All-State Softball 2024: First Team

State Team of the Year Pacifica of Garden Grove lands three on this elite first team that concludes the 41st year of the Cal-Hi Sports All-State Softball Teams. Ms. Softball Player of the Year Kate Munnerlyn of Mountain View St. Francis listed as a pitcher, but a few like her were placed in multi-purpose for hitting & pitching. All first team players written up in this post. We also have a second team and third team (senior only/large schools only) in a separate post.

For the all-state second and third teams (Gold Club), CLICK HERE.

RELATED: All-State Underclass (Gold Club) | All-State Medium & Small Schools | Final 2024 All-State Nominations (SoCal) Gold Club | Final 2024 All-State Nominations (NorCal) Gold Club

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Congratulations to these players who’ve been named first team overall for the 41st edition of the Cal-Hi Sports all-state softball honors program:

FIRST TEAM OVERALL CATCHERS

Sophia Burmeister (Poway) Jr.
We know the Burmeister name in San Diego for football (QB Braxton and WR Sage), but don’t know the relation if any with Sophia. She sure made a name for herself this season in helping Poway win the CIF San Diego Section Open Division title. Burmeister was the section player of the year according to a media panel and ranked among the section home run leaders with 14. She also had 38 RBI, 23 runs scored and a .495 average. Sophia also has been a top recruit and has committed to Clemson.

Mya Flindt (Whitney, Rocklin) Sr.
The Sacramento Bee All-Metro Player of the Year often gets a first team all-state spot and that had to happen again with Flindt. The power-hitting catcher was the most feared hitter in one of the state’s best leagues (Sierra Foothill) and blasted 14 homers to go with a .545 batting average and 42 RBI. Whitney reached the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D1 final where it fell to league rival Oak Ridge. The team then had to drop out of the CIF NorCal playoffs with the discovery of an ineligible player that was used in a first-round game. None of that mattered with Mya. The University of South Carolina recruit still had to be on top among players from the SJS.

Corri Hicks (Archbishop Mitty, San Jose) Sr.
Although Corri was not able to match the 13 homers she struck as a sophomore for the Monarchs, she still added seven more to her total this season and finished with 28 for her career and was a player the opposition didn’t want to pitch to. She also hit .377 with 29 hits and 25 RBI and was All-Bay Area once again. Hicks’ ability to be a catcher at the next level and hit is perhaps most demonstrated by the fact her college destination will be Oklahoma (which has won four straight NCAA titles). When the Sooners want you, that says it all right there.

Delaina Ma’ae (Pacifica, Garden Grove) Sr.
This is a repeat first team selection for Delaina, who is part of a tremendous Class of 2024 at Pacifica that gained back-to-back CIF Southern Section D1 titles and ended No. 1 in the state. Ma’ae hit .515 for the Mariners with three homers and 20 RBI. She also has been selected All-CIF Southern Section two years in a row. She has signed with UC Santa Barbara.

Sofia Mujica (Granite Hills, El Cajon) Sr.
There was some confusion in the reporting about Sofia tying the state career home run record as was widely reported in San Diego because no one there knew there was someone else in the state this season that had a higher total than the 60th hit by Tannon Snow of Chino Hills in 2016. Mujica hit her 60th this season and will go into the books in a tie for second on the all-time list. There is no confusion about her being one of the state’s best players. The UCLA-bound repeat first teamer had 13 homers this season and received 24 walks. She also batted .444 with 32 hits.

FIRST TEAM OVERALL PITCHERS

Kaylee Davis (Amador Valley, Pleasanton) Jr.
So how great was Kaylee’s efforts for the Dons in their run to the CIF NorCal D1 title? Well, for one, she got player of the year consideration in the Bay and for the state even with Kate Munnerlyn of St. Francis sitting in the leader position. Davis, committed to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, led the way in wins over St. Francis, Clovis North and Oak Ridge in the NorCal playoffs. She didn’t get the pitching win in the final (everyone was getting tired), but came through with five RBI at the plate. For the season, Kaylee went 17-4 with a 2.42 ERA and had 200 strikeouts in 179 2/3 innings. As a batter, she hit .392 on 29 hits.

