One of the 14 players since 1992 from Pacifica of Garden Grove to have earned first team all-state honors was pitcher Kaylee Carlson in 2014. At right is 2017 Ms. Softball State Player of the Year Taylor Dockins of Norco, who is part of a program with state-leading 23 all-state first team picks. Photos: Student Sports archives & Patrick Takkinen / SoCalSidelines.
Softball all-state selections don’t go back as many years as they do for other sports, but we do have a school with 23 all-state softball selections since 2003 and that’s Norco. The only schools close are both from Orange County — Mater Dei (Santa Ana) and Pacifica (Garden Grove). Pacifica actually has the same number of all-state players than Norco, but not as many with multiple selections. We have all of the players listed underneath their school.
Note: The following lists are based on first team overall selections only. They are not lists of players who should have been all-state. All of them were actually chosen at the end of these seasons. These do not include any divisional all-state choices or those named to all-state underclass. The first all-state teams for softball by Cal-Hi Sports were chosen after the 1992 season. There were seasons in the 1980s in which we selected players of the year and coaches of the year, but did not present all-state teams. All of our all-state team archives for all five sports can be found on our all-state landing page.
Note: We hope you enjoy this free post on CalHiSports.com. To check out the extensive archive with all of these all-state teams, to see the upcoming all-time state records for softball that will be updated through the 2020 season, you’ll need to become a Gold Club member. To sign up for just pennies per day, CLICK HERE.
Kinzie Hansen is one of several from Norco who was on the top all-state team more than once. Photo: @NorcoHSSoftball / Twitter.com.
NORCO
Kaylin Castillo (2007)
Taylor Dockins (2016, 2017)
Teagan Gerhart (2008, 2009, 2010)
Breezy Goad (2004)
Ashley Goodwin (2014)
Kinzie Hansen (2017, 2018, 2019)
Abby Lockman (2015)
Emily Lockman (2012)
Kylie Reed (2012, 2013)
Nicole Sappingfield (2010, 2011)
Paige Smith (2018, 2019)
Daniela Urincho (2003, 2004)
Sarah Willis (2018, 2019)
Notes: Even though the Cougars didn’t have an all-state player until 2003, the program since head coach Rick Robinson got it going in the early 2000s has been the most outstanding in the state and probably the nation. Thirteen players in all have been first team all-state, but many were selected as juniors and seniors and that doesn’t include at least one (Sarah Willis) who would have been all-state a third time in 2020. Those 2020 all-state teams, of course, couldn’t be done due to the cancellation of most of the season due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Former Mater Dei athletic director Tia Meza was once a standout softball player for the Monarchs. Photo: materdei.org.
MATER DEI (SANTA ANA)
Tia Bollinger (1998, 1999, 2000)
Neli Casares-Maher (2017)
Christina Clark (2002)
Amber Freeman (2010, 2011)
Kelli Godin (2018)
Kelsey Kollen (1997, 1998)
Terri Kubata (1992)
Priscilla Martinez (2016)
Gabby Sandoval (2016)
Briana Santos (2003, 2004, 2005)
Brittany Schutte (2009)
Marissa Young (1997, 1998, 1999)
Notes: We counted the Monarchs with 12 players representing 20 all-state selections. They had one on the very first all-team done in 1992 and one as recently as 2018. Two of the three Monarchs who were named to three straight all-state first teams have gone on to impressive administrative/coaching careers. Bollinger, going by her married name of Tia Meza, was Mater Dei’s athletic director for four years and recently left the school to become a vice president (corporate partnerships) with the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League. Young went into coaching after her college career at Michigan and since 2016 has been the head coach at Duke University.
PACIFICA (GARDEN GROVE)
Tori Auelua (1999)
Kaylee Carlson (2013, 2014)
Nicole Dewitt (2014)
Amanda Freed (1997, 1998)
Andrea Harrison (2007, 2008)
Monica Harrison (2007)
Rebecca Lee (2013)
Jodie Legaspi (2003)
Toni Mascarenas (1996, 1997)
Jennifer Surface (1992)
Crystal Vierya (2004)
Dara Webb (1999)
Brittany Weil (2004, 2005)
Christina Zambrana (2006)
Notes: The Mariners in many ways were the best in the state for the 1990s and had a number of great players, led by 1997 and 1998 Ms. Softball State Player of the Year Amanda Freed. The program was led in those years by head coach Rob Weil, who later went to Los Alamitos. Rob’s daughter, Brittany, pitched for him and was all-state first team in 2004 and 2005. We counted the same number of all-state players for Pacifica as Norco (14), but while Norco’s 14 accounted for 23 all-state picks the Pacifica total was 19. Weil’s team in 2017 at Los Al derailed Norco’s unbeaten season hopes in the CIF Southern Section finals and had three all-state players.
BULLARD (FRESNO)
Amber Anderson (1996)
Linsey Chouinard (1999)
Courtney Dale (1994, 1995, 1996)
Lesley Harder (1992)
Jenny Knudsen (1993)
Marissa Marzan (2000, 2001)
Cara Maxey (1999)
Stephanie Salazar (2001, 2002)
Christine Thomsen (2008)
Kelli Wiginton (1994, 1995, 1996)
Sydney Wiginton (1998)
Notes: Bullard and Clovis had some epic battles from 1993 to 1996 when the pitchers were Courtney Dale of the Knights and Amanda Scott of the Cougars. They came in nearly tied for these standings as well. We counted Bullard with 11 first team all-state players representing 17 picks. It was the same number of players for Clovis, but one less pick. Dale, who later pitched at UCLA, is now coaching against her alma mater at Clovis North. She was the Ms. Softball State Player of the Year in 1995. Scott took the honor in 1996 when both were seniors.
