Ms. Softball 2025: Taelyn Holley

Ms. Softball State Player of the Year Taelyn Holley reacts after scoring a run during senior season for Murrieta Mesa. At right, she’s shown in a photo taken to celebrate one of her honors after the 2024 season. Photos: murrietamesasoftball / Instagram.com.


Being the exclusive compilers of state softball records in California can make a difference at times for player of the year consideration. So with Murrieta Mesa’s Taelyn Holley putting her name on all sorts of all-time offensive categories, that was the difference for her in another close call for the state’s most long-running softball player of the year honor. Holley is the seventh Ms. Softball honoree from the Inland Empire since 2010 but the first from her school.

For a rundown of the other Cal-Hi Sports State Players of the Year for softball, CLICK HERE.

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It’s always an advantage for a prestigious honor like Ms. Softball State Player of the Year in California to have been chosen during the previous year.

Taelyn Holley from Murrieta Mesa High of Murrieta was the 2024 State Junior of the Year and she had even better offensive totals as a senior. Despite others getting strong support, she has followed up the junior honor by being named as the 2025 Cal-Hi Sports Ms. Softball State Player of the Year.

The University of Tennessee-bound All-American becomes the first Ms. Softball winner from her school and breaks a streak of four years with the top honoree coming from Northern California. Holley is not the first from the Inland Empire. The softball hotbed had four straight winners from 2010 to 2013 and then Norco’s Taylor Dockins (RIP) for 2017 and Kinzie Hansen for 2019 gained the nod.

“I’m so grateful and honored to receive this award,” Holley texted on Monday night when informed she had been selected. “It means a lot to me.”

Holley is not a pitcher-hitter like many others who’ve gained the Ms. Softball honor, but her accomplishments on offense and on defense were judged to be enough to be placed in the No. 1 position.

Those totals that Taelyn had as a junior showed her with a .598 batting average with a state-leading 59 runs scored, 49 hits, 11 homers and 32 RBI. She played for a team that reached the CIF Southern Section D1 semifinals.

Although Murrieta Mesa only won one CIFSS D1 playoff game this season, Holley once again batted .598. She didn’t score 59 runs, but had higher totals in all of her other categories, including 52 hits, 15 homers and 40 RBI. She also had 53 runs scored and eight doubles (one more double than in 2024).

Taelyn shows her left-handed batting form while playing for the Athletics Mercado travel ball squad. Photo: Line Drive Media.


It’s in the all-time state record categories of career runs scored, career batting average and career home runs that puts Holley’s accomplishments in historical perspective.

For career runs, Taelyn’s final total of 198 will go into the state records at No. 5 all-time and No. 3 for the CIFSS. Her career batting average of .531 will also make it onto the all-time state list and is one of the highest we’ve ever seen for a school that usually plays in the top CIFSS division. For career homers, Holley finished with 36 for another all-time state listing. That’s far from the record of 64 set last year by Dani Jackman of University Prep (Victorville) but 36 playing in the Southwestern League (same as the great Sierra Romero with 46 homers for Vista Murrieta 2009-2012 and Taylor Edwards with 38 for Vista Murrieta 2007-2010) is impressive.

“The career that I had was incredible,” Holley told Cal-Hi Sports. “The bonds I created, it wasn’t just friends that I made but family. I truly believe I was able to break all these records and play the way I do was because of my teammates. Breaking records and being named all these things don’t even compare to the memories I made.”

The speed that Holley showed in helping her get a lot of hits also is shown by two other career totals. For stolen bases, she went 62 of 64 in her career. And for outfield defense, Taelyn had no errors this season and only one for the last three seasons plus five outfield assists over the last three seasons.

Two others who were strongly considered for Ms. Softball probably needed to have more playoff success by their teams to finish at the top. Orange Lutheran’s Kai Minor, the top-ranked college recruit in the state as a senior, had her season end in the first round of the CIFSS D1 playoffs. Sacramento Destiny Christian’s Ayla Tuua was the Gatorade State Player of the Year, but her team lost in the first round of the CIF NorCal D2 playoffs. She’s still state junior of the year. Sophomore Coral Williams of Norco also would have to be considered near the top by being the leading player from the No. 1 team in the state. She is a pitcher who doesn’t hit and split time as the team’s starting pitcher. She has been named state sophomore of the year.

