The Sacramento Bee’s All-Metro softball team features Mya Flindt, Syd Barker and Ayla Tuua
Mya Flindt was her team’s catcher, captain, spokesperson and power source.
The recent Whitney High School graduate is the complete package softball player, known for her grit, skills, leadership and sportsmanship. She is The Bee’s All-Metro softball Player of the Year for her impact for one of the top programs in California.
The University of South Carolina-bound slugger blasted 14 home runs, including three in one game, in earning MVP honors in the Sierra Foothill League, the most competitive league in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section.
Teams tried to pitch around Flindt but generally paid a steep price. She batted .545 with 42 hits, 10 doubles and 42 RBI while sporting a 1.221 slugging percentage.
Behind the plate, Flindt was a great target for star pitcher Hanna Duncan, framing pitches and blocking balls in the dirt. Her .985 fielding percentage led the Wildcats.
Flindt was a paramount reason why Whitney stayed strong down the stretch to win the SFL championship and return to a section championship.
Flindt was also known as a respected classmate, her 3.7 grade-point average an example of her student-athlete status on the Rocklin campus. Whitney went 22-4, including 14-1 in SFL play. Over four varsity seasons, Flindt left her mark, belting 28 home runs and 22 doubles to go with 119 hits and 118 RBI.
ALL-METRO SOFTBALL TEAMS
Coach of the Year: Sam Toy, Oak Ridge
Toy is a champion. As a four-year starter at second base for Oak Ridge, she led the Trojans of El Dorado Hills to three league championships and a section crown in 2007. As the team’s coach, Toy has won back-to-back section D-I championships, including a stirring 3-0 win over rival Whitney in this season’s title game. Along the way, the coach gave birth to daughter Kaylee, now 16 months old, who hasn’t missed an Oak Ridge game in her lifetime. Toy expertly balanced the playing time of two of the top pitchers in the area. Nearly every game this year, Toy’s staff split time in the circle, something rarely seen in high school softball. It worked for the 24-5 Trojans.
In one of the most exciting games of the season, the Trojans went toe to toe with Amador Valley of Pleasanton in the NorCal D-I title game before losing 13-11 in nine innings in El Dorado Hills. Most of the starting lineup returns in 2025.
Large School Player of the Year: Syd Barker, Rocklin, SS, Sr.
Are there a better pair of softball hands and feet in the Sacramento area for a middle infielder? The Oklahoma-bound Barker plays shortstop as well or even better than anyone in recent history. No ball hit to the left side is a sure hit, and Barker was a magician at turning a double play. Her coaches say nobody works harder. Her teammates love playing with her. She hit .384 with seven homers and nine doubles, scoring 30 runs. Her towering, 250-foot home run that cleared the scoreboard at Sacramento State helped Rocklin win the section Division II championship.
Medium School Player of the Year: Ayla Tuua, Capital Christian, P, So.
Last year’s overall Bee Player of the Year, Tuua continued to shine for the Cougars, leading them to a 26-3 record and a repeat showing as a section and NorCal champion. She hit .487 with 11 home runs, but it is her pitching that has college scouts checking the batteries in their radar guns. While it is not uncommon for her pitches to clock north of 70 mph, Tuua also has a variety of spins to keep hitters guessing. Her 0.98 earned run average and five no-hitters against a beefed-up schedule this year is the proof. She is a national recruit.
Small School Player of the Year: Olivia Bauer, Sutter, P, Sr.
Bauer credits her coach Stephanie Dana for helping rekindle the joy of the sport after suffering some travel-ball burnout. As a four-year starter for the Huskies, Bauer began her career at third base and found her way into the pitching circle as a junior in 2023. This season, Bauer owned the position and opposing batters, compiling a 25-0 record with a 0.73 ERA and three no-hitters. She struck out 192 batters in 143 innings. At the plate, Bauer hit .520 with 16 doubles to lead Sutter to a 30-0 season and a NorCal championship. A 3.7 GPA student who is her teammates’ biggest fan, Bauer is headed to Boise State.
Smallest School Player of the Year: Adiriana Nebuloni, East Nicolaus, SS, Sr.
A four-year varsity player who fought through injuries as an underclassman to emerge from the shadows of teammates who went on to major colleges, Nebuloni produced a season to remember. The strong-armed shortstop led a rebuilt East Nicolaus team to another NorCal championship, batting .569 with eight home runs. She was the MVP of the Sacramento Valley League. The Spartans went 25-5, won a section championship and blew through their first two NorCal Division IV opponents before losing 1-0 to Everett, a Division I school from Salinas, in the finals. Nebuloni had three hits and six RBIs in the semifinals. She will play at Sacramento State on scholarship.
FIRST TEAM
P Hannah Duncan, Whitney, Jr.
P Maddie Lawson, Pleasant Grove, Sr.
P Ellison Shroeder, Oak Ridge, Jr.
P Kennedi Freeland, Oak Ridge, Fr.
C Bella Tonso, Roseville, Sr.
INF Karissa Avila, Roseville, Sr.
INF Marisa Bryson, Pioneer, So.
