With Alexis Erich shelved all season by an ACL injury, senior first baseman Michelle Castro and junior pitcher Mikayla Bongi filled the void well for Valley Oak League co-champion East Union.
The tandem was rewarded for their breakout campaign, with Castro going out as the league’s Offensive Player of the Year and Bongi earning Pitcher of the Year honors.
Major awards were split evenly between the Lancers (13-1, 23-3 overall) and Oakdale (13-1, 22-3). Oakdale twins Kindra and Madison Hackbarth were voted MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively. East Union’s Brian Goulart and Larry Loger of Oakdale are co-Coaches of the Year.
Erich was East Union’s ace pitcher as a freshman two years ago, and in 2015 she raked for a .644 average, 10 home runs and 59 RBIs while an elbow ailment kept her from the circle. The Lancers also had to figure out how to replace four-year leadoff hitter Cherish Burks, now at Oregon, this past spring.
Enter Castro, who batted a career-best .608 to go with eight homers, 25 RBIs, 30 runs and 15 steals. In back-to-back league games, she torched Kimball and Central Catholic for four jacks and eight RBIs while going 6 for 8.
“She matured so much this last year,” Goulart said of the William Penn-bound Castro. “There was a little something here or there that held her back from being the best player she can be. She ranks as one of the best players we’ve ever had.”
East Union should be loaded again with pitching next year with the left-handed Bongi leading the way. She struck out 104 batters in 80 1/3 innings and held a 0.70 ERA while sharing time in the circle with righty Delaney Pamplin, the VOL’s Pitcher of the Year in 2015. Pamplin made the all-league second team.
“I think Bongi had a little bit of a chip on her shoulder and she worked her butt off,” Goulart said. “She deserves a lot of credit to her determination. She does a lot of physical training on her own and took extra time to work on her pitching. She was so vital to our team that I personally think she was our MVP.”
East Union has three NCAA Division I signees on the All-VOL first team in Pacific shortstop Samantha Owen (.559, eight HRs, 22 RBIs), Cal State Northridge catcher Alejandra Rascon (.333, 23 RBIs) and Colorado State outfielder Taylor Ward (.466, 22 RBIs).
Third-place Sierra (10-4, 15-6) also has three first-team selections: sophomore pitcher Lindsey Walljasper (10-3, 0.58, 150 strikeouts), shortstop Kendelle Messersmith (.444, four HRs) and third baseman/outfielder Devi Coglio (.412, two HRs, 21 runs).
Pitcher Haighley Kissee is the lone first-team representative for Manteca (8-6, 14-10). She finished with a 1.73 ERA and 167 strikeouts and was also the Buffaloes’ top hitter with a .507 average, 15 doubles and 23 RBIs.
Weston Ranch shortstop Elysia Hernandez (.483, three HRs, 20 runs) rounds out Manteca-area first-team selections. She’s joining East Union’s Rascon at Cal State Northridge.
Manteca has five All-VOL second-team selections in shortstop Tawny Deerinck, second baseman Rhiannon Genilla, catcher Aryana Martinez, center fielder Melissa Hansen and third baseman Sierra Martinez. East Union second baseman Deja Guzman and Sierra catcher Julianna DeAnda also made the second team.
