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Vanessa Strong is Metro Softball Player of the Year
No fears.
No concerns.
Freedom (19-3) kept its pact by defeating two Pleasanton squads, two-time defending champion and top-seeded Amador Valley in the semifinals 2-1 and then second-seeded Foothill 1-0 in an eight-inning championship game at St. Mary’s College.
In the two games, Strong — a hard-throwing, right-handed sophomore — didn’t allow an earned run, struck out 16 and allowed four hits; the win against Amador Valley was a one-hitter.
Nothing was going to stop us.
The postseason flurry capped a sensational season for Strong and made her The Chronicle’s 2016 All-Metro Softball Player of the Year.
In 127 innings, she allowed 80 hits, struck out 176 and walked 15.
In four postseason wins, she allowed three earned runs and 15 hits in 28 innings with 38 strikeouts and five walks.
“Vanessa had a fantastic season, but she was especially good when it counted most,” Freedom coach Brook Russo said.
Mitch Stephens is a senior writer for MaxPreps.com.
Chronicle All-Metro softball team
First team
Player
School
Freedom
Metro POY carried team to D1 NCS title
18-2, 0.90 ERA, 156 Ks CCS finalists
Foothill
Sr.
21-5, 1.46 ERA season, 0.25 playoffs
EBAL MVP 3 no-hitters, 0.53 ERA, 245 Ks
Fr.
WCAL Player of Year hit .512, 5 HRs
Sr.
MCAL POY hit .447, 8 HRs, 45 RBIs
.620, NCS-best 57 RBI for No. 1 team
Sr.
SJSU signee, .545, 6 HRs, 15 SB
.613, 18 extra base hits, 40 RBIs
Homestead
De Anza MVP .574, 54 hits, 30 SB
Heritage
.581, 9 doubles, struck out just once
St. Patrick SV
Sr.
.593, 13 HRs, 51 RBIs NCS finalists
Marin Catholic
Sr.
UC San Diego commit, .529, 1.21 ERA
Santa Clara commit, .707, 12 HRs, 50 RBIs
[...] team
Player
School
Sr.
17-4, 1.37, B2B shutouts to win NCS
Sr.
20-6, 1.39 ERA, 185 Ks
Marin Catholic
19-3, 1.45, 206 Ks for NCS champs
Sr.
19-5, 0.91 ERA, 121 Ks, 33 BB
WACC-Shoreline MVP .400, 8 3Bs
Sr.
TCAL Rock MVP hit .525, 4 HRs
Sr.
.404, 8 2Bs, 4 HRs for CCS finalists
Sr.
Hit .435 for CCS D2 champions
Sr.
Sac State signee, 452, 5 HRs
Foothill
Sr.
UCLA signee, .367, 14 SBs
St. Patrick SV
Fr.
Oregon commit, .446, 8 HR, 35 RBIs
SMC commit .481, 38 SBs, 42 runs
Rancho Cotate
1.67 ERA, .423 BA, 7 HRs, 30 RBIs
DVAL MVP hit .526, 11 wins
Honorable mention
San Francisco: P Madison Augusto (St. Ignatius), So.; UTL Odiana Ciofalo (Lincoln), Sr.; INF Marisa Fujimoto (Sacred Heart Cathedral), So.; INF Claire Gunther (St. Ignatius), Sr.; P Carmel Gisslow (Sacred Heart Cathedral), Jr.; C Maicie Levitt (St. Ignatius), Fr.; UTL Kiana Meriales (Sacred Heart Cathedral), So.; OF Mariel Palacio (St. Ignatius), Jr.; UTL Kat Perez (Lowell), Sr.; UTL Isabel Saylor (Galileo), Sr.
Peninsula/South Bay: OF Karina Chavarria (Capuchino), Jr.; INF Abbey Donovan (Half Moon Bay), Sr.; OF Cameron Kondo (Carlmont), Jr.; C Julia Lucas (Mitty), Jr.; P Sofia Magnani (Notre Dame-Belmont), Sr.; UTL Mailey McLemore (Carlmont), So.; P Brittany Prock (Homestead), Jr.; INF Lauren Quirke (Hillsdale), Sr.; P Savanna Smith (Mitty), Fr.; UTL Eleni Spirakis (Saratoga), Sr.
North Bay: UTL Haley Antonini (St. Vincent), Jr.; UTL Ashley Bottomley (Terra Linda), Sr.; UTL Ava Chabot (Petaluma), Fr.; UTL Taylor Del Santo (Rancho Cotate), Jr.; INF Savannah Jones (Terra Linda), Jr.; INF Sabrina Nunez (Redwood), Jr.; UTL Katie Rohrer (Rancho Cotate), Sr.; C Julia Scardina (Marin Catholic), Fr.; C Sierra Shanoff (Montgomery), So.; INF Rebecca Simonetti (San Marin), Sr.
