The selection process was based on individual performance during section play. An emphasis was placed on team success. League and strength of schedule were taken into account.
Special mention goes to coaches who provided complete statistical information to MaxPreps as they helped their players gain recognition.
Player Of The YearAyla Tuua,
Destiny Christian Academy (Sacramento)P/UTIL | Class of 2026The LSU signee was already a three-time MaxPreps Player of the Year and makes it a four-year sweep after leading the Lions to a 31-0 record and NorCal regional title. Her two-way dominance saw her finish in the top two in the section in both ERA (0.66), home runs (19) and RBI (77). She sported a 12-0 record with 140 strikeouts in just 74.2 innings while posting a .651 batting average for the Division III champions.
Junior of the YearSamantha Nichols,
Central Catholic (Modesto)SS | Class of 2027The Valley Oak League MVP and Florida commit hit .618 with eight home runs, 42 RBI and stole 26 bases. She helped Central Catholic to its first section title since 1995.
Sophomore of the YearKate McCartney,
Ponderosa (Shingle Springs)SS | Class of 2028The slugging shortstop pounded 20 homers with 49 RBI over a .625 batting average. She was named the Capital Valley Conference MVP after helping the Bruins to 27 straight wins to start the year.
Freshman of the YearMadelyn Benzler,
Elk GroveP/UTIL | Class of 2029Was named the Delta League MVP in her first varsity season after going 11-4 with a 1.25 ERA and 141 punchouts. She also hit .364 with seven homers and 37 RBI for the Division II champion Thundering Herd.
First Team
Madison Babasa,
EscalonIF | Class of 2026The Trans-Valley League Most Outstanding Player helped bring Escalon its first section crown since 2019 and first NorCal title after hitting .641 for the Cougars.
SS | Class of 2026The Stanford pledge was the Monticello Empire League MVP after hitting .530 with three homers and 28 RBI. She finished her career with 192 hits, 34 home runs and 156 RBI.
Niayli Calvo,
Vanden (Fairfield)SS | Class of 2027The Vikings fell just shy of repeating as D-III champs, but the Florida commit helped them get back to the finals with a .479 average, seven homers and 38 RBI.
Caelyn Campos,
Del Oro (Loomis)OF | Class of 2028Was the spark at the top of the order for the D-II runner-up Golden Eagles, hitting .490 with 47 hits and 24 stolen bases.
Taylor Cordell,
Whitney (Rocklin)P | Class of 2028Two varsity seasons, two wins in section championship games. Cordell went 21-3 with a 1.51 ERA and 159 strikeouts for the D-I champion Wildcats.
Hayden Fell,
TracyP/1B | Class of 2027The Long Beach State commit went 16-0 with a 1.11 ERA and 139 Ks in the circle while hitting .427 with four homers and 38 RBI. She only had three games in which she didn't record a hit.
Mikayla Finn, Del Oro
P | Class of 2027Finn helped bring the Golden Eagles back to the section championship game with an 13-5 record and a 2.18 ERA and 113 Ks.
C | Class of 2026The Vanguard commit battled late injuries to finish section play with a .600 average, five homers and 27 RBI to help DCA win its third section title in four years.
Trinidey Fuss, Ponderosa
OF | Class of 2029Was the CVC's Offensive Player of the Year after hitting .558 with seven long balls and 40 RBI. She also stole 16 bases for the 27-1 Bruins.
Emma Johnson, Del Oro
C/1B | Class of 2028Continued her power surge at the plate with 13 home runs and 35 RBI while hitting .457 in her second varsity season.
Sidney Kleiner, Whitney
OF | Class of 2027The UNLV commit led the Division I champions with a .469 average, racking up 46 hits, 16 RBI and nine stolen bases.
Lauren Klomp, Ponderosa
P | Class of 2029Burst onto the scene to lead the Bruins with an 18-1 record, 1.03 ERA and 243 strikeouts in just 128.2 innings of work.