Kate Munnerlyn
(St. Francis, Mountain View) Sr.
There’s always a thought to picking someone else to be Ms. Softball State Player of the Year when the Gatorade honor comes out first. That just couldn’t be done with Munnerlyn, however. She didn’t lose a game in the circle at 15-0 and she had a 0.52 ERA. Kate also was one of the Lancers’ leading hitters at .356 with six homers and 35 RBI. Munnerlyn, who led St. Francis to a 28-1 record and No. 3 final state ranking, is headed to play next at Texas A&M.

Brynne Nally (Pacifica, Garden Grove) Sr.
She’s been on the all-state radar since ninth grade when she was State Freshman Player of the Year. It subsequently became harder for Brynne to get player of the year honors since she doesn’t have the hitting stats of other top contenders and those tend to go to those who do both. This year, though, her pitching alone was sizzling. Nally had a three-hitter with 11 strikeouts in the CIFSS D1 title game win over Orange Lutheran and she also had a 22-2 record. The Orange County Register Pitcher of the Year also had a 0.99 ERA and struck out 136 batters in 127 innings. Nally will play next at Long Beach State.

Cambria Salmon (Beaumont) Sr.
Regarded as one of the top pitching prospects in the nation for more than three years, it’s hard not to admire Salmon for sticking around at her high school instead of transferring to a more prominent program. She was on a better team as a sophomore, which helped her grab State Sophomore of the Year honors for 2022. This year, the Cougars went 18-7 and Cambria battled in every game. She had a 0.88 ERA and struck out 304 batters in 170 1/3 innings. Salmon also batted .427 with nine homers and 36 hits. The career total she ended with of 1,006 strikeouts also is significant since it takes 1,000 to go on to the all-time state list. Salmon, who will pitch in college at Texas (made it to WCWS final this season), also was honored recently as the Ken Hubbs Memorial Award winner for Riverside/San Bernardino County.

Brianne Weiss (Lutheran, Orange) Sr.
It’s a second straight all-state first team selection for Weiss. She actually had a better senior season than when she was a junior when she was Orange County Register Pitcher of the Year. This year, the Register went with Brynne Nally. Weiss finished 19-2 with a 0.87 ERA for the CIFSS D1 runner-up. She also had 245 strikeouts with one perfect game. Brianne will play next at Notre Dame.

FIRST TEAM OVERALL INFIELD

Sydney Barker (Rocklin) Sr.
She wasn’t the MVP of the Sierra Foothill League and her team was barely above .500, but Sydney was one of the leading players all season in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section and had to get a first team all-state selection. The Thunder and Barker did get going in the SJS D2 playoffs and won the title with a victory over Tracy. She finished with 33 hits, seven homers, 22 RBI and a .384 batting average. The most impressive stat on her was a .406 career batting average despite facing elite competition. Barker also has the Oklahoma factor in her favor in that she’s headed to play for the four-time NCAA champions for college.

Kaniya Bragg (Pacifica, Garden Grove) Jr.
Two of the three of the Pacifica players who were first team last year are back on first team this year. That would be Bragg and Delaina Ma’ae. Brynne Nally moved up from second team. Bragg was the one we admit was most seriously considered for Ms. Softball since she is the one who was the CIFSS D1 player of the year and she was the L.A. Times Player of the Year. Bragg, a four-year varsity standout, is getting ready to play next season at UCLA. She batted .431 this season with a team-best eight homers and she had 27 RBI.

Aleena Garcia (Whittier Christian, La Habra) Sr.
A graduating senior who is headed to UCLA, Garcia excelled at shortstop with her glove and at the plate with her bat. Her honors prior to this one included All-CIFSS for D2 and San Gabriel Valley Tribune Player of the Year. Aleena, who had three home runs in one game, wrapped up her season for the Heralds (who lost in a 14-inning playoff game to California of Whittier) with a .570 batting average. She also hit 13 homers and had 17 doubles and 37 RBI.

Rylee McCoy
(Oaks Christian, Westlake Village) Sr.
Teammate Ilove’a Brittingham had the power numbers to be the L.A. Daily News Player of the Year, but Rylee was way up there as well and her four-year career totals are superior. It therefore became easy to get both of them up on to first team all-state. Headed to Oregon for college, McCoy hit .512 this season and had nine homers and 40 RBI. She had one streak in which she reached base in 10 straight at-bats. For her career, Rylee will get a state record list mention with 32 homers. She also had a .457 career batting average with 164 hits and 153 RBI.