Danielle Lung of Clovis pitched a no-hitter as a freshman in the CIF Central Section Division I title game. Photo: Lauren Mueller/TheClovisRoundup.
CLOVIS
Alex Belardinelli (2002)
Candice Bowlin (1994)
Cassie Brangham (1999)
Danielle Lung (2018)
Cameryn Reichle (2015)
Jennifer Reynolds (2002, 2003, 2004)
Amanda Scott (1994, 1995, 1996)
Courtney Scott (1999)
Jamie Southern (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
Nichole Willis (2003)
Notes: Three dominant players — Jennifer Reynolds, Amanda Scott and Jamie Southern — account for 10 of the Cougars’ 17 all-state first team selections since 1992. They have seven others who also have been first team for a total of 10 players. They have the same total of all-state first teamers as nearby Bullard of Fresno, but for one less player. Scott led Fresno State to the NCAA College World Series title in 1998.
SANTIAGO (CORONA)
Nichole Fry (2015)
Meredith Hackett (2008)
Savannah Hooks (2019)
Kamerin May (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
Taryne Mowatt (2003, 2004)
Erin Rodriguez (2012)
Erica Romero (2013)
Lauren Sweet (2010, 2011)
Tiffany Wright (2004, 2005)
Notes: The Sharks have been the league rival of Norco and they were back-and-forth rivals during the years when they had John Perez as head coach. Current head coach Jackie Sweet, the older sister of 2011 Ms. Softball State Player of the Year Lauren Sweet, has been getting the program back near the top, including a league win in 2019 that proved to be costly for Norco being a consensus national rankings champion. We have Santiago with nine all-state players in its history representing 15 picks.
Caitlin Lowe has been doing this as a left-handed hitter for many years. Photo: teamusa.org.
FOOTHILL (TUSTIN)
Lauren Bauer (1996, 1997)
Autumn Champion (2002)
Michelle Churnock (1994, 1995)
Jaime Clark (1997, 1999)
Courtney Fossatti (2000, 2001)
Leanne Gonzalez (1992)
Kelley Green (1992)
Caitlin Lowe (2002, 2003)
Erin Mobley (2000)
Notes: Right behind Corona Santiago is the Knights with nine all-state players representing 14 picks. When we started doing these teams, Foothill had one of the top programs in the state under then head coach Joe Gonzalez, who was the 1994 State Coach of the Year. His daughter, Leanne, was on the very first of these teams along with teammate Kelley Green. The school’s leading alum is outfielder Caitlin Lowe, who was on the USA national team from 2005 until just recently.
BUCHANAN (CLOVIS)
Sarina Aguilar (2002)
Kelsey Dodd (2010)
Tiffany Heibut (1998)
Cassie Martin (1998)
Molly Millar (2018)
Mallory Perkins (2003, 2004)
Elizabeth Pierce (1998)
Amani Proctor (2012)
Jeananne Ruck (1995)
Torrey Schroeder (2006)
Marie Western (2001)
Notes: It didn’t take the Bears long to have an all-state player as Elizabeth Pierce landed on first team not long after the school opened. We actually counted them up with more all-state players (11) than many other schools written up higher, but they only have one player showing with multiple first-team choices. It’s too bad that Marie Western didn’t come along a year or two earlier because then the games against Clovis would have had Western and Southern pitching against each other.
Catcher Lindsey Ziegenhirt & pitcher Jolene Henderson led Sheldon of Sacramento to state’s No. 1 ranking in 2008. Photo: Mark Tennis.
SHELDON (SACRAMENTO)
Alexis Cooper (2012)
Jordan Fines (2016)
Maci Fines (2017)
Danielle Henderson (2011)
Jolene Henderson (2007, 2008, 2009)
Taliyah Miles (2017)
Shea Moreno (2018)
Nikki Sinque (2002)
Lindsey Ziegenhurt (2008, 2009)
Notes: The only other school we counted with 12 all-state picks since 1992 would be this one, guided for many years by one of our favorite coaches that we’ve ever dealt with — Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Famer Mary Jo Truesdale. The Huskies have nine all-state players accounting for their 12 first teamers. When they had Jolene Henderson pitching for them in 2007, 2008 and 2009, they went 29-1, 32-2 and 28-3 with final state rankings finishes of second, first and fourth.
More Notes:
We counted three more schools with 11 all-state selections since 1992 and just missed in getting one of our featured writeups — Los Alamitos, Archbishop Mitty of San Jose and Notre Dame of Salinas. Los Al has only had two girls who were all-state more than once — Carolyn Wilson (1993, 1994) and Kristen Farber (1999, 2000). Notre Dame and Mitty, both from the CIF Central Coast Section, have had eight and seven players account for their totals.
One of the harder aspects of there not being an all-state first team for 2020 is that it prevented Foothill of Pleasanton’s Nicole May from being one of the rare four-time all-state first team players. Nicole, who will play at Oklahoma this spring (we hope), gained first team status as a freshman in 2017 and was all-state first team again in 2018 and 2019.
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