Kadence Pettis, Elk Grove
C/OF | Class of 2029Helped the Thundering Herd win its first section championship since 2010, hitting .470 with 54 hits and driving in 12 runs.
Payton Prior,
RocklinP | Class of 2027Still showed herself to be one of the dominant pitchers in her class with a 19-3 record, 1.31 ERA and 222 strikeouts over 160 innings.
Taylor Sansaver, Tracy
OF | Class of 2027The Arizona commit was the Tri-City Athletic League Offensive Player of the Year with a .645 average, four homers and 44 RBI. She totaled 60 hits and scored 45 runs.
Roxanne Sardo, Destiny Christian
P/1B | Class of 2026Part of a lethal 1-2 pitching punch for the Lions, the Purdue commit went 10-0 with a 1.18 ERA and 98 strikeouts. She also hit .461 with 12 homers and 47 RBI.
Kylie Tangney,
HughsonP/OF | Class of 2027Was the MVP of the TVL after going 15-2 with a sub-1.00 ERA and 226 strikeouts while also hitting .404 at the plate for the 20-4 Huskies.
Kamryn Thornburg,
Calaveras (San Andreas)P | Class of 2027The Mother Lode League MVP, Thornburg continued her dominance in the circle with a 21-3 record, 1.71 ERA and a section-best 275 strikeouts. She also hit .324 with five homers and 18 RBI.
The junior shortstop hit .493 and helped the Mustangs reach their first section final since 2011 as the No. 7 seed in Division I.
Second Team
Cat Alston, Rocklin
OF | Class of 2027The table-setter for the Thunder batted .372 with 32 hits, two homers and eight RBI while roaming center field.
Ava Avila,
Le GrandP | Class of 2027Did it all from both sides of the field with a .593 batting average, 12 homers and 61 RBI while going 21-1 with a 0.56 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 150.2 innings for the Division VII champions.
Emalee Cargill, Tracy
SS | Class of 2026The Cal signee was the TCAL Defensive Player of the Year but could also swing it with a .537 average, five homers, 31 RBI and 49 runs scored.
Emry Couch, Tracy
OF | Class of 2026The Long Beach State commit batted .600 average with four homers, 31 RBI and 51 hits.
Laila Dean,
VacavilleSS | Class of 2026Idaho State signee capped her illustrious career with a .360 season with 31 hits, two homers, 23 RBI and 11 stolen bases.
OF | Class of 2027
Was the VOL Offensive Player of the Year for the Division IV champion Raiders with a .460 average, three homers, 25 RBI and 37 stolen bases.
P/UTIL | Class of 2028
Paced the Rams with a .473 average, nine home runs, 34 RBI and 35 hits.
Madie Harrison, Central Catholic
C | Class of 2026The Sacramento State signee hit .382 with five homers and 27 RBI and was named the VOL Defensive Player of the Year behind the dish.
Takiyah Haygood, Destiny Christian
IF | Class of 2027Had a major increase in production from her sophomore year with a .536 average, seven home runs, 44 RBI and 45 hits.
Sinitalela Heleta, Sheldon
Position | Class of 2028The sophomore led the Huskies in all major offensive categories, including batting (.517), home runs (8), RBI (33), hits (46), runs (28) and doubles (13).
Micah Kennedy, Sheldon
P/UTIL | Class of 2027The UC Santa Barbara commit hit .438 with three homers and 20 RBI while pacing the Huskies in the circle with a 1.48 ERA and 108 Ks.
Antonia Lejarde,
MercedSS | Class of 2027Led the Bears with a .486 average, five homers, 22 RBI, 35 hits and 17 stolen bases.
Emily Morris, Dixon
UTIL | Class of 2026The heart and soul of the Dixon Rams hit .405 with six homers, 33 RBI and 33 runs scored.
Rebecca Rau, Whitney
OF | Class of 2026The CSU Monterey Bay commit helped the Division I champions with a .404 average, 42 hits and 10 RBI.
