RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
The Orange County-based Trinity League, which is one of the toughest leagues in the country in baseball and softball, held a media day on Thursday at JSerra High in San Juan Capistrano, California.
The players and coaches talked about the upcoming season… here are their comments and insights heading into the 2022 campaign…
Here’s what they had to say about the softball season:
2022 TRINITY LEAGUE PREVIEW
2021 OUTLOOK:
Mater Dei beat OLu, 2-1, and lost, 9-3, in 9 innings to share the Trinity League title. The Monarchs beat Gahr, 8-3, and Huntington Beach, 3-2, before losing to Chino Hills, 7-3, in the CIF-SS Division 1 quarterfinals. Orange Lutheran beat California, 7-2, before losing to Noroc, 10-0, in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs. Santa Margarita lost to Ayala, 1-0, in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs. Rosary Academy beat Loara, 17-0, Long Beach Poly, 6-1, Citrus Valley, 5-1, Oxnard, 2-1, and Hemet, 11-1, to win the CIF-SS Division 4 title. The Royals beat Selma, 7-1, and lost to Sultana, 3-0, in the CIF So Cal Regionals Division 2 semifinals. JSerra did not qualifiy for the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs.
2021 ALL-CIF SS:
Division 1 — Kiki Estrada (2022, IF), Orange Lutheran; Angie Yellen (2021, IF, Santa Margarita); Division 2 — Hollie Farmer (2022, IF, JSerra) Division 4 — Player of the Year, Hannah Hernandez (2022, OF, Rosary Acadmey); Championship Coach, Tom Tice (Rosary Academy); and Natalie Romero (2023, P, Rosary Academy).
2022 PRESEASON TRINITY LEAGUE POLL
- Orange Lutheran (22 points)
- Mater Dei (28)
- JSerra (45)
- Rosary Academy (48)
- Santa Margarita (67)
*****
2022 TRINITY LEAGUE OUTLOOK
ORANGE LUTHERAN
COACH STEVE MIKLOS
“Last season was definitely my most difficult year of coaching as dealing with COVID restrictions significantly impacted our team chemistry, relationships and player/parent expectations. It seems like everyone expected things to go back to normal once we were allowed to play games, but they never were normal. Having to deal with limited preseason workouts, competing directly with travel ball during our season and the lack of true tournaments made last year one to forget. We were not able to do our typical team bonding stuff like traveling out of town, team retreat and just hanging out with teammates during game breaks at tournaments, all made 2021 a strange year. Unfortunately, our emphasis on team first instead of me first seemed to get lost by our players as they tried to make up for the lost season of 2020. I’m happy that the 2021 season is behind us and I am so excited for this 2022 season.
“We have been able to get back to normal this year and better prepare for the start of our season. Playing in scrimmages and in the PGF pre-high school tournament has enabled us to come together and play as a team. Just watching our girls hanging out together between games is such a positive thing towards developing team bonding. Our planned retreat to Lake Arrowhead in a few weeks will continue to bring our players together with a focus on goal setting for this season. As always, our schedule will be challenging as we are playing in the Dave Kops Tournament of Champions, The Carew Classic and the Norco Showcase. The Trinity League is always a dogfight.
“I would have to say that our best player going into this season is senior Kiki Estrada. Kiki was the Trinity League MVP last season as a junior. She is a power-hitting first baseman and has signed with Arkansas. Kiki is a team leader and willing to do whatever is necessary to make our team better. In addition to playing first base, Kiki will see time in the pitching circle this year and just recently got her first ever varsity win as a pitcher against Gahr High School last Saturday.”
KIANA “KIKI” ESTRADA (2022, 1B/P, Arkansas, #13 in the 2022 Extra Elite 100)
“Last season was a different season because of COVID. We had girls practicing in small groups and we never truly meshed since we weren’t together. Even though we won league I think we could have gone deeper in CIF if we had that glue from the start.
“This season, I am going to focus on playing my game instead of being the player people think I am or want me to be. There’s no self-added pressure on myself this year, so I can be myself. I would consider it a successful season if we as a team meshed together and fought for each other as well as hold each other accountable. I want us to go to battle together, so pressure isn’t on one specific person to get the job done.
