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It’s a spring ritual when it comes to local prep sporting events as the Livermore Stampede rides into town this week. It is arguably the top high school softball tournament in Northern California.
There are 16 teams in the three-day event, and it is a veritable who’s who of softball prowess in Northern California. This year Eagle High of Eagle, Idaho joins the party.
The East Bay Athletic League is represented by Livermore, Granada, Carondelet, San Ramon Valley and California.
The rest of the teams are Alameda, Casa Grande (Petaluma), Castro Valley, College Park (Pleasant Hill), Freedom (Brentwood), Liberty (Brentwood), Saint Francis (Mountain View), Sheldon (Elk Grove), Whitney (Rocklin) and Willow Glen (San Jose).
Not in the field this year is South Bay powerhouse Archbishop Mitty, but Willow Glen, who beat Mitty in the section playoffs last year, takes their place.
Let’s run through the field. We’ll go to the four pools for the tournament.
Pool A
Casa Grande (4-5): The Gauchos are a bit off this year, but they played Carondelet tough in a non-league game, falling 5-3. Ava de Roza is the leading hitter at .400, with Desiree Howard leading the team in RBIs with 11. Abby McSweeney leads the team with two home runs, and 10 RBIs.
Eagle (9-3): The Mustangs come to Northern California with a 9-3 record overall. Ellie McManigal is hitting .543, with eight home runs and she has driven in 27 runs. Makenzie Owens has a .500 average with six home runs and also has driven in 27 runs. The team has seven players with 10 or more RBIs. Peyton Bargen pitched the most innings at 34, allowing 32 hits and striking out 38 batters. She has a 4.74 era.
Livermore (10-1): The Cowboys are also 5-0 in EBAL play but have huge leagues with Carondelet and San Ramon Valley in the second half of play that is unless they meet them here. Laine Macosky leads the way at the plate, hitting .485 with a pair of home runs and she has driven in 12 runs. Gianna Willes is at .345 and has also driven in 12 runs. The pitching is all about Kaci Norton who is 6-1 with a 1.00 era. She has pitched 42 innings in the circle and has struck out 57 batters.
Sheldon (7-4): The Huskies are 3-1 in the tough Delta League and are a program rich with tradition. Sophomore Sinitalela Heleta leads the way at the plate, hitting .526 with four home runs and 12 RBIs. Micha Kennedy, a junior, is hitting .381. It’s a two-headed monster in the circle with Kwinci Brown and Kennedy. Brown is 5-2 with a 1.04 era, throwing 33.2 innings with 41 strike outs. Kennedy is 2-2 with a 1.65 era, She has struck out 53 in 42.1 innings pitched.
Pool B
Carondelet (7-2): The Cougars are 3-1 in the loaded EBAL with the lone loss a 14-2 one to San Ramon Valley, Reese Albano hits .522 with 13 RBIs. Angela Gates is hitting .417 with three home runs and has also driven in 13 runs. In the circle there has been three pitchers in Elle Queen, Mylei Lopez, and Jordan Davenport. The trio has combined for 3.16 era with 55 innings pitched and 37 strike outs.
Castro Valley (8-1): The Trojans lone loss came to Livermore by an 11-3 final. Freshman Chloe Luz-Reynosa is hitting .481 and has scored eight runs, with Miley Snellgrove at .435 with three home runs, and 11 RBIs. Giselle De Casas is hitting .469 with a pair of home runs and 15 RBIs. Alanys Robertson has been the key in the circle with a 1.37 era and has struck out 62 in 41 innings pitched.
Freedom (4-6): The Falcons have a losing record overall, but they play a brutally tough non-league campaign. One of the truly iconic programs in NCS. Freshman McKenna Johnston is hitting .455 and Yasmeen Sanchez is at .438. Ciera Canion is hitting .435 with a pair of home runs and 10 RBIs. Riley Moon has thrown 47 innings and has struck out 22 batters.
Willow Glen (8-1): The Rams have just a 3-2 loss to Mitty as the lone blemish on their season and are 5-0 in Mt. Hamilton play. Last season the team was 28-0 before dropping a pair of postseason games. Catalina Medina is hitting .571 with three home runs and 17 runs scored. Alanna Clincy is at .526 with 12 RBIs, and Maia Mendoza is hitting .429 and has driven in five runs. Clincy is 5-1 in the circle and has struck out 65 hitters in 32 innings pitched. Freshman Kayla Valtscheff is 3-0 with a 1.22 era. She has struck out 23 in 23 innings pitched.
