Mikaela Ferreira stood out in a stacked lineup with her bat, but it was her defense that helped propel Ripon High’s softball team to a championship season.
The junior shortstop was unanimously voted the Most Valuable Player of the Trans-Valley League, and teammate Danielle Sperry was named Pitcher of the Year for a third straight season.
The Indians went undefeated in league play, finished 22-4 overall and topped Linden 7-6 in a thrilling Division V final for the program’s first-ever Sac-Joaquin Section title.
Ferreira played mainly at third base for Ripon in her first two seasons, but the graduation of Darian Van Der Maaten, now at UC San Diego, left a gaping hole in the middle of the team’s infield defense.
“Mikaela did a great job again for us at the plate, but she really solidified our defense at shortstop,” said Ripon coach Robert Vernon, the TVL’s Coach of the Year. “She only made one error in the regular season, so when you put that together with what she did offensively she had an outstanding year.”
Ferreira batted close to .650 in league. Overall, she had a .481 average with 39 hits and 27 RBIs, both team highs. She also had four home runs.
Sperry compiled a 16-3 season in her season campaign to go with a 1.24 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 124 2/3 innings. She was previously the TVL’s Pitcher of the Year as a freshman and a junior, and in 2014 former Ripon standout MacKenzie Gauden earned the same honor. Sperry is heading to Sacramento State.
“She came in as a freshman and did a really good job for us, but she just got better as time went on,” Vernon said. “Between her freshman and sophomore year her velocity went up, but at that point she was a three-pitch pitcher. She learned to throw a riseball her junior year and added an off-speed pitch that really made it difficult for hitters.”
Ripon had a case to sweep all of the top honors, but Riverbank senior first baseman Jenny Verdin (.488, 19 RBIs) was tabbed as the Offensive Player of the Year while Hughson sophomore catcher Megan Lutz earned Defensive Player of the Year.
Vernon put up junior outfielder Felicia Ceja for the top offensive award. She was Ripon’s leading hitter with a .485 average, five home runs and a 1.442 on-base/slugging percentage.
Ceja was selected for the all-league team along with sophomore Shay Furtado (.333, two homers, 19 RBIs), senior outfielder Taylor Jaquez (.385, two homers, 17 RBIs) and twins Hana (.434, 31 runs, nine steals) and Hoku Lee (.351). Jaquez is bound for Humboldt State, Ceja has verbally committed to San Jose State, Furtado to LaSalle and the Lees to Antelope Valley.
Sophomore outfielder Sierra Silva, freshman first baseman Sydney Vernon, senior Karla Calderon and junior Jennica Baldwin earned honorable mention.
Southern League
Ripon Christian (5-9, 8-13-1) is a club on a rise after a one-win in league in 2015, and much of it is because of junior Katie O’Leary.
She’s the Knights’ lone all-league selection after batting .622 with 11 extra-base hits. O’Leary was also the team’s ace pitcher. Junior catcher/first baseman Emily Van Vliet and sophomore shortstop/pitcher Bethany Silveira made the honorable mention list.
Co-MVP honors went to Leah Lafata (.448, 40 runs; 15-0, 1.03, 114 Ks) of SJS Division VI champion Mariposa and Waterford’s Kaytlin Donaldson (.593, eight HRs, 36 RBIs; 17-8, 1.82, 277 Ks).
