Sac-Joaquin Section Softball Player of the Year watch list

The race for a section title is down to the final four teams in Divisions 1-4. Divisions 5-7 concluded over the weekend. And now that we have the postseason back for the first time since 2019, winning does come into play when selecting the Sac-Joaquin area's top players.

In Division 1, the Folsom vs. Lincoln (Stockton) semifinal game features two of the section's top pitchers. Emma Falen vs. Peja Goold is as good as it gets. Falen, the senior ace for the Bulldogs has over 200 strikeouts and led her squad to a Sierra Foothill League title. Goold, a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga commit, has struck out over half the batters she has faced. The senior has pitched 12 complete games for the Trojans.

On the other side of the bracket is Sheldon (Sacramento) vs. Rocklin. The Huskies have so many weapons it's hard to key in on one or even two players. Four in the lineup batted over .500 in Delta League play that features two of the section's top pitchers. Imani Black finished batting .590 in league. Breanna Romero is 19-2 in the circle. She has only allowed two hits in postseason play so far. The Thunder, who had the top team in 2021, have been scrappy all season and can play with anyone. Princeton commit Brielle Wright can spin it in the circle.
You can easily argue that the Division 2 semifinal between St. Francis (Sacramento) and Elk Grove has the best pitching matchup. Hope Jenkins is 23-3 overall with 282 strikeouts. Like her twin sister Grace, Hope can smash as well. Class of 2023 Aissa Silva has all the tools as a dominant lefty pitcher for the Thundering Herd. She has a 0.56 ERA and has struck out 311 batters. The Troubadours won both games they played so far this season.

Roseville will take the short ride to Del Oro (Loomis) for a chance to move on to a D2 section title game. The Golden Eagles have several hitters that we are keeping an eye on, like Haylee Engelbrecht, Kendal Manley and Olivia Robison. Caroline Grimes is a workhorse in the circle and is crushing it at the plate. The UC Davis commit is batting over .400 and is 14-3 on the rubber. Like Grimes, Roseville's Malaya Johnson can do it all. University of Santa Barbara commit has hit six home runs this season, including a big one in a 2-1 playoff win over Granite Bay. She also pitched seven innings in the game as well, which shows how impactful she has been. Shaylen McDowell is another big weapon for the Tigers.

In Division 3 play arguably the section's top shortstop Tayler Biehl and Vista del Lago (Folsom) travel to play Vanden (Fairfield). The Arizona commit makes everything on the field look easy. Vanden got the top seed for a reason as it's loaded with talent like star pitcher Hazyl Gray. The senior is 15-0 in the circle so far this year and has impressive wins over Sheldon and East Nicolaus, to name a few. The lefty can hit too as she is batting .450 with six home runs.

A potential classic is setup between Valley Oak League rivals Oakdale and Central Catholic (Modesto). This will be the rubber match between the two. In game one Delainey Everett allowed one hit and stuck out 15 as the Mustangs beat Central Catholic 1-0. In game two it was Randi Roelling and the Raiders who prevailed. The junior struck out 17 in a 2-1 victory.

In Division 4, Marysville's Jenissa Conway has our attention. The Class of 2022 Michigan commit has hit seven home runs this season, including a walk-off bomb to beat Capital Christian and advance to the semifinals where they will host Orestimba.