June 24, 2007
SCV Softball Players
By The Signal Staff
Alexandra Cueva, Saugus
"Peanut" stands at barely 5-feet tall but she had plenty of pop at the plate. The Lehigh-bound third baseman batted .447 with seven home runs and scored 29 times out of the No. 2 spot in Saugus' lineup.
Alyssa Ishibashi, Valencia
On a team filled with clutch players, it was the shortstop who made the big hits during Valencia's playoff run. Her 10th-inning RBI single beat Marina in the quarterfinals and her fifth-inning two-out single against Hart was the difference in Valencia's championship game win.
Victoria Kemp, Saugus
Santa Clarita's all-time career home run queen was wisely pitched around by most teams, walking 16 times to limit her power numbers to four homers, but the last was a big one. The .411 hitter smacked a ninth-inning bomb against Thousand Oaks to lead Saugus to a playoff win.
Melisa Koutz, Saugus
The Stanford-bound shortstop was one of the hottest hitters against SCV teams especially, breaking out as a senior by batting .404 with three home runs and 26 RBIs in the Centurions' cleanup spot.
Nicole Matson, Valencia
Matson was just barely edged out by teammate Jessica Spigner for team leads in RBIs and batting average, hitting .412 with 26 runs driven in. The All-CIF second team second baseman also swiped five bases.
Jenna McGivney, Canyon
The Cowboys' starting catcher did a lot of everything - batting .456 with four homers, 25 RBIs and seven steals. She led Canyon to a third-place tie in league after consecutive last-place years.
Destiny Rodino, Hart
The sophomore left-hander earned each of Hart's four playoff victories. She registered 20 wins overall, striking out 200 in 153 innings.
Jessica Shults, Hart
The All-CIF catcher tied for the valley lead with seven home runs, driving in 21 runs in the leadoff spot. The sophomore also tied for the valley's best eye, earning 16 walks and cashing them in for 33 runs.
Jessica Spigner, Valencia
The valley's most feared hitter, the third baseman led the Vikings with a .418 batting average and 29 RBIs, earning an All-CIF first team selection. Her four home runs included three game winners.
Caitlin Stiglich, Hart
The All-CIF second-teamer drove in 29 runs and was especially clutch during the postseason. Stiglich had eight playoff hits, including a three-hit game in the quarterfinals against Camarillo High.
Torrie Anderson, Valencia
The Cal State Fullerton-bound center fielder saved her best for the postseason including a two-out grand slam against Simi Valley in Valencia's second-round win. She batted .283 on the year.
LeLani Bernardino, Valencia
The slap-hitter was likely the valley's best outfielder this season, hitting .384 with 15 runs for the champion Vikings.
Melissa Brown, Hart
Hart's No. 2 slap hit and bunted her way to an Indians-best .451 batting average heading into the title game and led all SCV players with 15 steals in 19 attempts. In Hart's dramatic quarterfinals win over Camarillo, Brown had a walkoff single with two outs in the seventh inning.
Claire Donyanavard, Saugus
The future Illinois-Chicago player provided more power to the lineup, hitting four home runs with 20 RBIs. She hit. 324.
Nicole Johnson, Canyon
Canyon's top pitcher, Johnson earned eight wins in the circle. Her biggest contribution, though, came as the No. 3 hitter. The junior batted .414 with a pair of home runs and stole nine bases.
Kelliann McCarty, Saugus
The outfielder batted .308 with a pair of home runs for the third-place Cents, driving in 12 runs. She finished the season especially strong with hits in nine of the final 10 regular season games.
Amy Moore, Valencia
The sophomore was solid behind the plate, calling the pitches for ace Jordan Taylor and committing only three errors. She was an equally capable hitter, batting .458 in league play.
Paige Piontkowsky, Hart
The senior first baseman had her best season and was especially strong during league play, batting .455 against SCV opponents. For the season, she smacked two home runs and drove in 20 runs.
Madison Vogelsang, West Ranch
The freshman second baseman had a huge debut season for the upstart Wildcats. She batted .458 with six stolen bases.
Brittany Williams, Canyon
The freshman standout started her Canyon career with a huge season - especially in the pre-season, batting .400 overall with six homers, 28 RBIs and 23 runs.
Donna Lee, Valencia
There's no questioning that Donna Lee was working with the most talent this year (a quick look at the All-SCV teams, especially the girl with the big picture on the front page will tell you that) but look also at what she did with that talent. The Vikings won 32 of 33 games including their last 25 straight, winning the second CIF championship in SCV softball history. Ranked No. 1 in the country for most of the season, the spotlight, hype and pressure that comes with it was on her team and she never let it affect her players. Lee kept the team loose, confident and ready for their challenges.