HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL PREVIEW 2025
WHERE WE LEFT OFF
Amador Valley went on one of the most improbable postseason runs in state history, turning a surprising North Coast Section Division I championship into a No. 8 seed in the NorCal Division I playoffs – and then another championship. Led by starting pitcher Kaylee Davis, the Dons won three consecutive NorCal road games, capped by a nine-inning thriller in El Dorado Hills to win the program’s first regional title. … St. Francis was Amador Valley’s first NorCal playoff victim but otherwise was untouchable. The Lancers started 28-0 and captured the Central Coast Section Open Division title. The Mountain View juggernaut shut out 14 opponents, the same amount of games that St. Francis won by run-ruling opponents behind an offense led by West Catholic Athletic League player of the year Jaime Oakland. … Capuchino, led by power-hitting Avery Motroni, won the CCS Division II championship in a come-from-behind victory over Milpitas. … Aragon, as a No. 4 seed, won the CCS Division IV championship by defeating Christopher in the final. … Leigh defeated St. Ignatius to win the CCS Division V title. … Berean Christian captured the NCS Division V crown in a thrilling 10-9 victory over St. Bernard’s.
BEST OF THE BEST
St. Francis, the No. 1 team in NorCal for much of last season, comes into this year in search of a new starting pitcher after Bay Area News Group player of the year Kate Munnerlyn graduated. Whoever wins the job will have the support of a fearsome offense, led by Oakland and the powerful duo of Peyton Tsao and Hayden Hummel.Elsewhere …
Archbishop Mitty is St. Francis’ biggest threat in the WCAL, but the San Jose powerhouse will need some unproven bats to produce. Oliva Anderson is the only returning player who had more than 30 at-bats last season. Junior pitcher Kyleigh Mace is a three-year starter and has shown she can get outs against top competition. … In a region full of great strikeout artists, no pitcher in the Bay Area gets batters to whiff quite like Willow Glen’s Alanna Clincy, who struck out 188 in just 118 innings last season. Sophomore speedster Catalina Medina is a blur in the outfield, and Sienna Wilson and Katelynn Dilbeck bring experience and big-game productivity as seniors for the South Bay’s top public school program, which has the looks of the favorite in the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s Mt. Hamilton Division.
Gilroy should also make some noise in the Mt. Hamilton. Ace pitcher Ariela Yslava struck out 149 and sported a 1.78 ERA. …. After last season’s 12-0 record in the SCVAL El Camino Division, Gunn will try to keep the good times rolling in the tougher De Anza Division? The Titans will have to deal with league powerhouse Los Gatos, along with strong squads from Mountain View and Milpitas.
High-scoring Liberty will be the team to beat in the East Bay’s Bay Valley Athletic League, but Heritage and Freedom are proven programs that should give the Lions a run for their money.
Can Amador Valley repeat last season’s magical run? The Dons certainly have the personnel to do it. Ace pitcher Davis is primed for a huge season as she returns for her senior year. McKenna Charbonneau and Mai Falcone both came up clutch last season and will headline a lineup that figures to have plenty of competition in the East Bay Athletic League.
San Ramon Valley returns Stanford-bound outfielder Sophia Jin, who has the speed to turn a routine groundout into a single for a program that should be among the EBAL contenders. … Granada had a bit of a down year last season, finishing 13-10, and graduated most of its top hitters. But the Matadors bring back the powerful Delaney Aumua. She led the team with 10 homers. … Don’t count out California, the NCS Division I champ two years ago, or Livermore in the EBAL race.
The Tri-County Athletic League’s two divisions are chock full of interesting teams. The Stone has all-offense, all the time Hercules and base-stealing obsessed Swett, while the Rock touts Pinole Valley, Salesian and the always entertaining De Anza. … The West Alameda County Conference Foothill Division could see any of its four teams capture the league title. But Alameda, with many of its players coming off a NCS flag football title in the fall, will be the favorites to repeat. The Hornets are led by Aaliyah Soderlund. … Benicia, Northgate and Acalanes from the DAL should battle for the league title.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
(alphabetical order)
Kaycie Burdick, IF, Foothill, senior
EBAL offensive player of the year hit .552 with nine home runs and 20 RBIs. Washington commit scored 37 runs and stole 10 bases.
Alanna Clincy, P, Willow Glen, junior
BVAL Mt. Hamilton Division most valuable player was 15-5 and struck out 188 for the NorCal Division II finalists. Batted .470 with 14 extra-base hits and 33 RBIs.
