Abby Ford (left) from JSerra of San Juan Capistrano has captured top honors among state freshmen. At right is super sophomore Ayla Tuua from Capital Christian of Sacramento. Photos: James Escarcega / SGV Whittier Prep Sports Zone & Xavier Mascarenas / Sacramento Bee.
One of these honorees finished 25-0 as a pitcher while another led the state in runs scored with 59. The five players written up here are considered best of the best among juniors, sophomores, freshmen, medium schools players and small schools players.
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Congratulations to the following five players also who also have been selected this week as Cal-Hi Sports State Players of the Year.
JUNIORS:
Taelyn Holley (Murrieta Mesa, Murrieta)
The offensive numbers as the leadoff hitter for one of the top teams in the state were overwhelming for Holley as she has won out in a close call to be State Junior Player of the Year over several others, including Kai Minor of Orange Lutheran and Mya McGowan of Poway.
Taelyn Holley watches a drive head toward the outfield during her state junior of year season for Murrieta Mesa of Murrieta. Photo: Valley News/Action Captures Media Group.
For the second straight year, a junior getting tabbed as the Riverside Press-Enterprise Player of the Year also has helped that junior collect this honor as well. Holley follows Miali Guachino from Great Oak of Temecula. Catcher Kinzie Hansen of Norco, who just helped Oklahoma win its fourth straight NCAA title, was the previous Inland Empire honoree before the last two to be State Junior of the Year. She got it for 2018.
Holley reached base as the leadoff hitter of a game for the Rams in 23 of the team’s 29 games. She also led the state in reported leaders to MaxPreps with 59 runs scored. She batted a whopping .598 on 49 hits and with her 24 walks added she had a .708 on-base percentage.
But getting on with bunts are slap grounders was not Holley’s complete game. She also displayed much improved power with 11 home runs (tied for the team lead) and she had 32 RBI.
As a team, with Holley and sophomore Lilly Hauser leading the way in the circle and at the plate, Murrieta Mesa won its fourth straight Southwestern League title, reached the CIF Southern Section D1 semifinals and won the CIF SoCal D1 championship. The Rams (28-4) ended No. 6 in the final, expanded State TOP 40 overall rankings.
For her career, and with one season still to go, Taelyn has already set school records with 143 runs scored and is only 14 short of the school record for career hits with 127.
Holley has committed to Tennessee and plays for the Athletics Mercado travel ball program.
Recent State Juniors of the Year: 2023 – Miali Guachino (Temecula Great Oak); 2022 – Ryan Maddox (Fresno Clovis North); 2021 – Jessica Oakland (Mountain View St. Francis); 2020 – No selection (pandemic); 2019 – Nicole May (Pleasanton Foothill); 2018 – Kinzie Hansen (Norco); 2017 – Megan Faraimo (San Diego Cathedral Catholic); 2016 – Camryn Ybarra (Mission Viejo); 2015 – Mia Camuso (Redding Shasta); 2014 – Taylor McQuillin (Mission Viejo); 2013 – Johanna Grauer (Pleasanton Amador Valley); 2012 – Gabrielle Maurice (Modesto Beyer); 2011 – Melissa Taukieaho (Etiwanda); 2010 – Lauren Chamberlain (Lake Forest El Toro); 2009 – Taylor Edwards (Murrieta Vista Murrieta).
SOPHOMORES:
Ayla Tuua (Capital Christian, Sacramento)
This is the second straight season in which Tuua has captured a state player of the year honor following the one she gained last season as a freshman for small schools. She hasn’t repeated for that as Capital Christian played in higher CIF playoff divisions this year, but we’re pretty sure the top selection overall among sophomores will more than make up for that.
Tuua compiled a .535 batting average with 36 hits, 12 homers, 50 RBI and a 6-0 pitching record with a 1.20 ERA as a freshman when Capital Christian won the CIF D4 NorCal title. Her numbers this season were lower, but not that much lower against stronger opponents and her pitching was much better.
In leading the Cougars to the CIF NorCal D2 title after they lost to Oakdale in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D3 final, Ayla batted .487 with 11 homers, 28 RBI, 12 doubles and 38 hits. In the circle, she finished 16-2 with a 0.98 ERA and had 226 strikeouts in 128 innings.
Tuua also had her top outings in the playoffs. This included 2-for-4 with a homer plus a three-hitter with 12 Ks in a 11-1 win over Pleasant Valley of Chico, a two-hitter with nine Ks plus 1-for-2 with a double in a 6-0 win over Willow Glen of San Jose in the NorCal fina. Early in the season, Ayla also had a three-hitter with nine Ks in a win over eventual CIF Sac-Joaquin D1 champ Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) and later in the season she had a two-hitter with 10 Ks in a win over 2023 State Team of the Year Hollister.
If Tuua gets another one of these major honors after next season, she will do it for Destiny Christian Academy instead of Capital Christian as the name of the school is changing.
