineman was part of an offensive unit at Hawaii that recorded the third-best passing attack in the Mountain West Conference in 2024.

A three-sport standout at Seaside, Milovale also earned all-league honors in basketball and volleyball. His older brother, Michael also played for Hawaii.

Martel records first collegiate soccer point

Sophie Martel – the county’s all-time leader in goals – collected her first collegiate point with an assist for the San Jose State women’s soccer team.

Having started the Spartans’ first three matches, the 5-foot-3 sophomore forward has logged 168 minutes in a 1-2-0 start.

Last year Martel played in 13 matches for San Jose State as a true freshman, starting seven games in 441 minutes of action on the pitch.

Martel set a single-season school record for goals at Soledad as a sophomore in 2022 with 51. She owns the county’s all-time record for goals with 127, despite only playing half her senior season.

The Cypress Division Most Valuable Player in 2022 and Mission Division MVP in 2023, Martel graduated early from Soledad to play for the top high school girls’ soccer team in Japan in 2024.

Salinas’ Jensen re-signs

In an attempt to revive his professional baseball career, pitcher Ryan Jensen is returning to the Chicago Cubs – the franchise that originally drafted the Salinas High graduate in 2019.

Released by the Minnesota Twins Triple-A affiliate in St. Paul in late June, Jensen was re-signed by the Cubs organization after clearing waivers, and assigned to their Arizona Complex League.

Jensen, who was a first-round draft pick by the Cubs, the 27th overall, in Major League Baseball’s Amateur Draft in 2019, was just 2-4 with St. Paul with a 6.59 earned run average.

Over the course of six minor league seasons at four different levels, the right-handed hurler is 13-28 with 367 strikeouts in 301 innings.

Jensen, who earned second-team All-American honors at Fresno State after going 12-1 in 2019, has had stints in the Cubs, Twins and Mariners organizations.

A former three-sport athlete at Salinas High, Jensen was a member of The Herald’s All-County football and baseball teams.

Seaside’s Finest

Seaside’s Finest Fall Skills Basketball Development Program is off and running until Oct. 30, Mondays and Thursdays from 7-8:30 p.m. at Monterey Peninsula College. Go to https://seasidesfinest.leagueapps.com

Baseball Club

The Celtic Baseball Club is taking signups for grades 9-12. Go to brianneffski@yahoo.com