NorCal/SoCal Players of the Week

Two of this week’s NorCal/SoCal Players of the Week are Paige Dimler from Rancho Buena Vista of Vista and Tyler Meyer from Big Valley Christian of Modesto. Photos: ExtraInningSoftball.com & The Modesto Bee.

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Note: For these honors, we consider CIF Central Section players for Northern California. To nominate someone by 12 noon on most Mondays, email markjtennis@gmail.com.

Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Baseball Player of the Week

Tyler Meyer
(Big Valley Christian, Modesto) Sr.

We go to the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section this week and the city of Modesto for our Northern California award winner, and it’s not really a surprise because Meyer has been on our radar screen.

Last week, when FronRowPreps.com ran a story on Meyer by longtime Modesto-area sports writer Ron Agostini, we had put out on Twitter that based on the story about his character and what he did in the game Agostini wrote about in the story, the Stanislaus State-committed pitcher and slugging shortstop was just the kind of kid we are looking for to be nominated for our weekly awards.

So while this honor for Meyer is for last week’s performances, it’s also about what he’s done all season and the intangibles as well.

Last Tuesday, Meyer took the mound in a Central California Athletic Alliance contest against Stone Ridge Christian of Merced and got the win in an 11-1 victory after the 6-foot-3, 175-pound right-hander struck out five of the six batters he faced in two innings of work. At the plate he had two hits, including a double with an RBI and a run scored. Two days later in the home and home with Stone Ridge Christian, Meyer was 4-for-4 and blasted two home runs with six RBI and four runs scored in a big win.

In a non-league game on Monday, Tyler gave up a couple of runs in four innings of work in a 6-4 loss to Patterson, but he only gave up two hits and struck out five, and with bat in hand he was 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored.

So far this season, Meyer, who in the Agostini story Big Valley Christian head coach Rick Countryman called “one of the finest young men you’ll ever meet,” and “the kind of kid you would want your daughter to marry,” is 6-1 as a pitcher with a 1.26 ERA and 88 strikeouts and only 12 walks in 50 innings pitched. At the plate he’s hitting .571 with five home runs, 12 doubles, 38 RBI and 33 runs scored.

The 38 RBI is the top reported mark in the Sac-Joaquin Section and tied for second in the state, and the 33 runs scored is top 15 in the state (according to MaxPreps).

Besides being the kind of kid you’d want your daughter to marry, and Countryman has a daughter, Meyer is also the goaltender on the Lions’ soccer team.

Now, besides some local recognition, Meyer has snagged a statewide honor.

Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Softball Player of the Week

Cayla Williams
(Santa Teresa, San Jose) Sr.

Like our Northern California baseball honoree, Williams was on our radar screen and was strongly considered in an earlier week, but after getting edged out then it’s this week we go to the CIF Central Coast Section and Silicon Valley to make Cayla our award winner.

Softball in the Central Coast Section has been a bit of a mess, but nobody is messing with Williams after the Saints’ pitcher and slugger has led Santa Teresa to 11 straight wins, including those vs. West Catholic Athletic League powerhouses Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) two weeks ago, and last week they posted a second win over a Presentation (San Jose) team that later in the week beat previous state No. 17 St. Francis of Mountain View.

Now, its Williams and her Saints that are the top team in the CIF Central Coast Section after Santa Teresa snagged the No. 20 spot in this week’s recently released Cal-Hi Sports rankings.

In the 6-1 win over Presentation last week, Williams was 4-for-4 with two runs scored and from the circle she pitched a two-hitter with five strikeouts. In her next game Cayla got a save in two innings of work in a 5-4 victory over Mount Hamilton League cross-town rival Branham, and as a batter she was 3-for-4 with a double and RBI. Finally, in a 6-3 victory over Sobrato of Morgan Hill, Williams pitched a three-hitter with six strikeouts and only gave up one earned run. She also had a hit and walked twice.