DeAmor Coleman, P, Salesian, sophomore
TCAL Rock Division co-MVP was 17-0 with 183 strikeouts for the league champions. Also hit .481 with 24 RBIs, and stole 22 bases for the Pride.
Jewel Cooper, C, Liberty, sophomore
Co-Bay Valley Athletic League MVP had a .500 batting average and hit a team-high 10 home runs for the league champions.
Kaylee Davis, P, Amador Valley, senior
First-team all-EBAL selection was the star of Amador Valley’s stunning postseason that saw the Dons win the NCS Division I and NorCal D-I titles. Was 17-4 with 200 strikeouts, and hit the go-ahead home run in the regional final.
Riana Everetts, IF, De Anza, senior
First-team all-TCAL Stone Division selection stuffed the stat-sheet, hitting 11 home runs and stealing 24 bases while driving in 47 runs for De Anza.
Maya Davis, P, College Park, junior
Second-team all-DAL selection hit .375 with 11 RBIs for a College Park team that reached the NCS Division I title game and was the No. 1 seed in the NorCal Division III playoffs.
Sophia Jin, IF, San Ramon Valley, senior
First-team all-EBAL selection and Stanford commit hit .560 with six triples and 36 runs scored. Also stole a team-high 24 bases.
Lexi Kuka, P, Hillsdale, senior
PAL Bay Division pitcher of the year was 18-4 with a 1.42 ERA and 151 strikeouts for the Knights, who went 23-5.
Kyleigh Mace, P, Archbishop Mitty, junior
First-team all-WCAL selection went 20-5 and struck out 154 batters while sporting a 1.27 ERA for a team that reached the CCS Open Division championship game.
Avery Motroni, C, Capuchino, senior
First-team all-PAL Bay Division selection hit .488 with 10 home runs and 31 RBIs for the CCS Division II champions. The Arizona State commit drove in 31 runs.
Katia Nesper, P, The King’s Academy, junior
WBAL Foothill Division pitcher of the year had a 0.29 ERA and went 16-1 for the league champions. Also hit .373 with 22 RBIs
Annika Norquist, IF, Los Gatos, senior
Co-SCVAL De Anza Division player of the year hit .405 with 10 doubles and 21 RBIs for the league champions.
Jaime Oakland, OF, St. Francis, junior
Co-WCAL player of the year hit .629 for the WCAL and CCS Division I champions. Stole a team-high 21 bases for the 28-1 Lancers.
Julia Simon, C, Presentation, junior
First-team all-WCAL selection hit .572 with 20 RBIs and eight doubles for the Panthers. Had a hit in 16 of 19 games.
Ariela Yslava, P, Gilroy, senior
BVAL Mt. Hamilton Division pitcher of the year struck out 149 in 24 appearances for the CCS Open Division participants. Helped lead Gilroy to a 21-7 record.
OTHERS TO WATCH
Jazzy Alcantar, OF, Encinal
Mya Arroyo, P, De Anza, senior
Tulip Barnes, IF, Bishop O’Dowd, junior
Mia Bennette, IF, The King’s Academy, junior
Delilah Berry, OF, St. Ignatius, junior
Jayda Crosby, OF, California, senior
Mai Falcone, IF, Amador Valley, junior
Isabella Flores, P, Piedmont Hills, junior
Hayden Hummel, OF, St. Francis, senior
Bronwyn James, P, Oakland, senior
Laine Macosky, IF, Livermore, junior
Allison Marcelino, P, Mountain View, junior
Sinead Maas, P, Benicia, senior
Catalina Medina, OF, Willow Glen, sophomore
Emily Placencia, C, Hercules, senior
Carina Reuterskiold, P, Lincoln-San Jose, senior
Julissa Sanchez, OF, Pinole Valley, junior
Paige Williams, P, Campolindo, sophomore
Bay Area News Group softball Top 20
(Mercury News & East Bay Times)
No. 1 ST. FRANCIS (28-1)
Final ranking last season: 1
How it ended: Lost to Amador Valley 4-1 in NorCal Division I quarterfinals.
Season opener: March 6 vs. Mountain View, 4 p.m.
No. 2 WILLOW GLEN (24-8)
Final ranking last season: 4
How it ended: Lost to Destiny Christian 6-0 in NorCal Division I championship game.
Season opener: Feb. 28 vs. Everett Alvarez, 3:30 p.m.