Pool C
Alameda (8-2): The Hornets two losses have come to San Ramon Valley and Castro Valley, two teams that entered in the Stampede. The key players are Mia Wong with a .455 and 12 RBIs, Miley Gadney is hitting .394, with 10 runs scored and two home runs. Julia Lambert is the ace in the circle with 48.1 innings pitched, striking out 61 batters. She also sports a 1.59 era and has allowed only 19 hits in the 48 innings.
Granada (7-4): The Matadors have had losses to San Ramon Valley and Livermore in league play. Aubrey Ingram is leading the team with an average of .485, scoring 10 runs and driving in eight. Leah Uelesa is hitting .471, with 12 runs scored and she has driven in 10 runs. Kamryn Brannon is 4-2 in the circle with a 1.62 era with 35 strikeouts in 39 innings pitched. Bella Gamache is 3-1 with a 1.79 era. She has pitched 31 innings and struck out 36.
Liberty (8-1): The Lions lone loss came to Tracy in an 8-7 final. They also have a 4-0 win over San Ramon Valley this year. Freshman Camryn Jennings is hitting .435 with a pair of home runs. Kylee McKinney is at .471 with four homers and 11 RBI, with Jewel Cooper batting .429 with five home runs and 13 RBI. Kate Skinner has been tough in the circle with a 4-1 record, an era of 1.95, and she has struck out 67 batters in 32 innings pitched.
San Ramon Valley (9-3): The Wolves have lost to Clayton Valley, Carondelet and Liberty this year, with two of those three teams entered in the Stampede. Sophomore Mads Sekera is hitting .441 with three home runs and nine runs scored. Freshman Natalie Sun is at .414 with 11 runs scored. Addie Layous is at .400 a pair of home runs and 11 RBIs. Lila McLeod has been perfect in the circle with a 7-0 mark, 1.47 era, 63 innings pitched and 64 strikeouts.
Pool D
California (6-3): The Grizzlies have lost to Alameda and SRV, both entered here. The other loss came to Foothill. Kaylee Gallegos is hitting .444 and has scored nine runs, with Shayla Santolucito hitting .414, driving in nine runs and has three home runs. Pitching has been split between freshman Natalie Masalin and Gabrielle Nudo. Masalin has a 1.99 era, and 17 strikeouts in 24 innings. Nudo is 4-1 on the season with a 2.74 era, 23 innings pitched and nine strikeouts.
College Park (6-2): The two losses for the Falcons have come to California and Livermore. Freshman Elle Osborne has been sensational this year, hitting .600 with 15 runs scored and 13 RBIs. Alexis Weiler is at .511 and with 11 runs scored. Savannah Wilson has carried most of the pitching load with a 2.45 era, 40 innings pitched and 35 strikeouts.
Saint Francis (10-1): The Lancers are always one of the top teams in Northern California and has their only loss to Destiney Christian. Jaime Oakland has continued her amazing career and is hitting .719 at this point with 20 runs scored. Malianna Liongitau is hitting .500 with 12 RBIs. Peyton Tsao is hitting .472 and has driven in 23 runs. In the circle it has been the duo of Blanka Fisher and Mercedes Coller. Fisher is 5-0 and has not allowed an earned run this season. In 25.1 innings pitched she struck out 42 and only allowed nine hits. Coller is 4-1 with an era 1.89. She has pitched 29.2 innings and has 34 strikeouts.
Whitney (12-3): The Wildcats are always one of the top teams from the greater Sacramento area and are playing well again this year. Sidney Kleiner is hitting .500 and has scored 13 runs. Kaitlyn Johnson has a .318 average and has driven in 14 runs. Bri Seffens has a .357 average and 13 RBIs. Sophomore Taylor Cordell has been a force in the circle with a 9-1 record and a 1.24 era. In 62 innings she has struck out 82 batters.
For more information on the Stampede, visit www.lhsstampede.com. For the full schedule of the tournament check out “What to Watch,” in this week’s Playbook newsletter!
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for the Pleasanton Weekly. This column originally appeared in Tri-Valley Preps Playbook, a weekly sports e-newsletter published by Embarcadero Media Foundation. To sign up for free, visit here.
