MaxPreps 2014 California Small Schools All-State Softball Team

In leading Jurupa Hills (Fontana) to the CIF-Southern Section D-5 title, Natalie Calderas put up some of the best numbers in the state – as a pitcher and as a hitter.

For her impressive season, Calderas has been named the MaxPreps California Small Schools Softball Player of the Year.

She was 26-2 with a 0.44 ERA and 334 strikeouts while walking only 22 in 174 innings. She limited opponents to a .096 batting average. At the plate, she batted .567 with 11 home runs, 49 RBIs, 35 runs scored and 18 walks while striking out just five times in 109 plate appearances.

In a 9-0 first-round win against Bell Gardens, Calderas allowed just two hits while striking out 21 batters in seven innings, tying for the second-best seven-inning strikeout total in CIF-SS history. She also struck out 22 in a 10-inning, one-hit, 2-1 win over Don Lugo.



In five playoff games, she struck out 77 in 35 innings and drove in 10 runs. Calderas, who finished the season with a 22-game hitting streak, has signed with Cal State-Fullerton.

The Small Schools Coach of the Year is Jennifer Beck of Redwood Christian (San Lorenzo). Beck led the Eagles to the CIF North Coast Section D-5 title and a 20-2 season. The Eagles allowed just 34 runs and scored 193.

Small schools all-state players are chosen from schools that compete in enrollment divisions generally less than 1,000 students.


P - Arizona Pilgrim, Taft, Junior
Pilgrim went 30-2 with 243 strikeouts in 165 innings. She posted a 0.76 ERA and 13 shutouts. She also batted .319 with 22 RBIs as the Wildcats won the CIF-CS D-4 title.

P - Zoe Conley, Salesian (Richmond), Senior
A four-year starter headed to Cal State Northridge, Conley led the Pride to a second-consecutive NCS D-4 title. She pitched 11 shutouts during an 18-1 season.

P - Allie Hotetz, Aquinas (San Bernardino), Junior
Aquinas reached CIF-SS D-5 quarterfinals and finished 23-4, as Hotetz was 22-2 with a 1.16 ERA and 175 strikeouts in 108 innings. She also batted .447 with 26 RBIs.



P - Natalie Calderas, Jurupa Hills (Fontana), Senior
Calderas was 26-2 with a 0.44 ERA and 334 strikeouts while walking only 22 in 174 innings. She limited opponents to a .096 batting average. At the plate, she batted .567 with 11 home runs, 49 RBIs, 35 runs scored and 18 walks while striking out just five times in 109 plate appearances.

P - Clare Dunnegan, Redwood Christian (San Lorenzo), Senior
Dunnegan went 19-1 with a 0.54 ERA and averaged better than a strikeout per inning in 116 innings. Redwood Christian won the D-5 North Coast title and finished 20-2.

P - Marina Felipe, McFarland, Senior
Felipe threw every inning (179) for the D-6 section champions, going 24-7 with a 0.86 ERA and 319 strikeouts. Felipe also hit .392 with an on-base percentage of .525.

P - Cielo Meza, St. Bonaventure (Ventura), Junior
Meza was named CIF-SS D-6 Player of the Year after leading the Seraphs to a section title. Meza was 15-2 with a 0.65 ERA and fanned 228 in 107 innings. She has committed to Long Beach State.

P - Sara Stephenson, Sutter, Junior
Stephenson pitched the Huskies to their second-consecutive CIF-Northern Section D-5 title when she went 19-7 with a 2.99 ERA on the year, striking out 192 batters in 142 innings. At the plate, she batted .328.

P - Hope Delgado, Caruthers, Sophomore
Not overpowering, Delgado just wins: she went 26-6 and pitched 190 of her team's 193 innings as the Blue Raiders won the CIF-CS D-5 title.



P - Hailey Dolcini, Fortuna, Freshman
Dolcini is a strikeout pitcher (202 in 128 innings) who had a 0.44 ERA (allowed just 57 base hits) and was 16-3. And she can hit (.373 and 18 RBIs in 23 games).

P - McKenzie Draper, Rosamond, Senior
Behind Draper's 21-5 season, Rosamond reached CIF-CS D-4 semifinals. She had 172 strikeouts in 153 innings and also batted .573 with 53 RBIs. She has signed with Kansas Wesleyan.

C - Caitlyn Emberson, Taft, Junior
Emberson batted .587 and drove in 66 runs to go along with 20 doubles and 11 homers. Her OPS was 1.716. She committed only one error as the Wildcats won the CIF-CS D-4 title.

C - Brina Buttacavoli, Marysville, Senior
Buttacavoli capped her four-year varsity career by leading the Indians to their fourth-straight Golden Empire League title. She hit .543 with 33 RBIs, 14 doubles and six home runs. She had an error-free season. She has signed with Utah State.

C - Rachael Metzger, Garces (Bakersfield), Senior
Metzger equaled the section's record with 16 home runs. For the season, she hit .557 with an on-base percentage of .664 and slugged 1.195. She also set career section records with 37 home runs and 170 RBIs. She has signed with Kentucky.

C - Alexandra Rowell, Exeter, Senior
Rowell led the Monarchs to a 19-11 record and the CIF-CS title game with a .511 average and 48 RBIs. She has signed with Cal State Stanislaus.