No. 3 AMADOR VALLEY (19-11)
Final ranking last season: Not ranked
How it ended: Beat Oak Ridge 13-11 to win NorCal Division I championship
Season opener: Feb. 27 vs. Tracy, 3:30 p.m.
No. 4 ARCHBISHOP MITTY (23-5)
Final ranking last season: 2
How it ended: Lost 2-0 to Whitney in NorCal Division I quarterfinals.
Season opener: Feb. 28 vs. Aragon, 6 p.m.
No. 5 LIVERMORE (24-6)
Final ranking last season: 5
How it ended: Lost to Casa Grande 2-0 in NCS Division II championship game.
Season opener: Feb. 25 at Aragon, 3:30 p.m.
No. 6 BENICIA (23-2)
Final ranking last season: 3
How it ended: Lost to Livermore 6-3 in NCS Division II semifinals.
Season opener: Feb. 26 vs. Central Catholic-Modesto, 2:15 p.m.
No. 7 GILROY (21-7)
Final ranking last season: 6
How it ended: Lost to Hollister 3-0 in CCS Open Division quarterfinals.
Season opener: Feb. 25 vs. Milpitas, 3:30 p.m.
No. 8 JAMES LOGAN (22-3)
Final ranking last season: 11
How it ended: Lost to Amador Valley 5-2 in NCS Division I quarterfinals.
Season opener: Feb. 28 vs. Bishop O’Dowd, 4 p.m.
No. 9 ALAMEDA (20-4)
Final ranking last season: 7
How it ended: Lost to Casa Grande 3-1 in NCS Division II semifinals.
Season opener: Feb. 28 at Redwood, 4 p.m.
No. 10 HILLSDALE (23-5)
Final ranking last season: 8
How it ended: Lost to Willow Glen 3-1 in CCS Open Division quarterfinals.
Season opener: March 4 vs. Mills, 4:30 p.m.
No. 11 CALIFORNIA (18-9)
Final ranking last season: 10
How it ended: Lost to Amador Valley 6-1 in NCS Division I semifinals.
Season opener: Feb. 27 vs. Heritage, 4 p.m.
No. 12 BISHOP O’DOWD (18-9)
Final ranking last season: 15
How it ended: Lost to Alameda 5-3 in NCS Division II quarterfinals.
Season opener: Feb. 26 at Alhambra, 3:30 p.m.
No. 13 LIBERTY (20-4)
Final ranking last season: 9
How it ended: Lost to College Park 7-3 in NCS Division I semifinals.
Season opener: Feb. 25 vs. Tracy, 4 p.m.
No. 14 LOS GATOS (19-7)
Final ranking last season: 12
How it ended: Lost to Archbishop Mitty 4-0 in CCS Open Division quarterfinals.
Season opener: March 4 vs. Archbishop Mitty, 6 p.m.
No. 15 CAPUCHINO (18-12)
Final ranking last season: Not ranked
How it ended: Lost 3-2 to Dixon in NorCal Division III semifinals.
Season opener: March 12 vs. St. Francis, 4 p.m.
No. 16 COLLEGE PARK (15-10)
Final ranking last season: 13
How it ended: Lost 3-2 to Sutter in NorCal Division III semifinals.
Season opener: Feb. 27 at Granada, 3:30 p.m.
No. 17 ENCINAL (22-5)
Final ranking last season: Not ranked
How it ended: Lost to Cardinal Newman 6-4 in NCS Division III semifinals.
Season opener: March 1 at Hollister, 2 p.m.
No. 18 GRANADA (13-10)
Final ranking last season: 17
How it ended: Lost to College Park 5-1 in NCS Division I quarterfinals.
Season opener: Feb. 27 vs. College Park, 3:30 p.m.
No. 19 THE KING’S ACADEMY (21-4)
Final ranking last season: 20
How it ended: Lost to Salinas 2-0 in CCS Division I semifinals.
Season opener: March 4 at Gilroy, 3:30 p.m.
No. 20 SAN RAMON VALLEY (13-12)
Final ranking last season: Not ranked
How it ended: Lost to California 9-4 in NCS Division I quarterfinals.
Season opener: Feb. 24 vs. Arroyo, 3:30 p.m.
Editor’s note: Teams eligible for the Bay Area News Group rankings come from leagues based predominantly in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. The rankings were compiled by BANG’s Joseph Dycus, Darren Sabedra, Christian Babcock and Nathan Canilao.