Holley, who wears No. 27 as an homage to her favorite player, Mike Trout, said she almost didn’t go to Murrieta Mesa.

“I will forever be thankful for my best friend (Kenzie-Lyn Grace Farrier) who convinced my parents to let me (go to) Mesa,” she said. “I will be forever grateful.”

We’re pretty sure the Murrieta Mesa school community will be forever grateful as wll.

ALL-TIME LIST CAL-HI SPORTS
MS. SOFTBALL STATE PLAYERS
OF THE YEAR

Kate Munnerlyn of Mountain View St. Francis was the Ms. Softball honoree for 2024. Photo: Mark Tennis.


2025 – Taelyn Holley, Murrieta Murrieta Mesa OF
2024 – Kate Munnerlyn,
Mountain View St. Francis INF-P
2023 – Randi Roelling, Modesto Central Catholic P-INF
2022 – Jessica Oakland,
Mountain View St. Francis INF
2021 – Jayla Castro, Rocklin C
2020 – No selection (pandemic)
2019 – Kinzie Hansen, Norco C
2018 – Payton Tidd, San Marcos P-OF
2017 – Taylor Dockins, Norco P-DH
2016 – Nicole Bates, Ceres INF
2015 – Taylor McQuillin, Mission Viejo P
2014 – Johanna Grauer,
Pleasanton Amador Valley P-DH
2013 – Kylie Reed, Norco INF
2012 – Emily Lockman, Norco P
2011 – Lauren Sweet, Corona Santiago C
2010 – Jessica Hall, Chino Hills Ayala P
2009 – Keilani Ricketts, SJ Archbishop Mitty P-DH
2008 – Jessica Spigner, Valencia P-SS
2007 – Jordan Taylor, Valencia P
2006 – Amanda Williams, Oakley Freedom P
2005 – Katie Cotta, Linden P-DH
2004 – Anjelica Selden, Travis AFB Vanden P
2003 – Lisa Dodd, San Diego University City P-DH
2002 – Alicia Hollowell, Fairfield P
2001 – Marissa Marzan, Fresno Bullard P
2000 – Jamie Southern, Clovis, P-INF
1999 – Andrea Vidlund, Orangevale Casa Roble, P
1998 – Amanda Freed, Garden Grove Pacifica, P
1997 – Amanda Freed, Garden Grove Pacifica, P
1996 – Amanda Scott, Clovis P
1995 – Courtney Dale, Fresno Bullard P (Jr.)
1994 – Sara Griffin, Simi Valley P
1993 – Sara Griffin, Simi Valley P
1992 – Leah O’Brien, Chino Don Lugo P
1991 – Jennifer Brundage, Irvine P
1990 – Karen Jackson, Roseville P
1989 – Lisa Fernandez, Lakewood St. Joseph P
1988 – Michele Granger, Placentia Valencia P
1987 – Michele Granger, Placentia Valencia P
1986 – Michele Granger, Placentia Valencia P
1985 – Jackie Oakley, Huntington Beach Ocean View P
1984 – Samantha Ford, Newhall Hart P
1983 – Shawn Andaya, Lodi P
1982 – Kandy Foust, Santa Maria Righetti P
1981 – Tracy Compton, Santa Maria Righetti P
1980 – Tracy Compton, Santa Maria Righetti P
1979 – Mary Lou Ramm, Chula Vista Hilltop P
1978 – Teri Young, El Segundo P
1977 – Karen Andrews, San Diego Henry P
1976 – Jan Jeffers, Lompoc P
1975 – Barbara Reinalda, Cerritos Valley Christian P
1974 – Barbara Reinalda, Cerritos Valley Christian P

Harold Abend is the associate editor of CalHiSports.com and the vice president of the California Prep Sportswriters Association. He can be reached at marketingharoldabend@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @HaroldAbend


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