It’s been since 2014 when there was a state soph of the year from the SJS. That year, it went to Vacaville’s Katie Kibby. Modesto Beyer’s Gabrielle Maurice snagged it in 2011 and two years befor that it was Ally Carda from Pleasant Grove of Elk Grove.
Tuua is a national recruit for the Class of 2026. She was personally scouted in one game this season by another former state sophomore of the year, the legendary Lisa Fernandez of UCLA.
Recent State Sophomores of the Year: 2023 – Mya McGowan (Poway); 2022 – Cambria Salmon (Beaumont); 2021 – Mya Perez (Norco); 2020 – No selection (pandemic); 2019 – Savannah Pola (Santa Ana Godinez); 2018 – Sarah Willis (Norco); 2017 – Kinzie Hansen (Norco); 2016 – Vanessa Strong (Oakley Freedom); 2015 – Holly Azevedo (San Jose Pioneer); 2014 – Katie Kibby (Vacaville); 2013 – Alyssa Palomino (Mission Viejo); 2012 – Johanna Grauer (Pleasanton Amador Valley); 2011 – Gabrielle Maurice (Modesto Beyer); 2010 – Nancy Bowling (Simi Valley Royal); 2009 – Ally Carda (Elk Grove Pleasant Grove).
FRESHMEN:
Abby Ford (JSerra, SJ Capistrano)
An impressive run in the CIFSS D1 playoffs not only pushed the Lions to the semifinals, but it also pushed Ford to top statewide honors among freshmen.
A pitcher who has been clocked at 70 mph, Ford’s season stats were a modest 9-7 with a 2.24 ERA. But that was against one of the state’s toughest schedules and in the playoffs she was sensational.
In the first playoff game vs Esperanza of Anaheim, Ford pitched a three-hitter as the Lions won, 11-1. Next there was a 3-2 win over state-ranked La Mirada in which Abby had six strikeouts in a little more than four innings. Next game the quarterfinals vs a Great Oak of Temecula squad that had upset Norco in its previous game, but against Ford there were 13 strikeouts in a 2-0 loss. Even against eventual champion Pacifica of Garden Grove in the semifinals, Ford’s pitching was elite. Although JSerra lost, it was only 1-0 and Abby only allowed three hits with seven strikeouts.
Ford is the second state freshman of the year winner from Orange County in three years and the third in four years. She follows Kai Minor of Orange Lutheran in 2022 and Brynne Nally of Pacifica (who she faced in that semifinal game) in 2021. Tera Blanco from Marina of Huntington Beach in 2011 was the previous OC winner before that.
The bigger news from a historical perspective about Ford’s honor is that she’s the first state player of the year from JSerra in softball ever at any level. The Lions, who finished 16-14, will have most of their lineup coming back next season plus transfer pitcher Liliana Escobar (a standout in 2023) will be eligible after having to sit out this season. Escobar came in from Santa Margarita.
Recent State Freshmen of the Year: 2023 – Taylor Faga (Hollister); 2022 – Kai Minor (Orange Lutheran); 2021 – Brynne Nally (Garden Grove Pacifica); 2020 – No selection (pandemic); 2019 – Ramsey Suarez (Temecula Great Oak); 2018 – Cydney Sanders (San Marcos); 2017 – Nicole May (Pleasanton Foothill); 2016 – Kinzie Hansen (Norco); 2015 – Danielle Williams (Pleasanton Amador Valley); 2014 – Taylon Snow (Chino Hills); 2013 – Zoe Marrott (Moraga Campolindo); 2012 – Amanda Lorenz (Moorpark); 2011 – Tera Blanco (Huntington Beach Marina); 2010 – Ali Aguilar (Orangevale Casa Roble); 2009 – Nancy Bowling (Simi Valley Royal); 2008 – Dani Gilmore (Woodland Hills El Camino Real).
Lila Partridge led Casa Grande to 23-3 and 25-5 records over the last two seasons. Photo: Casa Grande HS / MaxPreps.com.
MEDIUM SCHOOLS:
Lila Partridge (Casa Grande, Petaluma) Jr.
Since Casa Grande has been medium schools in every sport we’ve ever done for every year, the fact that Partridge and the Trojans suffered a 1-0 loss to Clovis North in the CIF NorCal D1 playoffs did not prevent her from being considered for the medium schools statewide honor. Clovis North came into those playoffs after winning the CIF Central Section D1 title and is large schools.
Previous to the NorCal D1 playoffs, Partridge led Casa Grande to the CIF North Coast Section D2 title, which was regarded as stronger than its D1 bracket. In the title game, Lila pitched a two-hitter with nine strikeouts and went 1-for-2 with a double in a 2-0 win over Livermore (which won the same league that eventual CIF NorCal D1 champion Amador Valley played in).