“That’s always a hard question to answer, but I wouldn’t single out one specific person as we have a strong core group of girls, who have stepped up for us recently, which have been Bree (Weiss), Kai (Money), Tessa (Jerue) and myself. Bree is only a sophomore and has shown how competitive she is and is already in shape for season. She is a great player to have in the circle and I can’t wait to see her grow. Kai is easily the fastest girl I’ve ever played with and one of the most athletic. She will be a real threat to all of High School teams, especially since she is just a freshman. Tessa has really stepped it up so far this season and her batting behind me will benefit her as well as me. Tessa is a junior and I feel this will be a break out season for her. Lastly for me, I will just be me and do whatever I can to help the team succeed.”
KAI MINOR (2025, P/OF, uncommitted, #17 in the 2022 Extra Elite 100)
“Since I am new to the program I do not know what happened last season, but I do know that the varsity team won our league. They also wanted to make it further in CIF than they did, but I hope that this year we can win it.
“I am going to bring a winning mentality and leadership to the team and I hope that we can win league and CIF this year.
“We actually have two stellar athletes on our team named Kiana Estrada and Brianne Weiss. Brianne brings the heat with the way that she hits her spots when she pitches. Kiana bats third in the lineup and can always bring in an RBI or two with her power.
BRIANNE “BREE” WEISS (2024, P/OF, uncommitted, #28 in the 2024 Extra Elite 100)
“Last season was an adjustment period. With Covid and not having a fall season, our coaches didn’t have enough time to really get to know us. I think this year will be different. We also get to go to Lake Arrowhead for team bonding this year, which will help unite our team even more.
“I’ve been really working hard offseason. Also, spending a lot of time in the weightroom at school and at the gym. One thing I noticed as a freshman last year was that high school umpires have really small strike zones, so I’ve really worked on hitting spots more accurately. The goal is to win league and CIF
“Kiki (Estrada). Not only is she a great leader and example to us younger ones, she’s such a well-rounded player. Pitchers are scared to face her. So scared they usually walk her. I’m just glad we’re on the same team!”
*****
MATER DEI
COACH SEAN BRASHEAR
“(I’m) proud of what we accomplished to win League and to advance to the quarters of CIF with a win over Huntington Beach, the #2-ranked team, was something to be proud of. We continued to get better last year as the season moved along.
“Our goal is always to continue to improve, to learn and identify the strengths and weaknesses of our team, so that we can become the best version of ourselves by the time we are playing the most important softball of the year. Accomplishments will always start with winning the Trinity league, which we all know is one of, if not the toughest leagues in the country. Every team in this league is well-coached and has talented rosters, so always a challenge.
“(Best player) I will go players — Offensively, CF Anika Ewert, (a) lefty Slapper and fast. She creates havoc and is (a) rally starter. A fun athlete to watch. Defensively, P Justice Alcaraz. She played third for us last year and pitched in a few games as we had (the) Pitcher of the Year in (our) league, senior pitcher Morgan McConnell. This year will be a big opportunity for Justice to show how talented she is and I am very excited for her.”
JUSTINE ALCARAZ (2023, P/UT/3B, uncommitted)
“I thought we had a great season last year. It felt really good to get back onto the dirt bouncing back from Covid. Last season, I felt our team had enough talent. We were able to play people in different positions in order to compete.
“This season, I will be playing in my primary position as a pitcher and it will be a change compared to last season when I played third base. I hope to be consistent and effective for my team throughout the season and I plan to compete. My hope is for us to achieve a Trinity league title, which can be accomplished by taking it game by game.
“I believe that although we have a very talented squad I could say that Anika Ewert has been very consistent through my time with Mater Dei softball. She puts the ball in play at almost every at bat and generates runs, which lead to wins. She is also very fast, which helps her to track and catch flyballs. I also love to watch her fly around the bases. It brings out this crazy energy in the dugout and I love that.”
ANIKA EWERT (2022, OF/2B, Bowdoin College)
“Overall, I feel that my team did very well last season. We really came together as a team to win the Trinity League, and we were successful in making it far during the CIF-SS playoffs. Though the pandemic switched up our season a bit, I’m so grateful that we got the chance to be back on the dirt again.
“Compared to the past few seasons, I have been working on improving my game at the plate even more. I believe that being able to utilize different types of hits — bunting, power slapping, soft slapping, etc.— will put me in the best position to be successful and get on base for my team. For my last season, I hope to become a Trinity League and CIF-SS champion.
“I have to say that Madison Rodriguez is one of the best players on my team. I highly admire her fielding and hitting skills and she can always be counted on to help produce positive outcomes for the team. I look forward to playing with her this last season.”
MADISON RODRIGUEZ (2022, IF/OF/UT, uncommitted)
“My thoughts on last season was that our varsity team did great as we were able to win Trinity League and head into the third round of CIF.
