Prep softball preview: Pitchers dominate; Elk Grove schools on top of the rankings
The phones rang off the hook in the homes of Sacramento-area high school softball players last September. When the ringing stopped, many players were claimed by major universities and four-year schools. Pac-12 schools, mid-major Division I and D-II universities along with junior colleges will be well-stocked with a bumper crop of local talent from this year’s junior and senior classes.
The good news is we have the pleasure of watching them and their teammates play this year. And they have already been putting on a show, especially the pitchers.
“This is the best pitching we have seen in our area in awhile,” said longtime Sheldon coach Mary Jo Truesdale. “St. Francis and Elk Grove are dominant in the circle. We had to come back to get five runs in the top of the seventh to beat Rocklin. Every game is going to be a dogfight.”
Center’s junior pitcher Rylei Trujillo, headed to UNLV, took on the powerful Elk Grove lineup and struck out 10 in six innings. However, her counterpart, Aissa Silva, struck out 17 Center batters as the Herd took a 5-0 win. That’s twenty-seven strikeouts in one 6.5-inning game. A few days earlier, Silva struck out 17 more against last season’s top-ranked Rocklin Thunder, and stroked the two-run homer which was the difference in a 4-2 win for the Herd.
The offers have already come for Malaya Johnson of Roseville and Hope Jenkins of St. Francis. The two locked up in a scoreless duel for five innings last week which turned into a 4-2 win for the visiting Troubadours. Johnson, a power pitcher bound for UC Santa Barbara, struck out 10 while Jenkins, who is headed to UConn with her catcher sister Grace, fanned eight Tigers for the win.
The Jenkins twins are probably the best battery combination in the area. Last year they combined for 13 home runs, 19 doubles and 55 RBIs. Grace Jenkins is a talented receiver behind the dish. However, another good pitcher/catcher sister act is Ava and Gianna Domenici, who could lead the Lincoln Zebras to another Foothill Valley League title, which they shared last year with Oakmont.
Coach Amanda Buck at Elk Grove sizes things up this way for the top teams in the area: “Elk Grove has pitching, Rocklin is very balanced, Roseville is loaded, Sheldon has the hitters and Del Oro has Jenna Birch. The Delta and the SFL will be very tough this year.”
Capital Valley Conference
Art Bank’s senior-experienced Roseville Tigers are the runaway favorites to win the Capital Valley Conference. He has scheduled tough preseason competition, including St. Francis, Rocklin, Sutter and Vista del Lago. Banks is counting on the performance of 10 seniors in his final year of coaching. Johnson is heading to UC Santa Barbara with two of her outfielders, Mya Quick and Makayla Newsom. Shortstop Shaylen McDowell is going to Oregon State, Marissa Jordan to San Francisco State, third baseman Sophia Ayala to Farliegh Dickinson and first baseman Bella Macfarlane is off to William Jessup.
Sierra Foothill League
Pitching in the metro area is simply off the hook this year. Carolina Grimes and Jenna Birch form a formidable duo at Del Oro. Grimes gave up just two hits and stuck out seven in a 10-0 Eagles win over Lincoln. Then junior Daniella Morales scattered five hits and struck out eight in a 10-1 gem against Pleasant Grove last week. Del Oro coach Sean Erickson has options in the circle, good defense and great pop in his lineup.
The best pitcher in the Sierra Foothill League however may be Emma Falen of Folsom, who in just 100 innings last year recorded 173 strikeouts. She’s on her way to UC Riverside.
Whitney is back with the Flindt sisters, sophomore Mya and freshman Alyssa. Granite Bay has rebuilt its program.
Delta League
The Sheldon Huskies have been battling Elk Grove and St. Francis for first place in the tough Delta League for years and put together a 12-0 league championship season in 2021. Jaylee Ojo and Bre Romero shared the load in the circle, each with a 10-1 record and combining for 153 strikeouts. Ojo also popped 11 home runs last year as a sophomore and posted a gaudy slugging percentage of 1.230 Both pitchers are supported by a cast of talented players, such as Dakota Kennedy (Arizona), D’Auna Johnson (Cal), Imani Black (Sac State) Jazzy Fines (UC Santa Barbara) and Reina Zermeno (SJ State).
Sheldon is 1-1 on the year, having dropped a 2-1 game to powerful Lincoln of Stockton last week.
Seeing Stars
There are almost too many stars to count this year. Vanden returns with pitcher Hazyl Grace, Vista del Lago has one of the area’s top players in Tayler Biehl (Arizona), and East Nicolaus has Remmington Hewitt (Oregon).
Oakmont and Lincoln will battle for the Foothill Valley League title; will Ponderosa be there too? Rick Elkins at Laguna Creek returns All-Metro players Brooklynn Thurgood, Mia Reyes and Allysa Dacanay, and has beefed up his non-league schedule this year. Jenissa Conway of Marysville hit 10 home runs last year as a sophomore.
Let’s we forget the talented little softball power nestled at the foot of the Sutter Buttes. Coach Stephanie Danna’s Huskies of Sutter High and pitcher Riley Wickum have not lost in more than two years. They broke the school win-streak record and have won 45 straight. That includes wins over Elk Grove and talented rival East Nicolaus. They don’t face the same quality of competition as do their neighbors to the south but this year they were leading Roseville 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning when the game was rained out. Center and Elk Grove are on the schedule too.
Sutter’s identical twins, Avery and Ella Jolly, are seniors who can hit and field. Hey college coaches: they have not received scholarship offers. Hopefully we will see both Sutter and East Nicholas in tournaments this April in Roseville.
Many more leagues, teams and players to highlight in the weeks ahead. There is so much softball talent in this area right now. Not seeing what you’re seeing? Helpful insights always welcome at petebeesports@gmail.com.
With that, let’s play ball!
Softball Top 20
(Last year’s record in parenthesis.)
1. Sheldon (15-8)
2. Elk Grove (18-8)
3. St. Francis (15-6)
4. Del Oro (16-7)
5. Roseville (19-4)
6. Vanden (11-0)
7. Rocklin (18-2)
8. Folsom (13-7)
9. Vista del Lago (18-3)
10. Whitney (5-14)
11. Pleasant Grove (11-11)
12. Sutter (24-0)
13. East Nicolaus (23-2)
14. Lincoln (18-5)
15. Oakmont (18-5)
16. Granite Bay (15-10)
17. Ponderosa (15-6)
18. Laguna Creek (12-6)
19. Marysville (17-5)
20. Cosumnes Oaks (9-8)
Bubble teams: Center (7-8), Cordova (14-3), Del Campo (13-12), Inderkum (13-7), Liberty Ranch (11-2), Pioneer (12-3), River City (9-6), Rodriguez (9-3), Rosemont (14-4), Yuba City (12-8).
This story was originally published March 8, 2022 at 5:00 AM.