Ayla Tuua was a state player of the year twice for Capital Christian of Sacramento before it switched names to Destiny Christian Academy and now she’s done it twice with the new name, including 2026 Ms. Softball. Photo: Mike Trask / Davis Enterprise.
Graduated senior leader of Sacramento Destiny Christian team that finished 31-0, won the CIF NorCal D1 title and was State Team
of the Year caps a magical high school career by landing state’s longest-running individual honor. There was no mystery about the strength of Ayla Tuua’s candidacy to be state player of the year. She has been one of the top hitting-pitching prospects in the nation for her class over the past three years. It’s all about family for her, too. Her mother, Shannon, was her high school head coach, and her dad, Julai, a former Long Beach Poly football player, had to stand in the back far from the action of her games.
For a rundown of the other Cal-Hi Sports State Players of the Year for softball, CLICK HERE.
Note: We hope you enjoy this free story on CalHiSports.com. Some of our upcoming 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.
At the conclusion of the CIF NorCal D1 championship game in early June, which saw host Destiny Christian of Sacramento defeat Whitney of Rocklin, 6-3, to win the title and cap a 31-0 season, there were a lot of photo requests for star pitcher Ayla Tuua to have shots taken of herself with all of her family members plus a shot of herself with her parents and all of her brothers and sisters, four of which are adopted.
It wasn’t that much of a secret why a lot of those photos were taken and extra time was spent talking to all. Ayla had been named the Gatorade State Player of the Year just the day before and her being later named as well as the Ms. Softball State Player of the Year by Cal-Hi Sports was a foregone conclusion.
Ayla is shown with mom Shannon, who also raised the CIF NorCal D1 title trophy as the Destiny Christian head coach after the final game. Photo: Mark Tennis / Cal-Hi Sports.
The day for Ayla’s official announcement has now arrived. She is indeed the Ms. Softball State Player of the Year. The LSU-bound pitcher, slugger and first baseman joins an all-time list of state players of the year that extends back to 1974. It may be surprising to some to learn that the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section, which is the section that Destiny Christian is in, has now had five state player of the year winners in the last 11 years (with no winner in one of those years due to the COVID 19 pandemic). There have been just two previous winners from the Sacramento metro area, however, with Rocklin’s Jayla Castro nabbing the honor in 2021 and pitcher Andrea Vidlund from Casa Roble of Orangevale getting it in 1999.
Tuua was almost the Ms. Softball State POY a year ago when she was the State Junior of the Year. The Destiny Christian team, however, lost early on in the CIF NorCal D2 playoffs after it won its section title. This year, there was no doubt as the Lions upgraded their schedule and knew if they did well that they could move up to the CIF NorCal D1 bracket. Everything went to plan, the Lions were State Team of the Year, and Ayla didn’t diminish in her role as one of the leading two-way players in the nation.
When she was a sophomore, Destiny Christian was still going by its previous name of Capital Christian. The team won the CIF NorCal D2 title and she was the State Sophomore of the Year. Tuua was the State Small Schools Player of the Year as a freshman when the Lions weren’t even playing at the D3 section level they did this season.
“I’m just happy to be part of the history that laid the foundation for this program,” Tuua said after the last game. “Individual honors are nice, but it couldn’t happen without the team.”
The most intriguing question about Ayla is whether the brightest aspects of her future in college at LSU is for her power hitting or power pitching. She can blast tape measure home run shots with a picture-perfect swing and can generate 70 mph velocity as a pitcher.
“It’s close, but I think it might be hitting,” said Brentt Eads, publisher of the Line Drive Media national softball web site. “A great player for sure.”
“I would probably stop pitching before I would give up my bat. I love to hit,” Ayla said in a recent interview with PrepSoftball.com. “There’s just something about it. I can’t tell you what it is exactly. I just love hitting. That’s my favorite part of the game.”
Tuua connected for one of those monster homers deep, deep over the fence in her final game, which was the 19th homer that she hit on the season. That was No. 2 in the state among reported home run leaders. She also ended the season with a .651 batting average on 56 hits with 63 runs scored and 77 RBI. The RBI total is going to be top five in state history.