Maddie Rhodus, Vacaville
OF | Class of 2028Sparked the lineup with a team-best .532 average and added 21 RBI, 17 extra-base hits and 13 stolen bases.
Addie Titlow, Rocklin
OF | Class of 2027Led a stout lineup with a .452 batting average while adding 19 RBI and 10 stolen bases.
Tamiayh Ward, Elk Grove
IF | Class of 2029One of several Elk Grove freshmen to help deliver a Division II section title with a .442 average, 42 hits and 25 RBI.
Maddilyn Woodcock, Destiny Christian
IF | Class of 2026Critical to Destiny's championship run, hitting .382 with a pair of homers, 26 RBI and providing senior leadership.
Third Team
Angelique Boot, Rodriguez
P | Class of 2028The force in the circle for the Division I finalists, posting an 11-5 record with a 2.99 ERA and 157 strikeouts in 140.2 innings.
Chloe Champas, Del Oro
OF | Class of 2026Committed to North Dakota State, batted .322 with 28 hits and 16 stolen bases to help the Golden Eagles win a NorCal title.
Bella Cooper,
MantecaOF | Class of 2027Led the Buffaloes with a .528 average, 38 hits and 22 stolen bases.
Reese Donaldson,
OakdaleSS | Class of 2026The University of Nebraska-Kearney commit hit .523 with two homers and 17 RBI for the Mustangs.
Ella Dossey, Destiny Christian
C | Class of 2028Missed a chunk of games to start the season but finished strong with a .689 average, six homers, 31 RBI and 51 hits.
D.J. Evans, Vanden
C | Class of 2027A big reason Vanden bid for a second straight section crown, hitting .410 with four homers and 27 RBI.
Olivia Fears,
LindenOF | Class of 2026The University of the Pacific commit was the Mother Lode League MVP after hitting .685 with section-highs of 74 hits and 67 runs while adding four homers, 26 RBI and 32 stolen bases.
Kennedi Freeland, Oak Ridge
P | Class of 2027The Loyola Marymount commit recovered from an injury with a 2.12 ERA and 147 strikeouts while hitting .293 with four homers.
Stephanie Garcia, Central Catholic
P | Class of 2027Was the ace in the circle for the Division IV champs, going 7-5 with a 3.94 ERA and 52 punchouts.
Emery Glaser, Oak Ridge
OF | Class of 2026The Nevada signee continued her stellar Trojan career with a .380 average, seven homers, 16 RBI and 11 steals.
Headed to Boise State, batted .463 with three home runs and 31 RBI for the Timberwolves.
Maddy Macneil, Woodcreek
P | Class of 2029The freshman hit .476 with two homers and 27 RBI while going 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA and 59 strikeouts in the circle.
Jessica Mittelstadt,
Amador (Sutter Creek)P/UTIL | Class of 2026The senior did it all to help Amador raise its first section banner, going 8-2 with a 1.67 ERA and 208 Ks while hitting .368 with 28 RBI and being named the Sierra Valley Conference MVP.
Helped Whitney capture its second straight section championship with a .425 average, two homers, 35 RBI and 45 hits.
Maddison Stead,
Yuba CityP/UTIL | Class of 2028The Foothill Valley League Defensive Player of the Year did it all for the Honkers with an 8-2 record and 138 strikeouts while posting a .554 average, six homers, 30 RBI and 56 hits.
Helped the Cougars claim the Division V championship with a .609 average, 42 hits, eight triples and 31 RBI.
Briana Quintero,
Kimball (Tracy), 2028
Payton Richards,
Casa Roble (Orangevale), 2029
Karly Sampson,
Wood (Vacaville), 2026
Shealynn Stinson, Pleasant Grove, 2026
Leilani Terrazas,
Granite Bay, 2026
Gisele Thao,
Lindhurst (Olivehurst), 2027