There were other outings that stood out for the University of Kansas Class of 2025 commit. Partridge went 5-for-5 and 4-for-4 in her first two games (both wins) against Justin-Siena of Napa and Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa. She also went 2-for-3 with a homer and pitched a four-hitter with nine strikeouts in a league win over Vintage of Napa that avenged an earlier loss. She also struck out 10 in a second win over Vintage and hit two homers in her final regular season game vs Windsor. Even in the loss to Clovis North, it was a close, pitching duel in which neither team could do too much.
For the season, Lila finished with a .529 batting average on 36 hits with seven homers, nine doubles and 23 RBI. This came after a sophomore season in which she batted .500 with 10 homers and 38 RBI.
As a pitcher, Partridge improved upon her sophomore totals and went 16-2 with a 1.27 ERA and struck out 135 batters in 110 2/3 innings.
Former UCLA great Kylee Perez, who is from Alhambra of Martinez, was the last State Medium Schools POY from the NCS in 2014. Partridge also is just the third honoree from the Redwood Empire to be medium schools POY since the honor began in 1981. The other two have been Joey Spinali from San Marin of Novato for 1992 and Cheree Tappin of Healdsburg for 1986.
Recent Medium Schools State Players of the Year: 2023 – Randi Roelling (Modesto Central Catholic); 2022 – Riley Wickum (Sutter); 2021 – Brooklyn Carrion (La Habra Whittier Christian); 2020 – No selection (pandemic); 2019 – Lexi Webb (Oakdale); 2018 – Maile Newman (Torrance West); 2017 – Brooke Yanez (Ventura Buena); 2016 – Nicole Bates (Ceres); 2015 – Rachel Garcia (Palmdale Highland); 2014 – Kylee Perez (Martinez Alhambra); 2013 – Rachel Garcia (Palmdale Highland); 2012 – Nisa Ontiveros (Bakersfield Ridgeview); 2011 – Cheyenne Cordes (Fairfield Rodriguez); 2010 – Courtney Ceo (Lake of the Pines Bear River); 2009 – Jenna Rich (El Segundo); 2008 – Erin Arevalo (Manteca East Union).
Olivia Bauer and team at Sutter made history with 25-0 and 30-0 final season records. Photo: Twitter.com.
SMALL SCHOOLS:
Olivia Bauer (Sutter) Sr.
When unbeaten Sutter was shifted from D3 to D4 for the final state rankings, that just about ensured that Bauer would be the Small Schools State Player of the Year. The Boise State-bound graduated senior led the Huskies to a 30-0 record and she went 25-0 in the circle while also hitting for high totals.
Since Bauer began racking up big numbers especially as a junior, the one player in Sutter history she had to be compared with would be Jessica Moore, the Small Schools State Player of the Year in 2009 who went on to become an All-American at Oregon. Moore set the still standing state record by going 34-0 (she pitched in every game). Bauer didn’t pitch every game, but ended 25-0, which is going to be tied for eighth best in state history for best pitching record in a season.
Moore also is the only third Sutter player who has been state player of the year in any category. Besides Moore, the Huskies had Riley Wickum of 2022 as medium schools winner. The CIF Sac-Joaquin Section (which Sutter joined two years ago after previously being in the Northern Section) also had the small schools winner last season in Ayla Tuua of Capital Christian (Sacramento). She’s the winner this time for medium schools.
Bauer capped her season by throwing a four-hitter with eight strikeouts and going 1-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in a 13-1 win over Dixon in the CIF NorCal D3 championship. She allowed eight hits in the semifinals vs College Park of Pleasant Hill, but at the plate went 3-for-4 with an RBI in a 3-2 win. In the SJS D5 section title game, Olivia pitched a five-hitter with five strikeouts and went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBI in a 7-0 win vs Calaveras of San Andreas.
For the season, in addition to going 25-0, Bauer had a 0.73 ERA with 192 strikeouts and two no-hitters. At the plate, she racked up 51 hits that helped her get to .520 for her batting average. She also had two homers, 16 doubles, 38 runs and 36 RBI.
Olivia’s career totals also were outstanding, led by her 55-2 pitching record. She also had a career 0.90 ERA and had 437 career strikeouts in 326 career innings.
Recent Small Schools State Players of the Year: 2023 – Ayla Tuua (Sacramento Capital Christian); 2022 – Natalie Gleason (SJ Capistrano Capistrano Valley Christian); 2021 – Anabel Teperson (Kentfield Marin Catholic); 2020 – No selection (pandemic); 2019 – Sydney Kuma (Easton Washington); 2018 – Lindsey Walljasper (Manteca Sierra); 2017 – Livy Schiele (La Jolla Bishop’s); 2016 – Kailia Searcy (Lancaster Paraclete); 2015 – Zoe Casas (San Bernardino Aquinas); 2014 – Grayce Majam (Pine Valley Mountain Empire); 2013 – Zoe Casas (San Bernardino Aquinas); 2012 – Cheridan Hawkins (Anderson); 2011 – Elizabeth Caporuscio (Lake Arrowhead Rim of the World); 2010 – Sammy Albanese (Palo Alto Castilleja); 2009 – Jessica Moore (Sutter).
Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports
