What’s Next for these Stars?
By: MUZAMMIL HAKIM
The Tower
MANTECA – Manteca High School has had many successful athletes produced in its time. This year, we have another class of amazing, talented athletes that all have a bright future ahead of them. From the football field, the baseball diamond, the basketball court, and the softball mound, these players have been at the top of their game during their high school career and are ready to take their game to the next level. The Tower interviewed top athletes, Caleb Ortega from baseball, Quinn Martiez from football, Jocelyn Baptist from softball, and Austin Barnes from basketball to see what they want to do in the future.
QUINN MARTINEZ, FOOTBALL
Manteca Football player Quinn Martinez taking a knee to pray before a game on Gus Schmiedt Field (Raclif Figueroa)
Quinn Martinez is a superstar regional prospect at Manteca High. He is a 3-star recruit and has 40 Division I offers from many top schools, including Fresno, Nevada, and Michigan State. His future seems bright, as he hopes to play D-I ball and make it to the NFL.
If it doesn't work out, he plans to be a firefighter.
“My plan after high school is obviously, to play Division I ball, and to go high, I want to be a big (example) to the younger generation and show them just what it's like to put in the hard work and just what it's like to pay off you know,” Martinez said. “But the main goal is to play Division I football and possibly in the NFL. If not, I want to be a firefighter as my dream job,” said Martinez.
“Right now, though, I’m just trying to get situated on what I'm trying to get situated on what I'm going to end up doing,” said Martinez.
Martinez had an impressive season, accumulating 1,240 all-purpose yards and 14 total touchdowns. He led his team to an undefeated 10-0 season and won Valley Oak League MVP. He has a good chance of hopefully fulfilling his dreams into playing D-1 ball and making it to the NFL.
AUSTIN BARNES, BASKETBALL
Austin Barnes is a star basketball player at Manteca High. He's not only good at basketball, but he really shines on fishing. He has made it to the High School World Fishing Finals, in the top 3 in California. He is nationally recognized as an outstanding fisher, receiving a $200,000 scholarship from Simpson University. Although being a star basketball player, his route seems to be opposite from the court and into the water.
“My plan after high school is to go to juco for two years and then transfer to Simpson University for another two years and fish on their college fishing team,” said Barnes.
Barnes sees a good future in fishing and sees himself doing it.
“Fishing is a big industry; I have a few sponsors already that I'm blessed to have; they pay a lot of things that I do. So, I will try to step up my game with the sponsorships, and I could really take it for in life and pursue this as a career,” said Barnes.
Barnes is currently playing varsity basketball and will start fishing when the season starts again. Last year, he had a standout performance at the High School Delta Tournament on August 11, 2024, where he and his teammate Mateo Garcia weighed in 5 bass for 14.11 pounds including one big fish that weighed 3.68 pounds, winning them first place in that event. Barnes also had other great performances at the McLure Tournament, Best Bass Tournament (TBB), and competing in the Major League Fishing (MLF) High School World Championship where he finished 71, which is significant when the competition hosts over 1,300 players.
CALEB ORTEGA, BASEBALL
Caleb Ortega is one of the top baseball players at Manteca High. He is considered a good prospect and has been given offers from different schools to play baseball, including UC Berkely. Although his dream is to play baseball, he also wants to study criminal justice, showing interest in different fields.
“My plan after high school is to keep pursuing baseball. I have a few colleges in mind, not set yet, but I also want to study criminal justice and get into that field. That's my plan after high school,” said Ortega.
His future seems bright and looks to continue his pursuit of baseball in hopes of playing D-1 and possibly the MLB.
Manteca Basketball player Austin Barnes being interviewed by student reporter Muzammil Hakim in front of the New Gym on December 10, 2025 (Diego Aguilar)
JOCELYN BAPTIST, SOFTBALL
Jocelyn Baptist is an outstanding softball player at Manteca High. She is widely considered a great prospect and has also been given offers from top schools like Cal State Eastbay in Hayward. She also wants to study psychology, on the other hand.
“I am attending Cal State Eastbay in Hayward to play softball off a scholarship. I plan on studying psychology,” said Baptist.
She is excited to join their program and sees them shaping her as both a better player and improving herself.
“What excites me most about joining their program is the team, its family orientated, and it's close to home, and everyone gets along. I felt like i fit in perfectly when I visited,” said Baptist.
She had a strong performance last season; she had a .432 AVG (Batting Average), 90 PA (Plate Appearances), 35 H (Hits) on 81 AB (At-Bats), 20 R (Runs Scored), 23 RBI (Runs Batted In), and 12 2B (Doubles). Baptist shows to be an exceptionally good player and looks to take her talents to the next level.
These four athletes from Manteca High are all at the top of their game. Each of them shows tremendous skill and dedication into perfecting their game to take it to the next level. They are all honored and well known in the region for being one of the best of what they do. From the field to the open waters, these athletes work to achieve their dreams into making the pros.