“What I have done differently is getting in more hours of practice for myself and I hope to accomplish leading the varsity team to be back-to-back Trinity League champions and to head into CIF to compete.
“I believe we all compete within ourselves to be the best players the team needs. I honestly can’t point someone out as a best player since I see all of us with important roles on the team.”
*****
JSERRA
COACH KATIE STITH
“We were disappointed with the way the year finished. We really worked hard to get into postseason and it didn’t happen for us. However, we can’t lose sight of what we accomplished; the bar was raised as far as what we are capable of doing and the teams that we now believe we can beat and gained some maturity, which we needed. No regrets, just a desire to work even harder this year to do better.
“The mentality from the first workout we had earlier this fall and until now has been different. They knew walking into this year that we needed to really grind and work hard and challenge each other to be better. I try to encourage them to hold one another accountable and make this year what they want it to be. I push them to be ‘locked in’ all the time and not take a practice off. Many of them are fighting for spots so that dynamic competition pushes everyone to be better.
“I think that there are two ways I look at that. Most ‘valuable’ is Eva Hurtado; we will need her to throw well again to have an opportunity to get good results in Trinity League. The most consistent and dependable player both offensively and defensively right now is Hollie Farmer.”
HOLLIE FARMER (2022, 3B/2B, Boise State)
“Last season was disappointing because we were expecting to make a run for winning league and maybe even CIF.
“Unlike last year, we had the opportunity to practice and play fall games to prepare us for season. We hope to win league this year and make a strong run in CIF.
“I think the best player on our team is Mia Krueger because she has amazing work ethic and will always give it her all.”
WILLA POPLAWSKI (2022, SS/CF/OF, Pace)
“Last year, we tied for third in league and had a .500 record, but unfortunately didn’t get a bid for CIF. I feel like we could’ve accomplished more and feel like it will fuel us for this year.
“We had all of fall to prepare compared to last year. We also had fall games and were able to compete with one another for starting spots.
“Hollie Farmer, because she performs well at her position on the defensive side and starts the games in leadoff position on the offensive side.”
*****
ROSARY ACADEMY
COACH TOM TICE
“Last season was a combination of something that’s been building for a few years. With increased enrollment and more players on the team, our depth allowed us to be relevant and competitive again. The playoff run was catching lightning in a bottle, as we were playing our best softball at the end.
“With the addition of Dawn Castañeda as my associate head coach, we have worked diligently to focus on the process and to make every day and every play and every inning its own opportunity for growth. We have bigger goals, but we don’t lose sight of the importance of the little things. And that attitude has been embraced by the girls and we are able to focus on little victories even within really important games.
“It’s hard to pick a best player. The most obviously gifted person is Hannah Hernandez, whose speed and intelligence is on display in center field and the leadoff spot. But Martina Gutierrez, our shortstop, has a very quiet way of being consistently excellent offensively and defensively. Jaiden Lopez, our second baseman, has ridiculously fast hands and just always makes amazing plays. And that’s just some of the seniors.”
MARTINA GUTIERREZ (2022, MIF, Fairfield University)
“My thoughts on last year are that our team was on the same page when it came to wanting to win. What really brought us together and helped us to trust each other was our pitcher Natalie Romero. We did our best to back her up because she had played her part extremely well as our pitcher and had all of our trust and respect. As a shortstop, I loved it when Natalie pitched because she hit her spots and if anyone was able to touch her, I was able to make a lot of plays because the ball would go where it was supposed to.
“What I have done differently is have more confidence in myself and I have taken on the initiative of being a leader on my team by example. What I hope to accomplish this year is being a Trinity League champion, as well as winning CIF again, and personally, I would also like to make 1st Team All-Trinity League.
“When it comes to picking who I think is the best player on our team, it’s extremely hard to choose just one. Natalie Romero plays a vital role in our defense, but I believe that Hannah Hernandez is our best player because she is extremely reliable when it comes to getting on base, moving runners and scoring runs. She has an amazing work ethic and does a lot of training outside of what we do at Rosary, which is apparent to anyone who has seen her run the bases or make tough catches look routine. She is competitive and from my viewpoint, it seems as though she has no fear of failure and knows that she will succeed before she does.”
HANNAH HERNANDEZ (2022, OF, Rhode Island)
“My thoughts about last season were that we did very well and we definitely played to our potential last season. Even with all of the hard times, like Covid-19, our coaches still managed to make the best out of everything.
