MaxPreps 2014 All-American Softball Team

Johanna Grauer has been a sensation since she arrived at Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.) as a freshman. She was a sensation for the Swedish National Team last summer, striking out 20 batters in one game. And she's been a sensation for her California summer travel ball team The Sorcerers.

Next stop: UCLA.

But before she arrives in Westwood to become a Bruin, Grauer has added another honor to her resume: 2014 MaxPreps National Softball Player of the Year.

Grauer, a senior pitcher, was unbeaten in leading Amador Valley to MaxPreps' mythical national softball title in 2014. She won 26 games, pitched 14 shutouts and averaged almost two strikeouts per inning. In addition to the MaxPreps honor, Amador Valley won the California Interscholastic Federation North Coast Section Division I title and swept the field at the prestigious Michelle Carew Classic in Orange County. Amador Valley finished the year 27-0.

As a junior, Grauer posted a 22-2 record with 274 strikeouts and a 0.08 earned run average in 152 innings. As a sophomore, she recorded a 25-1 mark, 336 strikeouts and a 0.33 ERA in 172 innings.

Amador Valley coach Teresa Borchard said Grauer's desire to be successful is what drives her work ethic to do extra drills, be they hitting or pitching.

"Johanna is always the first to practice and last one to leave," said Borchard. "She plays softball year-round. When she decides she wants something, she doesn't give up on it. She wants to be the best at whatever she does."

After batting a little over .300 as a junior, Grauer went to Borchard for extra hitting work.

"She wasn't satisfied with her hitting," said Borchard. "I was a little concerned at first because she was already a contributor. She made adjustments quickly and is very coachable. It's not easy to throw all the time, have regular practices and do extra hitting. She works outside of practice. It really speaks to her commitment."

She ended up leading the Dons with a .429 batting average and 39 hits while driving in 20 runs. But pitching is what puts Grauer at the top of her class.

In addition to her 14 shutouts, and 0.51 ERA, opponents batted .097 against her and she fanned 290 in 190 innings pitched. Borchard added that "Grauer is young in nature and does not take everything seriously. She loves the game and it shows. She keeps it fun and laughs at herself."

Tell that to the Polish National Team, which struck out 20 times against Grauer last summer as she pitched for the Swedish National Team that finished seventh in the European Games.

Simply put, Grauer has been sensational.

Coach of the Year

Monte Sherrill of Alexander Central (Taylorsville, N.C.) led his squad to a 35-0 record and another state 4A title. Alexander Central finished behind Amador Valley as the No. 2 team in the Xcellent 25.

"This season was so rewarding because we learned to win in a different style," said Sherrill, 49. "Before, we had Chelsea Wilkinson (Georgia All-American in 2014) and she struck out two of every three batters. She graduated and we had to invent a new style of play – more emphasis on defense, hitting, pick-off plays and baserunning.

"Our baserunning was something to behold," said Sherrill, who has guided Central to four state titles in the last six seasons. "Our baserunning put us on another level."

Central, which set a state record for runs scored (426), will enter the 2015 season riding a 67-game winning streak.

On March 27, Sherrill recorded his 700th win (against just 59 losses). His next coaching victory will be his 722nd.

Sherrill noted that "this team was all about AC (Alexander Central). I am so proud of our two pitchers (Kiana Millsaps and Bailey Rhoney) who shared time without any ego. They worked together and supported one another. It was special to be a part of."

In addition, Sherrill got to share the 2014 season with daughters Bailey Sherrill and Vada Sherrill. Bailey, a senior, earned the MVP award at the state tournament, and Vada, a junior, was the North Carolina Gatorade State Player of the Year.

The All-American Team listed below was selected based on performance on the field and the players' overall contribution to their teams' successes.


First Team

P - Johanna Grauer, Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.), Senior
Grauer, a senior pitcher, was unbeaten in leading Amador Valley to MaxPreps' mythical national softball title in 2014. She won 26 games, pitched 14 shutouts and averaged almost two strikeouts per inning. She is the National Player of the Year as well.

P - Taylor McQuillin, Mission Viejo (Calif.), Junior
On the year she went 25-1 with a 0.72 ERA and 316 strikeouts with just 17 walks in 164 innings. She threw two perfect games, two no-hitters and five one-hitters. McQuillin finished the season with 16 straight games of at least 10 strikeouts. In her five playoff appearances, she struck out 72 batters and scattered only seven hits for a 10-to-1 strikeout-to-hit ratio. McQuillin, who was the Orange County Register's Pitcher of the Year, was named Gatorade's National Player of the year and has committed to Arizona.