For career statistics, Tuua’s 48 homers isn’t too close to the state record of 64 set two years ago by Dani Jackman from University Prep of Victorville, but it is an all-time best for Northern California. Delaney Aumua from Granada of Livermore had 47 at the end of her career a year ago, which also is the same total for Breana Kostreba of Aptos (2008-2011). Ayla also will gain all-time state best listings for career RBI with 181, career runs with 167 and career hits for 166.
Julai Tuua knew what was on the line as his daughter Ayla was pitching and batting in her team’s last game of the 2026 season. Photo: Mark Tennis.
In the SJS D3 title game 4-1 win over Vanden of Fairfield after Vanden had knocked out previously unbeaten Ponderosa of Shingle Springs in the semifinals, Ayla pitched a one-hitter and struck out 12. She had a no-hitter for six innings and struck out 15 in a 5-0 win over Merced in April. For the season, Tua finished 12-0 in the circle with a 0.66 ERA. She also had 140 strikeouts in 74 2/3 innings.
With her mother, Destiny Christian head coach Shannon Tuua, using other pitchers at times over the past two years, Ayla’s career pitching totals aren’t going to rise to the level of her hitting. She still finished 47-2 with a 0.85 ERA plus 720 strikeouts in 379 innings. In her final two games vs St. Francis of Mountain View and Whitney, she came through with key strikeouts in key situations.
Tuua has been coached by her mother at Destiny Christian the past three seasons after Caitlyn Olan was at the helm for the 2023 season. Lance Woodcock isn’t officially listed as the school’s co-head coach, but he’s obviously a vocal leader and very influential about all decisions on the field.
“We never had doubts that she could do these types of things,” Shannon Tuua said of her daughter also after the last game. “She’s always been pretty confident when she’s pitching or hitting.”
And Ayla isn’t the only member of the Tuua family who is leaving Sacramento as she heads for Baton Rouge. Shannon also is departing along with the rest of the family, including dad Julai and brother Elijah and Ayla’s four brothers & sisters adopted by her parents. They moved to the Long Beach area after the last Destiny Christian softball game, which is where Julai is from and it’s where Elijah (an incoming junior) will be playing football this fall at his new school St. John Bosco of Bellflower. Elijah played last fall at Folsom, helping the Bulldogs win the CIF D1-AA state title and he was on the all-state sophomore team. He was living with other family members in the spring while older sister Ayla was finishing up her senior year in Sacramento. Ayla and Elijah also have an older sister, Alanna, who is now playing softball at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
“I love having a big family,” Tuua also said in the PrepSoftball.com interview. “It’s such a great support system for me as well, especially with everything that I have going on. Just knowing that they’re always going to be there for me when I come home is really nice.”
Julai was spotted standing back near the snack bar during his daughter’s final two games and mentioned after the last game that he likes to be by himself and a bit further from the crowd when she’s playing. He is a former football standout at Long Beach Poly and played for the Jackrabbits in their 2001 CIF Southern Section championship season and yes he remembers the famous LB Poly-De La Salle game from that season very well. Shannon played softball in high school at Sheldon in Sacramento about four years later and has great memories of playing for legendary Sheldon softball coach Mary Jo Truesdale.
It’s a Tuua Family photo after Ayla’s last game played for Destiny Christian. In the front are adopted siblings Josiah, T.J., Tamia and Zamaya. In the back are Alannah, mom Shannon, Ayla, Elijah and dad Julai. Photo: Mark Tennis.
Off the field, Ayla compiled a 4.16 GPA and she was president of the Destiny Christian Polynesian Club. She also has volunteered as a youth tutor, youth coach and donating beanies that she has crocheted to local hospitals for newborn babies.
Looking over the all-time list again, Tuua also is the first Polynesian State Player of the Year that we know of, but the well-known Megan Faraimo of San Diego Cathedral Catholic was a runner-up as a senior in 2018 and was a player of the year in earlier years. Tuua will have a lot to do at LSU to match what Megan did in her career at UCLA. It will be fun to follow from afar and we hope in the Women’s College World Series.
ALL-TIME LIST CAL-HI SPORTS
MS. SOFTBALL STATE PLAYERS
OF THE YEAR
Last year’s honoree, Taelyn Holley of Murrieta Mesa, played well as a freshman in the WCWS this season for Tennessee. Photo: murrietamesasoftball / Instagram.com.
2026 – Ayla Tuua, Sacramento Destiny Christian P/1B
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
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