“I want to accomplish a lot of things this season, first and foremost, I want to repeat all of my awards from last season, but this time receive the Academic Scholar patch. I want to make sure I lead my teammates in the right direction and to leave Rosary knowing I gave it my all.
“Personally, I feel as though there is no single best player on the team. I feel as though we all are the best on my team, each and everyone one of us has different strengths, which when we all work together can really be something beautiful.”
LANNA MARTINEZ (2022, P/1B, St. Mary of the Woods)
“Last season will definitely be one we always remember. We all had a lot of fun on and off the field and got to understand what the true meaning and purpose of softball is. I think we can all easily say we learned a lot about the game and grew a deeper love for it. Winning CIF has been something Rosary has been trying to accomplish for quite some time now, so being able to make it happen again the way we did was amazing. Personally, I was not able to play last season from a torn ACL, and yet this great team, coaching staff and community made it worth going to every event we had. Whether it be practice, team meetings or games, I still enjoyed every second even though I wasn’t on the field.
“Since last year, our plans and goals haven’t changed. Of course, the big ones are to come first in league and win CIF again, now in Division 2, but I believe our smaller goals are the ones that make our program so unique. This year, we have a very large team with a lot of freshmen and a lot of seniors, both things we didn’t really have last year. With that being said, our team dynamic and flow has changed a bit, but at the end of the day our seniors and upperclassmen have been doing a great job of stepping up in showing the incomers what our program is all about. I also have to give credit to the underclassmen as well. They have soaked up every bit of information thrown at them and have learned to trust the process. They have all grown a lot even from the first day of practice. As a senior, I couldn’t be more proud of them and am excited to watch them continue striving while representing Rosary.
“I wish I could give a singular answer to this, but it isn’t possible. Coach (Tom) Tice likes to use the saying, ‘work as a symphony,’ and I believe that’s exactly what we do. Of course, there are some people that shine a little brighter than others at times.”
*****
SANTA MARGARITA
COACH MICHAEL TAKKINEN
“This is my first season at Santa Margarita.
“My first goal when I came to Santa Margarita was to establish our team culture. Santa Margarita has an amazing tradition of success so we wanted to blend those traditions with a strong team-first culture. We expect to compete for a Trinity league title and make a run in the Division 1 playoffs.
“The great thing about our team is that we are going to get contributions from everyone and not have to rely on one player to carry us every game. We are young, but have great players in our junior, sophomore and freshman classes that are all going to be a big part of our success.”
KARISSA RICE (2023, SS/2B/3B, uncommitted)
“Last season was great. It was one of the most competitive and fun teams I’ve ever been on. I was the only underclassman fully on varsity last year and had to compete for my position with many D1 commits. I think the competitiveness and coaching last year made me the player I am today.
“This year I’ve taken on the leadership role. Last year, I was a sophomore and an underclassman. I had the privilege to play with amazing D1 athletes like Angie Yellen, Jayci Kruze, etc. I looked up to them and learned so much from them. They taught me how to be a leader, be vocal on the field and be a great teammate. I’m trying to do the same thing this year and show the importance of those three aspects to the underclassmen. Without having any seniors this year, it’s my job as a junior to present myself in that leader role. I hope to accomplish better team chemistry this year. Not only do we have a new coaching staff, but our team is predominantly freshmen. We only have around six juniors, a couple sophomores and around 10 freshman. They haven’t experienced high school ball yet and are probably nervous stepping on the field with 17-18 year olds. Not a lot of people are vocal on the field, which is my pet peeve, so I’m trying to push the younger girls to be more vocal and have each other’s backs no matter what.
“I believe the best player we have on our team is Linsea Strauch. She’s a junior pitcher and is able to hit the ball over the fence with ease. She’s positive on and off the field and is another great leader for the junior class. She’s hard-working, uplifting and a great softball player.”
MADISON ROSENBAUM (2023, P/OF, uncommitted)
“Last season was one of the most talented teams I have ever been on. It was extremely competitive and family oriented, on top of all of that it was fun.
“With no seniors and a new coach, it’s been really different this year, but really exciting. With having no seniors, our junior class has had to really step up and be leaders. Also we have a new coach, who is bringing so many new things to our program like implementing our two-year plan. We plan to develop our team and work hard the next two years as everyone will be returning.
“I think it’s difficult to say who the best player on the team is as there is so much talent and everyone brings something different to the team.”
—Carlos Arias, Extra Inning Softball (Follow Carlos on Twitter @Los_Stuff)