Briana Perez (left) has had three straight banner seasons for Alhambra of Martinez and is All-State Underclass once again. Analise De La Roca (right) may be from small-school Port of L.A., but has shown she’s more than her stats by virtue of scholarship commitment to Arizona State. Photos: SportStarsOnline.com & Jamaal Street/San Pedro News Pilot.
Announcement of the 34th annual Cal-Hi Sports all-state teams for softball begins with honors for the best of the best among juniors, sophomores and freshmen. It also can be a sneak peak at the next season and if that’s the case then Mission Viejo, Norco, Orange Lutheran and Sacramento Sheldon are going to be off the charts since all three have landed three players on either first or second team all-state underclass. Five other schools have had two players chosen.
Note: We hope you enjoy this free story on CalHiSports.com. Some of our additional all-state softball content and some of our preseason football content will be for Gold Club members only. Join our team today by CLICKING HERE.
Due to time constraints, it isn’t possible for the annual all-state softball program conducted by Cal-Hi Sports to do separate teams for juniors, sophomores and freshmen.
Still, with 30 players chosen on first team and 30 more named to the second team, there are slots where some of the best sophomores and freshmen can get honors alongside the juniors.
For this year’s teams, there were seven sophomores and one freshman who have been named first team to go with 22 juniors. On the second team, 11 from the Class of 2018 and five ninth graders made it with 14 juniors.
There were four schools that wound up with three honorees on either first team or second team, but State Team of the Year Mission Viejo is the only one of those four that placed all three on first team, including State Junior of the Year Camryn Ybarra. Norco is one of the other four but also will return every player from its roster next season. It’s safe to say, therefore, that one of those two teams will be No. 1 in next season’s preseason state and national rankings. Lutheran of Orange and Sheldon of Sacramento are the other two schools with three.
Of course, the CIF Southern Section and its sub-regions of Orange County and the Inland Empire have great representation on these teams. The East Bay of the CIF North Coast Section, however, also will be loaded in the next one or two seasons. The State Sophomore of the Year, Vanessa Strong from Freedom of Oakley, and last year’s State Freshman of the Year, Danielle Williams of Pleasanton Amador Valley, plus the junior duo of Karlee Sparacino and Briana Perez from Alhambra of Martinez lead the East Bay contingent.
It was a bit difficult to differentiate among the top freshmen after previously announced Freshman State Player of the Year Kinzie Hansen of Norco so we just left Hansen on the first team and had five more on the second team.
Other schools to get more than one player onto the all-state underclass teams were Los Alamitos, San Marcos, Alhambra of Martinez, Oaks Christian of Westlake Village and Valencia.
Here are the 2016 Cal-Hi Sports All-State Softball Underclass Teams:
Auburn-bound Livy Schiele punched out five more homers and had 58 hits (four more than last season) for La Jolla Bishop’s, but poor girl her average dropped from .621 to .611. Photo: batbusters-sd.com.
FIRST TEAM CATCHERS
Lauren Espalin (Lutheran, Orange) Jr.
Kinzie Hansen (Norco) Fr.
Mary Iakopo (Los Alamitos) Jr.*
Terra McGowan (Mission Viejo) Soph.**
Ally Shipman (Valencia) Soph.
*Also played designated hitter.
**Also played outfield.
FIRST TEAM PITCHERS
Holly Azevedo (Pioneer, San Jose) Jr.
Analise De La Roca (Port of L.A., Wilmington) Jr.
Ryan Denhart (Los Alamitos) Jr.
Taylor Dockins (Norco) Jr.
Natalie Lugo (South Hills, West Covina) Jr.
Molly Millar (Buchanan, Clovis) Soph.
Danielle Williams (Amador Valley, Pleasanton) Soph.
FIRST TEAM INFIELD
Maci Fines (Sheldon, Sacramento) Jr.
Eliyah Flores (Grand Terrace) Jr.
Sabrina Nunez (Redwood, Larkspur) Jr.
Alexis Orozco (San Marcos) Soph.
Briana Perez (Alhambra, Martinez) Jr.
Taylon Snow (Chino Hills) Jr.
Karlee Sparacino (Alhambra, Martinez) Jr.
FIRST TEAM OUTFIELD
Sammy Fabian (Glendale) Jr.
Kayla Ketring (Oaks Christian, Westlake Vllage) Jr.
Livy Schiele (Bishop’s, La Jolla) Jr.
Camryn Ybarra (Mission Viejo) Jr.