P - Stephanie Thomas, Immaculate Heart Academy (Washington Township, N.J.), Senior
Thomas went 31-2 with a 0.40 ERA, 21 shutouts and recorded 294 strikeouts in 193 innings (she walked 17). She also batted .532. She is the state's all-time winningest pitcher with 113 wins and was named New Jersey's Gatorade State Player of the Year. Thomas will play collegiately at Lafayette.

P - Taran Alvelo, Bloom-Carroll (Carroll, Ohio), Junior
Alvelo, 27-3 on the season, limited opponents to 45 base hits in 182 innings and posted a 0.46 ERA. In seven postseason games, she threw five shutouts (including 91 strikeouts in the final five games). She finished the season with 378 and has a career mark of 1,111. She finished the year with 10 no-hitters and 16 shutouts. She also batted .455 with 32 RBIs and seven home runs. Alvelo has committed to Washington.

P - Allyson Frei, High Point (Sussex, N.J.), Senior
The Boston College-bound standout finished the year with 471 strikeouts and a 29-2 record as High Point won the state title. Frei's the New Jersey career leader in strikeouts (1,426). Three times this season she struck out more than 20 in a game, including a perfect game in which she struck out all 21 batters. She walked only 27 batters and allowed just nine earned runs in 2014. She also had a team-high 32 RBIs to go with a .374 batting average.

P - Meghan King, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Senior
King led St. Thomas Aquinas to its second-straight 7A state title when she went 20-2 with a 0.25 ERA while striking out 226 and allowing only 19 walks in 142 innings. The Gatorade State Player of the Year will attend Florida State this fall.

P - Devin Durando, Indian Hills (Oakland, N.J.), Senior
In 2014, Durando was 32-0 leading Indian Hills to a state title and unbeaten season (34-0). She fanned 377 batters in 215 innings with an ERA of 0.61. Overlooked was her batting average of .436 with 21 doubles and 35 RBIs. Durando was named the Star-Ledger's State Player of the Year.

P - Miranda Viramontes, Chino (Calif.), Senior
Viramontes won 23 games with a 0.28 ERA and 298 strikeouts in 174 innings while hitting .415 with 10 homers and 36 RBIs to lead Chino to the CIF Southern Section title game against Mission Viejo (a 1-0 loss in nine innings). She will attend Utah.

P - Katie Donovan, South Salem (Ore.), Senior
Donavan pitched 20 shutouts and was 26-1 with a 0.29 ERA in leading the Saxons to the state 6A title. She was named The Oregonian's 6A Player of the Year. The winner of Oregon's Gatorade honor, she struck out 280 in 168 innings. She will attend Utah.

P - Kaylee Carlson, Pacifica (Garden Grove, Calif.), Senior
Carlson went 22-3 with 220 strikeouts, 14 shutouts and a 0.55 ERA in leading Pacifica to the CIF Southern Section D-1 title. The North Carolina-bound righthander threw five straight shutouts in the playoffs, and ended her career tossing 46 consecutive shutout innings.

P - Randi Rupp, Barbers Hill (Mt. Belvieu, Texas), Senior
Rupp was named the Gatorade State Player of the Year and helped Barbers Hill go 32-1, with its only loss coming in the state 4A semifinals. She had a 27-1 record with a 0.45 ERA, 303 strikeouts and 27 walks in 170 innings. She will attend Texas State.

C - Gwen Svekis, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Senior
A perennial all-state catcher, Svekis hit .479 with 12 home runs and a 1.692 OPS in leading St. Thomas Aquinas to its second-straight 7A state title. She will play at Oregon.

C - Stephanie Abello, Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.), Junior
Abello led Benet Academy to a 30-3 record as she hit 22 home runs and drove in 63 runs. She batted .481 and was named the Naperville Sun's Player of the Year. She needs seven home runs to set the state record. She has committed to Illinois.

C - Kristin Hoover, Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.). Senior
Hoover had big numbers – .612 average, 43 runs, 30 RBIs, 16 home runs, 1.597 slugging percentage, 2.276 OPS. – to lead Berkeley Prep. Her career totals include a .570 batting average. She has signed with California.

IF - Victoria Vidales, La Porte (Texas), Senior
The Texas A&M signee hit more home runs than she made outs this season – and finished with a .750 batting average. A shortstop, she hit 18 home runs and helped La Porte beat rival and eventual Class 5A champion Deer Park for the first time in her four-year career. In 25 games, she drove in 56 runs, scored 49, walked 23 times and had 116 total bases. She was named the Houston Chronicle's Hitter of the Year.

IF - Vada Sherrill, Alexander Central (Taylorsville, N.C.), Junior
The state's first "60-60" player with 60 hits and 60 runs scored, Sherrill led Central to another state title, a 35-0 record and a No. 2 national finish in MaxPreps' final Xcellent 25. She also stole 51 bases and was named the Gatorade State Player of the Year.

