MaxPreps 2017 California Small Schools All-State Softball Team

Video: Softball pitcher strikes out all 21 in perfect game
See Mia Faieta of Cedar Grove (N.J.) toss the 'perfect' perfect game, striking out every batter.

Four-time MaxPreps All-American Chloe Romero, who tossed a perfect game and hit for the cycle in the same game this season, has been named MaxPreps 2017 California Small Schools Player of the Year.

The Texas signee led Academy of Careers & Exploration (Helendale) to an 18-2 season. She hit .656 with 32 RBIs, 41 runs and 21 extra base hits. She also had 278 strikeouts in 120 innings (2.32 per inning). She threw eight no-hitters (three perfect games) and four one-hitters, and allowed one base hit per every four innings pitched. Opponents hit a paltry .078 against her.

With Romero in the circle, her team reached the CIF Southern Section D-6 quarterfinals. In 16 games between her two 2017 losses, she allowed 20 base hits and struck out 224 in 103 innings.

In a game against Academy for Academic Excellence (Victorville), Romero pitched a perfect game and hit for the cycle. She struck out 14 of the 15 outs in the five-inning 12-0 mercy-rule victory. She drove in five runs.



Romero had double digits strikeouts in 18 of her 20 starts this season and, in her two losses, she combined to strikeout 22 and allowed just three earned runs. Romero had a base hit in all but her final game. Her slugging percentage as a senior was 1.360 and she had a .734 on-base percentage.

In her four seasons for the Eagles, Romero batted .550, scored 195 runs, had 175 base hits, doubled 39 times, tripled 20 times and hit 21 home runs, including nine this season. She also walked 41 times and stole 59 bases. She played in 93 games and posted a 1.12 ERA with a 71-13 won-loss record. Impressively, she struck out 980 batters in 506 innings.

During her four years at Academy, Romero also earned varsity letters in volleyball, soccer and cross country.

Previous Small Schools Players of the Year
2016: Kristin Worley, Savannah (Anaheim)
2015: Cielo Meza, St. Bonaventure (Ventura)
2014: Natalie Calderas, Jurupa Hills (Fontana)
2013: Zoë Casas, Aquinas (San Bernardino)
2012: Cheridan Hawkins, Anderson
2011: Cheridan Hawkins, Anderson

MaxPreps 2017 California Small Coach of the Year — Jeanne Dike, California School for the Deaf (Fremont)

Dike led the Eagles to the Bay Counties League title with a 9-1 mark and to the NCS D-6 title and a 20-3 season. The Eagles averaged 10.5 runs per game and allowed 106. They defeated Geyserville 8-7 in the D-6 title game. They went 2-1 against out-of-state opponents, defeating teams from Washington, D.C., and Maryland and losing to a Texas team.



Previous Small Schools Coaches of the Year
2016: Margaret Neill, Paraclete (Lancaster)
2015: Rod Cree, Hughson
2014: Jennifer Beck, Redwood Christian (San Lorenzo)

P — Hailey Dolcini, Fortuna, Sr.
The UC-Riverside signee concluded her four years at Fortuna with her finest season, going 23-2 with a 0.38 ERA and 345 strikeouts in 165 innings. She twirled seven no-hitters and 16 shutouts as the Huskies lost just twice. She also batted .620 with 44 runs, 31 RBIs and 24 extra base hits.

P — Janessa Jasso, Dos Palos, So.
Jasso led Dos Palos to the semifinals (a 1-0 loss to champion Selma) of the CIF Central Section D4 tournament. She went 23-3 and with 275 strikeouts and 25 walks in 164 innings. Her ERA was 0.64. Jasso, who has committed to Iowa State, also batted .467 with 26 RBIs.

P — Mariah Mazon, Mission Oak (Tulare), Sr.
Mazon, who has signed with Oregon State, won 18 games (six were no-hitters) and struck out 289 in 183 innings while posting a 0.38 ERA. As a result, the Hawks reached the finals of the Central Section D4 finals. She also batted .418 and drove in 26 runs.

P — Maddy Stockslager, South (Torrance), Sr.
Stockslager led South to nine straight wins and the Southern Section D5 title. She was named the CIF-SS D5 Player of the Year after going 16-5 with a 0.66 ERA and striking out 228 in 137 innings. She also batted .400. In her final four playoff games, Stockslager was 4-0, tossing 28 innings, allowing 10 hits, two earned runs and striking out 57. She has signed with Chaminade (Hawaii).