In the 5-4 win over Mitty on April 13, Williams gave way to sophomore Jayda Young in the circle but she played first base and got two hits and scored a run. In the second game of the Charlie Miguel Invitational, head coach John Ambrose handed her the ball and she got hit a little by perennial CCS power Carlmont (Belmont) but she went five innings and got the win in an 8-6 victory. In the batter’s box Cayla had two hits and scored a run.

So far this season Williams is hitting .643 with four home runs, 10 doubles, 32 RBI and 33 runs scored. Cayla’s runs are the third-highest reported total in the CCS, and her average and RBI are the fourth-highest reported in the CCS. From the circle Williams is 12-0 with two saves and a 1.26 ERA and 70 strikeouts.

Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Softball Player of the Week

Paige Dimler
(Rancho Buena Vista, Vista) Soph.

For our Southern California softball award winner, we head to the North County area of the CIF San Diego Section and to avocado country where we find one of the top prospects in the nation from the class of 2021 who has been tearing the cover off the hard yellow softball.

After state No. 8 Mater Dei of Chula Vista got the best of her in the Longhorns’ loss to the top-ranked team in the CIF San Diego Section, Paige turned a page in the next three games, and no one had to dim the lights for Dimler because she turned them out with her bat.

First, in a 15-3 Avocado – East North County League win over El Camino of Oceanside, the 5-foot-11 Arizona-committed outfielder was 3-for-3 with a home run, two walks, an RBI and four runs scored. In her next game she was 3-for-3 with a double, a walk, two RBI and two runs scored in a blasting of Carlsbad Sage Creek. And finally, in a 7-5 win over Scripps Ranch (San Diego) at the Falcon Fiesta, Paige plastered the ball and went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, three RBI and three runs scored.

Already this week Dimler was 4-for-4 with two triples, a double, four RBI and four runs scored in 15-2 victory at Westview of San Diego.

So far this season for the 11-7-1 Longhorns who are 4-0 in league, Dimler is hitting .567 with nine home runs, two triples, nine doubles, 26 RBI, 35 runs scored, and she’s stolen 15 bases. Paige also has a 1.164 slugging percentage and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.

Last year as a freshman, Dimler hit .460 with 12 home runs, 39 RBI and 40 runs scored, and if she keeps up that pace the rest of the season and the next two years, Paige could find herself a place on a career list or two in the Cal-Hi Sports Record Book.

Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Baseball Player of the Week

Diego Armas
(Jurupa Hills, Fontana) Sr.

For our Southern California baseball honoree we head out to the Inland Empire and just off Interstate 10 where we find a 5-foot-7 shortstop who is small in stature, but the Spartans’ senior and team captain has some fleet feet, and his bat has recently been standing out in helping lead Jurupa Hills to a 22-2 record and 13-0 in the San Andreas League.

For Armas, this week’s award is just as much about what Diego has done all season as well as last week when he led his team to three wins over Arroyo Valley of San Bernardino.

In the three games combined Armas was 5-for-9 with two walks, four RBI and five runs scored. He also stole seven bases in eight attempts.

Two weeks ago he belted his team’s only home run of the season when he blasted a grand slam, and Jurupa Hills needed all four RBI in a 6-5 victory at San Gorgonio of San Bernardino.

So far this season Armas is batting .531 with the one round tripper, three triples, seven doubles, 21 RBI and 28 runs scored. He also has stolen 32 bases in 36 attempts. The stolen bases is the fifth highest reported mark in the state and tied for third in the CIF Southern Section.

Besides honoring weekly performances we also use this feature to track state records and Armas meets that criterion as well. The four-year starter is over the century mark for career stolen bases and his 123 thefts will get him a spot on the Most Stolen Bases (Career) list in the Cal-Hi Sports Record Book.

Harold Abend is the associate editor of CalHiSports.com and the vice president of the California Prep Sportswriters Association. He can be reached at marketingharoldabend@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @HaroldAbend