Mia Phillips (Hollister) Sr.
She was the top returning player from a Haybalers’ squad in 2022 that won the CIF NorCal D1 title and was State Team of the Year. Phillips did her best in the attempt to repeat. She had more hits with 46, more RBI with 44 and she had four homers and four triples. The repeat all-state first team player will take her sweet swing and smooth glove to Berkeley in the fall where she will play for Cal.

Jayden Ramos (Central, Fresno) Sr.
We decided not to have to pick between the top two players on our board from the CIF Central Section so we went with both Ramos and Clovis North’s Kiara Sipe for first team. Ramos is headed to the SEC to play at Arkansas and was a key player for last year’s team that won the D1 section title and then this year for the runner-up after winning the Tri-River Athletic Conference title. Ramos batted .469 this season with seven homers and 38 hits. For her career, she had a .409 batting average with 22 homers and 104 RBI.

Kiara Sipe (Clovis North, Fresno) Sr.
She’s been a four-year varsity standout for the Broncos and this year she hit .422 with seven homers, 43 hits and 30 RBI. Sipe ended her career as a CIF Central Section D1 champion, which matched the finish for the team when she was a freshman. Sipe was City MVP in the recent City-County All-Star Game. Kiara isn’t going far for college and will play next at Fresno State.

FIRST TEAM OVERALL OUTFIELD

Ilove’a Brittingham (Oaks Christian, Westlake Village) Sr.
The Lions seem to have a power hitter with the numbers to be first team all-state every year and this season that would be Brittingham. She follows first team Anahi Arreola from last year. Headed for BYU, Ilove’a ranked among the state leaders with 19 home runs in 25 games. She also helped Oaks Christian post a 22-5 record, including a win over Los Alamitos in the CIFSS D1 playoffs. Brittingham also batted .540 with 47 hits, 38 RBI and 42 runs scored. Her biggest honor so far was being named L.A. Daily News Player of the Year.

Natalia Hill (Gahr, Cerritos) Sr.
Since her team opted out of the CIF SoCal regional playoffs, the last moments of Hill’s career for the Gladiators was scoring the winning, walk-off run in the 5-4 victory over California of Whittier that decided the CIFSS D2 crown. Since then, she’s been named CIFSS D2 Player of the Year and Player of the Year by the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Hill, who has signed with Nebraska, stood out all season for her team. Natalia’s final totals included 46 hits, seven homers, 33 RBI and a .549 batting average.

Taelyn Holley (Murrieta Mesa, Murrieta) Jr.
It wasn’t a slam dunk that Taelyn was first team last year as a sophomore, but it sure is now. She already has been named State Junior Player of the Year and Riverside Press-Enterprise Player of the Year. Holley helped Murrieta Mesa to a 28-4 record and a spot in the CIFSS D1 semifinals. The Rams also won the CIF SoCal D1 title. She led the state in reported runs scored with 59, had a .598 batting average on 49 hits and she improved her home run total from seven to 11. Holley also walked 24 times and had a .708 on-base average.

Ashleigh Mejia (Santiago, Corona) Sr.
After getting first team all-state underclass last season, Mejia has stepped it up to be first team overall after her senior season. Santiago didn’t have big success as a team, but plays in the super-tough Big VIII League (same as Norco, Roosevelt of Eastvale and more). Mejia has tied the school record for career homers with 31, which also is a total that will put her on the all-time state list. She also may be the first outfielder in Riverside County history to reach 30 or more career homers. This season as a senior, Mejia hit .485 (.624 OBP) with seven homers and that was just in 65 official at-bats. The Arizona State Sun Devil also was named All-CIFSS for the third straight year and All-Inland Empire.

Kai Minor (Lutheran, Orange) Jr.
The home run robbing catch that Kai had in the CIFSS D1 championship game vs Pacifica was another reminder of how special of a player she is. Minor follows up being State Freshman of the Year, then first team all-state as a sophomore and now first team all-state as a junior. It won’t be a surprise if she’s on top next season. Minor, who was Trinity League Player of the Year and who has committed to NCAA powerhouse Oklahoma, had a .420 batting average this season with four homers and 19 RBI.