IF - Grayce Majam, Mountain Empire (Pine Valley), Senior
Majam batted .725 (37-for-51), scored 45 times, had 37 RBIs, 25 extra base hits (11 homers), an .816 on base percentage, a 1.784 slugging percentage and a 2.60 OPS. In the circle, she was 13-1 with a 1.38 ERA and struck out 150 in 76 innings. She has signed with Southern Mississippi.



IF - Asailah Brown, Lindhurst (Olivehurst), Sophomore
Brown earned her second-straight All-Area honor after batting .527 with 32 runs. She committed just one error at shortstop and stole 22 bases.

IF - Bradi Kooyman, Elliot Christian (Lodi), Sophomore
She only played 14 games, but she averaged more than two hits, two runs and two RBIs in each one of those. Her season totals were .721, 31 hits, 37 RBIs and 29 runs. She also had 21 extra base hits and an OPS of 2.281. She has committed to Missouri.

IF - Sydney Townes, Cabrillo (Lompoc), Junior
The junior hit .618 in 86 plate appearances with an on-base percentage of .698. She also had 33 stolen bases.

IF - Ashleigh Hughes, Antelope, Senior
Hughes wrapped up her sterling prep career by hitting .532 with a prep high of 50 hits, 40 runs and 24 RBIs. She has signed with Arizona.

IF - Lindsey Gilmore, Caruthers, Junior
The driving force on the D-5 championship team hit .500 with 14 doubles, seven triples and three homers. She also had 48 RBIs and 39 runs while leading the Blue Raiders to a 26-6 record. In two varsity seasons, she has a .505 average, 29 doubles, eight homers and 90 RBIs.

IF - Tara McIntyre, Wheatland, Senior
Named the Butte View League's co-MVP, McIntyre batted .570 with six home runs, eight triples, 10 doubles and 23 RBIs. She also scored 45 runs and recorded 15 steals on the basepaths, helping lead the Pirates to their fourth-consecutive league title. She has signed with Cal State Fullerton.

IF - Haylee Tracy, Taft, Senior
Tracy hit .505 with 16 doubles, eight home runs and 62 runs scored. Her biggest number was 51 RBIs for the 36-2 CIF-CS D-4 champions. She was also perfect in 27 steal attempts. She has signed with Evansville.

IF - Aria Pogni, Tamalpais (Mill Valley), Senior
Named the Marin Independent POY, Pogni captured her second MCAL triple crown in three seasons (16 HR, 39 RBIs, .684 average). She also scored 57 runs with an OPS of 2.265 and a slugging percentage of 1.481. She has signed with Loyola Marymount.

IF - Alex Sotomayor, Chavez (Delano), Senior
Sotomayor hit .562 with 12 doubles, seven triples and seven home runs, and she stole 29 bases in 31 attempts. She has signed with UC Davis.

OF - Darbi Duke, Liberty (Madera), Senior
Duke was the North Sequoia League MVP, hitting .522 with eight homers, seven doubles, 40 RBIs and 40 runs to lead the Hawks to the D-4 final. She has signed as part of the first recruiting class for upstart NCAA D-2 Montevallo (Alabama).

OF - Taylor Pack, Sutter, Junior
Pack had a .564 batting average, scored 37 times and drove in 50. She had nine home runs, six triples and seven doubles. She struck out just twice in 110 plate appearances as Sutter won its second-straight D-4 Northern Section title. She has committed to UCLA.



OF - Caitlyn Gravel, Sutter, Junior
Gravel helped lead Sutter to its second-straight CIF-Northern Section D-4 title. She had 45 hits, a .446 batting average and her 34 runs scored were each second on the team to All-American Taylor Pack, and her 36 stolen bases were one of the top marks in the Mid-Valley area.

OF - Zoe Casas, Aquinas (San Bernardino), Junior
Casas was the San Bernardino Sun's Player of the Year in 2013 and was no less impressive this year. She batted .644 with two home runs, 46 runs scored, 28 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. She also struck out only twice and failed to get a hit in only one game this season. She has committed to Florida State.

UT - Emma Godin, Valley Academy (Granada Hills), Junior
The nation's leading hitter (.805 on 70 hits in 87 at-bats), Godin led her team to a 20-3 record. She scored 50 runs, knocked in 51 RBIs with 19 doubles, eight triples, nine homers, a 1.494 slugging percentage, a 2.300 OPS and was perfect on 42 steal attempts. She also pitched: 10 wins, 0.95 ERA and 141 strikeouts in 73 innings.

UT - Adriana (Chloe) Romero, Academy of Careers & Exploration (Helendale), Freshman
Romero was a sensation pitching and hitting as ACE went 26-1 and won the CIF-SS D-7 final. In the circle, Romero was 18-1 with a 1.17 ERA, 200 strikeouts in 114 innings. She also stole 22 bases and batted .475 with 48 hits, 44 RBIs, 24 extra base hits and scored 57 times.

UT - Megan Earley, Ferndale, Senior
Earley, who led Ferndale to the CIF-NCS title game, batted .549 with 37 RBIs and 20 extra base hits. She also was impressive in the circle: 13-3 with a 1.60 ERA.

UT - Kylie Ragsdale, Waterford, Junior
Ragsdale played in just 19 games, but was a huge impact pitching (15-3, 191 strikeouts, 0.67 ERA in 126 innings) and hitting (.481 and 20 RBIs).