P — Lilly Robles, Heritage Christian (Northridge), Sr.
Robles lit up ‘em in 2017 with a 24-4 record and 290 strikeouts in 178 innings for the Southern Section D5 runner up. She also batted .402 and was named to the CIF-SS D5 team.



P — Carli Lewis, Lassen (Susanville), Sr.
Lewis struck out 286 batters in 208 innings and pitched 31 complete games as the Grizzlies won 24 times. She finished with 23 wins and a 1.55 ERA. She also batted .303.

P — Jessie Fontes, Grace Brethren (Simi Valley), Fr.
Fontes, who has committed to Arizona, averaged 2.3 strikeouts per inning (226 in 98 innings) and won 15 games with a 0.36 ERA to lead the Lancers to a one-loss season. Opponents batted just 0.48 against Fontes, who batted .582 herself. In her lone loss, Fontes pitched a no-hitter and struck out 16.

P — Hailey Garcia, Selma, Jr.
Garcia had a 1.43 ERA, striking out 96 batters and walking 15 in 102 innings as 19-7-1 Selma wrapped up the Central Section D4 title.

P — Samantha Martinez, Wasco, Sr.
Martinez went 24-4 with a 1.81 ERA and struck out 226 batters in 166 innings. She also batted .460 with 41 runs and 37 RBIs. She has signed with San Francisco State.

P — Caitlyn Rivera, Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth), Sr.
Rivera won 14-of-17 starts with a 2.09 ERA and 209 strikeouts in 120 innings. She threw 15 complete games and three no-hitters as the Trailblazers lost 3-2 in the Southern Section D6 finals. She hit .449 with 30 RBIs in 33 games. She will play collegiately at Chestnut Hill University.

P — Isabelle Gomez, Rosamond, Sr.
Though she didn't start her season until April 4, Gomez put up impressive numbers — 30 RBIs, 30 hits and a .517 average in 18 games. More importantly, she was 15-3 with a 2.44 ERA and won nine of her final 10 starts as the Roadrunners finished second in the Central Section D5 finals. She has committed to Antelope Valley College.



C — Brielle Stephens, Durham, Sr.
The College of Idaho-bound Stephens batted .600 with 51 RBIs and 35 runs scored in 25 games. She had 26 extra-base hits, and, in one game, hit for the cycle, had six hits and drove in nine runs. She was also named Small School All-State. C — Sydney Cross, Mt. Shasta, Sr.
Though the 14-8 Bears' stint in the playoffs was short-lived, Cross delivered 13 home runs and batted .610. Her on-base percentage was .671 and she slugged 1.440. In one game, she homered three times, doubled and drove in nine runs.

C — Katie Lucas, Livermore Valley Charter Prep (Livermore), Sr.
Lucas had at least one base hit and scored at least one run in each game this year. In addition, she batted .714 and hit 19 home runs. She scored 42 times, drove in 43 runs with an on-base percentage of .763 and a 2.040 slugging mark. Among those 19 bombs are two four-homer games, a three-homer game and three two-homer games. And she played in just 12 games. She will attend Grand Canyon University.

IF — Charisma Romero, Academy of Careers & Exploration, Jr.
Like her All-American older sister Chloe, Charisma put up impressive numbers: .714 batting average, 39 runs, 44 RBI, 25 extra base hits and a 1.257 slugging percentage. She committed one error on the season. An All-Area selection, Romero has committed to Boston College.

IF — Chardae Hoskins, Escalon, Jr.
Hoskins led Escalon to the Sac Joaquin Section D5 title when she batted .512 with 40 RBIs and won 12-of-13 pitching decisions. She recorded a 1.53 ERA and struck out 147 in 86 innings. She has committed to Simpson University.

IF — Sydney Kuma, Caruthers, So.
Though she was walked in more than half of her plate appearances, Kuma responded with a .613 batting average, an .800 on-base percentage and a 1.290 slugging percentage. The Georgia commit also stole 15 bases and was 12-4 in the circle with 162 strikeouts in 99 innings. She was first team All-State.

IF — Keana Pola, Godinez (Santa Ana), So.
Pola followed up an impressive freshman year with 56 hits, .622 batting average, 49 runs and 29 extra base hits in 28 games this season. Her on-base percentage was .685 and she slugged 1.044. The Grizzly Bears finished the season 22-6 and in the Southern Section D5 semifinals. Pola was named to the CIF-SS All-Star team.



IF — Janelle Meono, Wilson (Hacienda Heights), So.
Meono, a University of Arizona commit, helped lead the Wildcats to the Southern Section D6 semifinals, batting .667 with eight triples, five doubles and three home runs. She also stole 30 bases and scored 54 runs.