Taylor Shumaker (Esperanza, Anaheim) Sr.
If Taylor had the season she had for a team that was more successful (the Aztecs play in a very tough league but only finished 14-12 and weren’t in the CIFSS playoffs), she certainly could have been player of the year. Shumaker was still the OC Register Player of the Year (which does pitchers and field players separately) and threatened the all-time county record of 20 homers before ending at 18. She also struck out only three times all season, batted .636 and had 37 RBI. Shumaker committed to Florida two years ago and stuck by that commitment by signing with the Gators last fall.

FIRST TEAM OVERALL MULTI-PURPOSE (Hit & Pitch)

Olivia Bauer (Sutter) Sr.
The Small Schools State Player of the Year doesn’t always get onto the first team, but Bauer had to make it with her 25-0 pitching record for the 30-0 Huskies. The 25-0 mark will go into the top 10 on the all-time state list. The Boise State signer also had a 0.73 ERA with 192 strikeouts and two no-hitters. At the plate, Olivia had 51 hits and a .520 batting average plus two homers, 36 RBI and 38 runs scored.

Miali Guachino (Great Oak, Temecula) Sr.
It wasn’t as strong of a season for Miali as her junior season when she was State Junior of the Year in leading the Wolf Pack to the CIFSS D2 title and her total stats for the season were unreported, but there still were some individual outings in games that were reported that is enough for a repeat selection. Guachino had a three-hitter and 13 Ks when Great Oak knocked off Norco (which was No. 3 in the state at the time) in the CIFSS D1 playoffs and she was on both the All-CIFSS D1 and All-Inland Empire honor squads. She will play next at Ole Miss.

Lilly Hauser (Murrieta Mesa, Murrieta) Soph.
We wound up going with two sophomores on the first team this season and Hauser was one of them. She also provided Murrieta Mesa with a 1-2 punch of player of the year candidates and there was major thought about both she and junior Taelyn Holley both being the player of the year for their class. The Rams didn’t win the CIFSS D1 title, but were in the semis and did win the CIF SoCal D1 title. Hauser was the top pitcher and went 23-1 with a 0.63 ERA. She added 216 strikeouts in 121 2/3 innings. With bat in hand, Lilly smoked for a .514 average and had 37 hits, nine homers and 37 RBI.

Mya McGowan (Poway) Jr.
Our State Sophomore of the Year from last season is similar to Miali Guachino in that there are no published stats to back up a first team selection. She did pitch the Titans to their second straight CIF San Diego Section Open Division title and she has again been named to the All-San Diego Section team. Mya’s batterymate, Sophia Burmeister, was the player of the year this season after she got it last season. We decided not to break them up. Mya, who also has been highly ranked as a college prospect for the Class of 2025, has been a Cal commit for more than a year.

Lila Partridge (Casa Grande, Petaluma) Jr.
What a postseason slew of honors that Lila has received. It now wraps up with being on first team all-state. She previously had been named State Medium Schools Player of the Year and was a candidate for the top junior honor. Partridge led Casa Grande to the CIF North Coast Section D2 championship, which was considered superior this season to D1 and is why the team was placed in the CIF NorCal D1 playoffs. Lila batted .529 with seven homers, 36 hits, 23 RBI and nine doubles. Lila also finished 16-2 as a pitcher with a 1.27 ERA.

Jessica Phelps (Del Norte, San Diego) Sr.
We don’t have eyes and ears into the CIF San Diego Section player of the year voting, but Jessica had to be given serious consideration for the overall year she had for the Nighthawks. They didn’t win the Open Division title (lost to Poway in the final) but they went to the CIF SoCal D1 title game (Poway lost in the first round round) with a win over Valley View before losing to Murrieta Mesa. Phelps pitched in the 6-3 win vs Valley View and went 2-for-4 at the plate. For the season, she had a 14-2 record as a pitcher with a 1.64 ERA and struck out 92 batters. As for offense, Phelps racked up 38 hits, 14 doubles, four homers and a .388 average. Her academics also were stellar at Del Norte and that’s why she’ll play next at Princeton in the Ivy League.

Ayla Tuua (Capital Christian, Sacramento) Soph.
The other sophomore on first team besides Lilly Hauser is obvious since Ayla was previously named as our State Sophomore of the Year. Tuua led her team to the CIF NorCal D2 title after leading the squad to the D3 regional crown in 2023. As a hitter, she rapped out a .487 average with 38 hits, 11 homers and 28 RBI. In the circle, Ayla went 16-2 with a 0.98 ERA and 226 strikeouts in 128 innings. Many of the leading major college programs are recruiting her.

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