Prep softball: Sheldon ties section record with 9th championship
For as talented a group as the Sheldon High School softball is, the Huskies also know how to have just as much fun.
And when you win as much as the Huskies have, there’s lots of fun to be had. Saturday at Sacramento City College, Sheldon (27-5) added to its softball pedigree. With a 7-1 victory over Lincoln of Stockton in the Division I Sac-Joaquin Section final, the Huskies tied a section record with their ninth overall blue banner.
“We always say ‘Leave a legacy,’ and this is us leaving our legacy,” said Sheldon senior Dakota Kennedy. “Most of us are seniors, so we’re going out after this and we just wanted to get it one last time.”
With at least nine Division I collegiate commits, head coach Mary Jo Truesdale says this is easily one of her most-talented bunches. But let’s not ignore the silliness.
After Sheldon’s senior trip to Six Flags on Thursday, some of the softball seniors returned with some goofy rally caps, including a highly popular, vibrantly colorful squid hat. The tentacled top hat goes to any Sheldon player who clobbers a home run from now on.
Kennedy, bound for Arizona next season, donned the squid piece twice Saturday after launching a two-run homer in the second that gave Sheldon a 4-0 lead and again after a solo shot in the fifth that put the Huskies up 7-1.
Kennedy sprinted around the bases with seemingly the same exit velocity that the ball traveled off of her bat, letting out a primal scream as she approached her teammates at home plate.
“That’s not something I always do,” Kennedy said. “I think it’s just the adrenaline and, you know, just the passion of doing it for my team and not just myself.”
When you can add selflessness to talent – a recipe for which Truesdale has been a recipient this season – it’s a major luxury. Most of the players in her lineup play out of their natural position. It’s all for the greater good.
“We’re in it for the long run, and we’re doing it for each other,” Kennedy said. “We’re not here just playing like our own game. It’s for the whole team. It’s for everybody. So, if we have to play out of position, we play out of position. We’re gonna have everybody’s back.”
The Huskies lineup had pitcher Bree Romero’s back, both at the plate and on defense. Aside from Kennedy’s two homers, Sakora Harvell put the Huskies on the board with a solo shot in the second inning while Jazzy Fines added an RBI triple.
Kennedy threw out a Lincoln runner from center field in the second to prevent a rally from forming, left fielder Beija Allen made a diving catch in the fifth and Sacramento State-committed right fielder Imani Black made a shoestring catch and doubled off a runner to end a Trojan rally in the sixth.
Romero, meanwhile, improved to 21-2 by going the distance in the circle with four hits and one earned run allowed. The Delaware State commit struck out seven for the Huskies, who advance to the first Northern California Regional tournament this week.
“I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was in middle school,” Romero said. “I’m finally able to do something that’s bigger than me, and it’s really exciting.”
Sheldon’s ninth section title marks the most in Division I history and ties Oak Ridge for the most overall in Sac-Joaquin Section history. But Truesdale insists it’s not about the number of blue banners.
“You know, it’s not about the records,” Truesdale said. “It’s really about just making memories and, you know, being with these kids. That’s the most important thing for me.”
Truesdale, who is approaching 700 career wins in California – only second to Roseville’s Art Banks among Sac-Joaquin Section coaches – has been coaching in the Elk Grove Unified School District since the early 1990s. After Saturday’s win, it seems there is no slowing down for her.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I’ll just go til I can’t go anymore.”
This story was originally published May 29, 2022 at 6:33 AM.