INF Alyssa Flindt, SS, Whitney, Jr.
INF Bree Johnson, Capital Christian, Sr.
INF Tylie Kitchen, Whitney, Jr.
INF Riley Bigley, Pleasant Grove, Sr.
INF Shaelynn Stinson, Pleasant Grove, Sr.
INF Carly Short, Oak Ridge, Jr.
INF Alexa Carino, Sutter, Jr.
INF Jessica Szelenyi, Oak Ridge, Sr.
UTL Charlize Cai, Vista del Lago, Sr.
UTL Alyssa Dethleson, Bella Vista, Sr.
UTL Chase Mueller, Ponderosa, Sr.
UTL Felesha LePenske, Dixon, Sr.
UTL Brooklyn Paratore, Oak Ridge, So.
UTL Madison Chapman, Sheldon, Jr.
UTL Briseis Botonis, Wheatland, Sr.
OF Taylor Fitzgerald, Elk Grove, Sr.
OF Cat Alston, Rocklin, Fr.
OF Giana Lagier, Granite Bay, Sr.
SECOND TEAM
P Xochitl Atayde, P, Vacaville, Sr.
P Micah Kennedy, P, Sheldon, Fr.
P Stevie Knight, East Nicolaus, Jr.
P Payton Prior, Rocklin, Fr.
C Katelyn Maciel, Elk Grove, Sr.
C McKayla Fulmer, Capital Christian, So.
INF Haylie Alkire, Capital Christian, Sr.
INF Abby Davidson, Del Oro, Jr.
INF Brynn Escobar, Ponderosa, Sr.
INF Audrey Graham, Dixon, Sr.
INF Naomi Kalanetra, Davis, Sr.
INF Savannah Lorenzini, Rocklin, So.
INF Leah Pham, Franklin, So.
INF Glory Pistole, Del Oro, Sr.
INF Hannah Tandy, Christian Brothers, Sr.
INF Alannah Tuua, Capital Christian, Sr
INF Savannah Warman, Union Mine, Sr.
UTL Sam Alekman, Oak Ridge, So.
UTL Ariana Bottle, Del Oro, Sr.
UTL Ashley Garcia, Dixon, Sr.
UTL Naiomi Garcia, Christian Brothers, Sr.
UTL CeCe Geier, Folsom, Sr.
UTL Marisol Gomez, Cosumnes Oaks, Sr.
UTL Claire Krotine, St. Francis, Jr.
OF Madison Buckley, Elk Grove, Sr.
OF Nicole Fonti, Woodcreek, Jr.
OF Emery Glaser, Oak Ridge, So.
OF Mya Wilson, Cosumnes Oaks, Fr.
Honorable Mention: Gia Almont, Oak Ridge, Sr.; Emily Azemar, Franklin, Sr.; Larissa Banks, Rosemont, Sr.; Briseis Botonis, Wheatland, Sr.; Ariel Burton, Laguna Creek, Sr.; Lucia Cantarinha, 12 Bridges, Jr.; Taryn Cleek, Bear River, Jr.; Riley Dossey, Vista del Lago, Jr.; Camryn Elliot, Dixon, Sr.; Mya Filger, Christian Bros., Sr.; Chloe Gomes, Oakmont, Jr.; Francisca Guerrera, St. Francis, Sr.; Sophia Hernandez, Pioneer, Jr.; Tori Hernandez, Yuba City, So.; Vanessa Keller, Kennedy, Sr.; Kaylee Kolhoff, Woodcreek, Sr.; Kelsey Kurland, Twelve Bridges, Sr.; Marissa Montano, Monterey Trail, Sr.; Brooklynn Nordquist, Ponderosa, Jr.; Lindsay Parades, Pleasant Grove, Fr.; Jenna Porto, Elk Grove, Sr.; Shay Sacay, Folsom, Jr.; Hailey Shiflet, Bella Vista, Jr.; Mady Shultze, West Park, Jr.; Summer Stephens, Foresthill, Sr.; Emily Taylor, Del Campo, Sr.; Leilani Terrazas, Granite Bay, So.; Lillie Warren, Christian Brothers, So.; Sadie Ward, Ponderosa, Jr.; Jolene White, West Park, Fr.
THE BEE’S FINAL TOP 20
Softball
1. Capital Christian (26-3)
2. Oak Ridge (24-5)
3. Whitney (22-4)
4. Pleasant Grove (19-4)
5. Sutter (30-0)
6. Bella Vista (19-5)
7. Rocklin (15-16)
8. Elk Grove (18-11)
9. St. Francis (17-10)
10. Vacaville (22-7)
11. Yuba City (16-11)
12. Sheldon (15-13)
13. Ponderosa (20-6)
14. West Park (15-6)
15. Christian Brothers (17-7)
16. East Nicolaus (25-5)
17. Dixon (22-5)
18. Vista del Lago (17-10)
19. Pioneer (21-6)
20. Roseville (17-12)
▪ How the teams were selected: The Bee’s All-Metro softball teams were selected based on personal observation, input from area coaches/media and team playoff success.
This story was originally published June 17, 2024 at 5:00 AM.