San Lorenzo Valley High School Cougars led the Monte Vista Christian Mustangs, 21-10, at halftime Oct. 24, but football wasn’t the only reason for excitement.
On the sunlit sidelines, 2017 SLVHS graduate Tanner Murray stood with family and friends, waiting to join his former varsity baseball coach, Shane “Sutty” Sutcliffe, on the field. The occasion: the retirement of Murray’s No. 2 baseball jersey, honoring a Cougar standout whose journey had taken him from the San Lorenzo Valley to Major League Baseball.
For Murray, the ceremony was more than a celebration of athletic achievement. It was a homecoming and an opportunity to reconnect with the community that helped shape him.
“It’s been cool. It’s a total honor, and hanging and seeing Sutty again, having him put all this on, is pretty cool,” Murray said. “It’s great to be back and remembering what made me become who I am, and I’m just honored.”
During his years at SLVHS, Murray was a varsity captain in baseball, football and basketball, earning a reputation as a versatile athlete and leader.
On the baseball diamond, he earned all-league honors in three of his four seasons and was named Player of the Year as a senior. He also received all-league and sectional recognition across multiple sports and was named the 2016-17 Santa Cruz Sentinel Male Athlete of the Year.
His senior baseball season in 2017 proved particularly memorable. Murray led the Cougars to a Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League (SCCAL) championship, batting .457 and ranking among the Central Coast Section’s top 20 home run hitters. At shortstop, his athleticism and instincts made him a game-changing presence. He also excelled as an All-SCCAL-caliber varsity quarterback and basketball captain.
Following graduation, Murray continued his baseball career at UC Davis, where he initially joined the program as a walk-on. In 2020, he was selected in the fourth round of the Major League Baseball Draft, beginning a professional journey that ultimately led to the Chicago White Sox.
This past April, Murray made his major league debut, achieving a milestone that even his biggest fans had never expected.
Sutcliffe, who coached Murray for three of his four years at SLVHS, said watching his former player reach the major leagues made the jersey retirement especially meaningful.
“It’s incredible to have Tanner go in and we’re just here to honor what he’s accomplished,” Sutcliffe said. “I think as teachers and coaches, that’s our job, is to honor children.”
Sutcliffe recalled beginning to research college opportunities for Murray during his sophomore year, contacting schools and working to get his name in front of coaches.
“We started sophomore year, just researching where we could place him,” Sutcliffe said.
When UC Davis offered an opportunity, Murray had to prove himself, and he did. “He had to work hard, and he became freshman All-American,” Sutcliffe said. “And I knew he would.”
For Sutcliffe, helping athletes recognize their potential is as important as developing their skills.
“So many guys doubt themselves, and they don’t need to,” he said. “They just need to get out of their own way and become what they want to become.” Sometimes, he added, that confidence begins with someone else believing in a young person before they believe in themselves.
Murray offered similar advice to aspiring athletes. “Just be yourself and believe in yourself,” he said. “You gotta get a little lucky, but, I mean, the more you believe in yourself, the luckier things happen.”
“Dreams do come true. It’s pretty awesome,” he added. “Just chase your dreams and just keep believing.”
The professional game has brought Murray new experiences, including living in different places and adjusting to new organizations and teammates. But he credits his upbringing in the San Lorenzo Valley with helping him navigate those changes.
“Growing up here, and hearing other stories and being around people, taught me how to deal with all that stuff,” Murray said. “So it made that part of it easier.”
Among those most excited to celebrate Saturday were his parents, Scott and Chantel Murray, who have cheered his journey from Little League stands to the major leagues.
“It’s just nice to be recognized,” Scott said of the honor. “A lot of people could have their jerseys retired. But Sutty chose our kid, and that’s pretty nice.”
The couple invited a handful of people to the ceremony, only to see additional family and friends arrive to share the moment. For them, the distance between Murray’s small-town beginnings and baseball’s biggest stage remains astonishing.
“From here to the big leagues is pretty damn far,” Scott said. “That’s huge. And it’s awesome.”
Scott admitted he never envisioned his son reaching the majors. Initially, he hoped Murray might play college baseball.
That outlook began to change during a game at the University of San Francisco. Watching from the third-base line, Scott saw a group of men stand with cameras when Murray was announced as the leadoff batter.
“I went, ‘Oh, my God, those guys are here to see my son,’” Scott recalled.
The moment offered a glimpse of the possibilities ahead, though the family said Murray’s path was never something they had carefully planned. Instead, they embraced each opportunity as it came.
“We live by the rule: If you’re invited on a rocket ship, the answer is yes,” Scott said. “You don’t ask why, and you don’t ask what seat, you don’t ask where you’re going. You just go.”
From Division I baseball to opportunities to play in the Cape Cod Baseball League, each step meant another chance to learn, compete and be seen.
Looking back, Scott said he couldn’t take credit for orchestrating his son’s success.
“I’d love to say I knew this, and I planned this, and I know this guy is going to make it. But it wasn’t our goal,” he said. “Our son definitely did it. Yeah, it was Tanner’s work that got him here.”
Murray, however, was quick to acknowledge his parents’ sacrifices and support.
“Everything,” he said when asked how much of a role they played. “I mean, they helped me get to where I am. They paid for a bunch of stuff, or helped me get from place to place, and all that, so I can’t thank them enough.”
Saturday’s jersey retirement celebrated more than a remarkable baseball career. It honored the family, coaches and community behind it, and offered young Cougars a reminder that big dreams can begin close to home.
For Murray, No. 2 will forever be part of SLVHS history, a lasting symbol of Cougar pride, perseverance and the power of believing in one’s dream.