IF — Tiare Jennings, St. Anthony (Long Beach), Fr.
Jennings got her high school career off to a good start by hitting .521, leading the Saints to the Southern Section D6 title and being named All-CIF D6 Player of the Year. She has committed to Oklahoma.

IF — Janae Weise, Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth), Fr.
The big bat in the middle of the Trailblazers lineup, Weise hit 15 homers and 10 doubles to drive in 55 runs in a 25-6 season that ended in the Southern Section D6 title game. Weise batted .500 with a .541 on-base percentage and a 1.122 slugging average.

IF — Mila Rodriguez, Millennium (Tracy), Jr.
Rodriquez was impressive her first two years at Millennium, but her junior year saw improvements in all areas: .562 average, 48 runs, 54 hits, 72 RBIs, 14 homers and 35 extra base hits. She had a. 611 on-base percentage and slugged 1.281.

IF — Mikaela Ferreira, Ripon, Sr.
Ferreira batted .648 and drove in 40 runs. The San Jose State signee had 16 doubles and scored 40 times as the Indians went 21-6 and lost a pair of one-run games in the Sac-Joaquin Section D5 playoffs to finalist Mariposa County and champion Escalon.

IF — Noemi Farfan, Calvary Christian Academy (Chula Vista), Jr.
Farfan put up gigantic numbers for a third-straight season: .732 batting average, .756 on-base percentage, 1.169 slugging percentage, 52 hits, 40 runs, 56 RBIs, 23 doubles and 22 stolen bases. She did this in just 20 games. She also was 11-7 with 169 strikeouts in 95 innings.



IF — Brooke Franson, Corona del Mar (Newport Beach), Sr.
Franson hit .580 with 28 extra-base hits (17 doubles, seven triples, and four home runs). The Manhattanville College signee notched 36 RBIs and scored 35 runs. She is a three-time Dream Team selection and led the Sea Kings to their first winning season since 2006. She was an Orange County Seniors All-Star for the Coastal roster, taking MVP honors in the game.

OF — Leah Lafata, Mariposa County (Mariposa), Sr.
Lafata led Mariposa to the Sac-Joaquin Section D5 finals. She batted .531, scored 35 times and drove in 30 runs. When not playing the outfield, she was difficult to solve in the circle with 15-1 record and 0.89 ERA. She also struck out 169 in 102 innings. She is a first team All-State pick.

OF — Grace Hosman, Millennium, So.
Hosman went hitless in only one game en route to a .619 average and 60 base hits in Millennium's 21-7 season. She had multiple hit games 19 times and scored in all but three games. Her on-base percentage was .675 and she stole 41 bases. She has committed to Portland State.

OF — Zia Norris, Bishop Montgomery (Torrance), Sr.
Norris, who signed with UCLA, made the most of her 17-game season with 31 hits, 25 RBIs and a.534 batting average.

OF — Chloe Malau'ulu, St. Anthony, Jr.
Malau'ulu hit a dozen homers and drove in 44 runs to help lead the Saints to the Southern Section D6 title and a season-ending 17-game winning streak. She batted .419, scored 37 times and drove in 18 runs in her final 10 games.

OF — Jordyn Hutchins, Woodland Christian, Fr.
Committed to Stanford, Hutchins put up big numbers — 52 hits, .650 batting average, 49 runs and 44 RBIs as the Cardinals reached the Sac-Joaquin Section D6 finals. Hutchins also stole 11 bases and was 4-2 in the circle with 65 strikeouts in 56 innings.



UTIL — Kayla Kappmeyer, Calaveras (San Andreas), Sr.
Kappmeyer, a Portland State signee, set the table (48 hits, 28 walks, .466 average) for Calaveras in reaching the Sac-Joaquin Section D4 title game. She also was 10-1 with a 2.39 ERA and averaged better than a strikeout per inning.

UTIL — Linnay Wilson, Coalinga, Sr.
Wilson led the Horned Toads in the circle (21-4 with a 0.83 ERA, 226 strikeouts in 143 innings) and at the plate (batting .589, 22 extra-base hits, 56 hits, 46 RBIs) as they won the Central Section D5 title. She is a first team All-State pick.

UTIL — Tehya Bird, Cloverdale, Fr.
Committed to Oregon, Bird finished the season hitting .727 with 53 RBIs and 58 runs. She homered 11 times, walked 29 times and struck out once. Her on-base percentage was .814 and she slugged 1.515. She also was 18-5 with 220 strikeouts in 151 innings. Bird scored in all but one game.