IF - Jenna Lilley, Hoover (North Canton, Ohio), Senior
The Oregon signee led Hoover to a fourth-straight D-I state title by hitting .482 this season with 17 doubles and 31 walks. She batted over .500 for her career.

IF - Kayli Kvistad, Columbia (Lake City, Fla.), Senior
The Sun's Large School Player of the Year, Kvistad batted .553 and drove in 41 runs. Her four-year average at Columbia was .601 with 164 runs, 193 hits and 179 RBIs. She will attend Florida.

IF - Alyssa Angel, La Grange (Texas), Senior
A shortstop, Angel was named the Texas Small School Softball Player of the Year after leading La Grange to a 40-2 record and Texas Class 3A state championship. She batted .578 with 13 home runs, 71 RBIs, a .636 on-base percentage and a 1.164 slugging percentage. She also was perfect in 39 steal attempts, scored 71 runs and is headed to Texas.

IF - Vanessa Shippy, Lake City (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho), Senior
Shippy batted .612 with seven homers, 41 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. Bound for Oklahoma State, she was Idaho's Gatorade State Player of Year. In the last two seasons, she collected 133 hits, scored 129 runs, drove in 71 and stole 86 bases in 57 games.

IF - Aidan Falk, Our Lady of Mercy (Rochester, N.Y.), Senior
Falk set a state record with 19 home runs this season and holds the state career mark with 45. She batted .646 with an on-base percentage of .750, knocked in 52 RBIs and scored 41 runs in only 21 games. Falk's OPS was 2.427. She will play at Michigan.

IF - Brianna Tautalafua, Carson (Calif.), Junior
Named the Waves Newspaper Group's Player of the Year for the second-straight year, Tautalafua once again put up big numbers: 19 homers, 60 RBIs, .561 average and 63 runs in 33 games. She had a .669 on-base percentage, a 1.402 slugging percentage and a 2.071 OPS. She has committed to UCLA.

IF - Nicole DeWitt, Pacifica (Garden Grove, Calif.), Senior
The CIF Southern Section's Player of the Year, DeWitt batted .400, scored 30 runs and drove in 22 for CIFSS D-1 champion Pacifica. She has signed with national champion Florida.

IF - Kristen Cuyos, Pearland (Texas), Senior
Cuyos batted .539 and drove in 42 runs while playing highlight-film defense. A perennial Texas 5A all-state selection, Cuyos will attend Texas A&M.

IF - Jazmyn Jackson, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), Senior
Jackson, who was named the San Jose Mercury News Player of the Year, led Mitty to a 30-1 record and a high national ranking. She hit .538 with a team-leading 49 hits that included 14 doubles, seven triples and eight home runs. She also stole 19 bases and scored 44 runs. She will attend California.

OF - Alyssa Palomino, Mission Viejo (Calif.), Junior
Palomino led Mission Viejo with 17 home runs, 36 runs and 34 RBIs to earn her a second-straight Orange County Register Player of the Year honor. With 42 career home runs, she sits four shy of tying the Orange County record set by El Toro's Lauren Chamberlain. She has committed to Arizona.

OF - Amanda Lorenz, Moorpark (Calif.), Junior
Lorenz is ranked as the No.1 junior prospect in the nation by StudentSportsSoftball.com. In 30 games this spring, she hit .642 with eight home runs, 22 doubles and collected 68 base hits. She scored 48 times and had base hits in all but two games. She has committed to Florida.

OF - Nicole Pendley, Rio Rancho (N.M.), Senior
Pendley led the Rams (28-4) to the Class 5A state championship, compiling a 21-2 pitching record and a 2.01 ERA, along with a .582 batting average, 14 home runs and 50 RBIs at the plate. A three-time first team all-state selection, she also had 14 doubles, seven triples and 22 stolen bases. She also won the state discus title and will attend Oklahoma.

OF - Faith Lowry, Gibbs (Corryton, Tenn.), Junior
You want runs? Lowry scores them - 84 to be exact, in 55 games, as Gibbs went 50-6 on the season. She batted .604 and collected 113 base hits. She also stole 74 bases in 75 attempts.

OF - Trysten Melhart, Snohomish (Wash.), Senior
In being named the Everett Herald Player of the Year, Melhart batted .658. She will attend Washington.

U - Kayla Ober, Cinco Ranch (Katy, Texas), Senior
Ober batted and pitched Cinco Ranch to a 29-3 season with 28 wins (223 strikeouts in 197 innings) and a 1.07 ERA. She batted .465 with 38 RBIs and 21 extra base hits. She has signed with Texas A&M.