FIRST TEAM MULTI-PURPOSE
(Hitting, Pitching)
Maddie Dwyer (Lutheran, Orange) Jr.
Megan Faraimo (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego) Soph.
McKenna Gregory (Benicia) Jr.
Mariah Mazon (Tulare Western, Tulare) Jr.
Jessica Seely (Foothill, Palo Cedro) Jr.
Kyra Snyder (Mission Viejo) Jr.
Vanessa Strong (Freedom, Oakley) Soph.
One of the state’s top sophomores for 2016 was Jasmine Sievers from Capistrano Valley of Mission Viejo. She has already committed to Oregon and batted .552. One of the state’s top frosh was Maya Brady from Oaks Christian of Westlake Village. She already has committed to UCLA. She is the daughter of former Fresno State standout Maureen Brady, who set several state pitching records from 1988 to 1991 at Hillsdale of San Mateo. Her younger brother, Tom, came along a few years later at Serra and has become one of the top QBs in NFL history. Photos: Capo Valley Softball/OCSidelines.com & cbssports.com.
SECOND TEAM CATCHERS
Megan Bower (Miramonte, Orinda) Soph.
Sydney Cross (Mt. Shasta) Jr.
Frankie Hammoude (Bishop O’Dowd, Oakland) Soph.
Alyssa Kumiyama (Gahr, Cerritos) Jr.
Kacey Zobac (Valley Christian, San Jose) Fr.
SECOND TEAM PITCHERS
Danielle Lung (Clovis) Soph.
Taliyah Miles (Sheldon, Sacramento) Jr.
Shea O’Leary (Valencia) Soph.
Eileen Perez (Valley View, Moreno Valley) Jr.
Payton Tidd (San Marcos) Soph.
Paige Vargas (Santa Margarita, Rancho SM) Soph.
Danielle Lung of Clovis didn’t pitch a no-hitter in the CIF Central Section final like she did as a freshman, but has been named the Fresno Bee’s Pitcher of the Year. Photo: Lauren Mueller/TheClovisRoundup.
SECOND TEAM INFIELD
Maya Brady (Oaks Christian, Westlake Village) Fr.
Chloe Camarero (Grossmont, El Cajon) Jr.
Marissa Chavez (Charter Oak, Covina) Jr.
Aaliyah Cuevas (Madera) Jr.
Madi Gilmore (El Camino Real, Woodland Hills) Soph.
Brooke Marquez (Hart, Newhall) Fr.
Shea Moreno (Sheldon, Sacramento) Soph.
Linnah Rebolledo (Ramona, Riverside) Jr.
Jasmine Sievers (Capistrano Valley, Mission Viejo) Soph.
Candace Yingling (Vista Murrieta, Murrieta) Fr.
SECOND TEAM OUTFIELD
Ciarra Briggs (Lutheran, Orange) Fr.
Kira Cauley (La Habra) Jr.
Julie Davis (Homestead, Cupertino) Jr.
Naomi Hernandez (Norco) Jr.
Hannah McEwen (Patrick Henry, San Diego) Jr.
Anyssia Ramirez (Heritage, Brentwood) Jr.
Taryn Young (Canyon, Anaheim) Jr.
SECOND TEAM MULTI-PURPOSE
(Hitters, Pitchers)
Lexy Mills (Agoura, Agoura Hills) Soph.
Lindsey Wallsjasper (Sierra, Manteca) Soph.
STATE JUNIOR OF THE YEAR:
Camryn Ybarra (Mission Viejo)
STATE SOPHOMORE OF THE YEAR:
Vanessa Strong (Freedom, Oakley)
STATE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:
Kinzie Hansen (Norco)
Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports
4 Comments
Aaliyah Cuevas will be playing for Fresno State University. Aaliyah broke the Madera High School RBI”S record and tied Madera High stolen base record.
For two years Danielle Lung has had the best pitching numbers in the valley. For two years in a row won valley pitcher of the year. Voted Guz Zernial female player of the year. NFCA First team All region and Cal-Hi sports gives her second team. SAD
Note that underclass includes juniors not just sophomores and this is California. Second team all-state underclass for a sophomore in by far the greatest and toughest state in the nation with 1,200 schools being viewed as sad is what is really sad. And we just ran her photo in the preseason state rankings.
I read the comment from her Dad and understand his frustrations. But I want to say that I am happy to see her acknowledged as such and I appreciate your time and effort it takes to view so many outstanding atheletes.