East Bay: INF Tyesen Gordon (St. Joseph), So.; INF Sierra Mello (James Logan), Sr.; INF Kaitlynn Madsen (American), Jr.; UTL Taylor McCracken (St. Mary’s), Jr.; UTL Melika Ofoia (Swett), So.; OF Noellah Ramos (Irvington), Jr.; INF Yazmine Romero (Castro Valley), Jr.; OF Hannah Rosenfeld (Bishop O’Dowd), Jr.; C Cassandra Wenn (Logan), So.
Contra Costa/Tri-Valley: OF Ashley Balestreri (Amador Valley), Sr.; C Sierra Blair (Carondelet), Sr.; C Cara DiMercurio (Alhambra), Sr.; INF Allyson Ferreira (Freedom), So.; 1B Allyson McBroom (Freedom), So.; OF Alana Mendez (Foothill), Sr.; C Melissa Nunes (Livermore), Jr.; INF Juliana Pichardo (Concord), Jr.; INF Megan Shackley (Foothill), Sr.; INF Lexi Villalobos (San Ramon Valley), Sr.
More...
No fears.
No concerns.
Freedom (19-3) kept its pact by defeating two Pleasanton squads, two-time defending champion and top-seeded Amador Valley in the semifinals 2-1 and then second-seeded Foothill 1-0 in an eight-inning championship game at St. Mary’s College.
In the two games, Strong — a hard-throwing, right-handed sophomore — didn’t allow an earned run, struck out 16 and allowed four hits; the win against Amador Valley was a one-hitter.
Nothing was going to stop us.
The postseason flurry capped a sensational season for Strong and made her The Chronicle’s 2016 All-Metro Softball Player of the Year.
In 127 innings, she allowed 80 hits, struck out 176 and walked 15.
In four postseason wins, she allowed three earned runs and 15 hits in 28 innings with 38 strikeouts and five walks.
“Vanessa had a fantastic season, but she was especially good when it counted most,” Freedom coach Brook Russo said.
Mitch Stephens is a senior writer for MaxPreps.com.
Chronicle All-Metro softball team
First team
Player
School
Freedom
Metro POY carried team to D1 NCS title
18-2, 0.90 ERA, 156 Ks CCS finalists
Foothill
Sr.
21-5, 1.46 ERA season, 0.25 playoffs
EBAL MVP 3 no-hitters, 0.53 ERA, 245 Ks
Fr.
WCAL Player of Year hit .512, 5 HRs
Sr.
MCAL POY hit .447, 8 HRs, 45 RBIs
.620, NCS-best 57 RBI for No. 1 team
Sr.
SJSU signee, .545, 6 HRs, 15 SB
.613, 18 extra base hits, 40 RBIs
Homestead
De Anza MVP .574, 54 hits, 30 SB
Heritage
.581, 9 doubles, struck out just once
St. Patrick SV
Sr.
.593, 13 HRs, 51 RBIs NCS finalists
Marin Catholic
Sr.
UC San Diego commit, .529, 1.21 ERA
Santa Clara commit, .707, 12 HRs, 50 RBIs
[...] team
Player
School
Sr.
17-4, 1.37, B2B shutouts to win NCS
Sr.
20-6, 1.39 ERA, 185 Ks
Marin Catholic
19-3, 1.45, 206 Ks for NCS champs
Sr.
19-5, 0.91 ERA, 121 Ks, 33 BB
WACC-Shoreline MVP .400, 8 3Bs
Sr.
TCAL Rock MVP hit .525, 4 HRs
Sr.
.404, 8 2Bs, 4 HRs for CCS finalists
Sr.
Hit .435 for CCS D2 champions
Sr.
Sac State signee, 452, 5 HRs
Foothill
Sr.
UCLA signee, .367, 14 SBs
St. Patrick SV
Fr.
Oregon commit, .446, 8 HR, 35 RBIs
SMC commit .481, 38 SBs, 42 runs
Rancho Cotate
1.67 ERA, .423 BA, 7 HRs, 30 RBIs
DVAL MVP hit .526, 11 wins
Honorable mention
San Francisco: P Madison Augusto (St. Ignatius), So.; UTL Odiana Ciofalo (Lincoln), Sr.; INF Marisa Fujimoto (Sacred Heart Cathedral), So.; INF Claire Gunther (St. Ignatius), Sr.; P Carmel Gisslow (Sacred Heart Cathedral), Jr.; C Maicie Levitt (St. Ignatius), Fr.; UTL Kiana Meriales (Sacred Heart Cathedral), So.; OF Mariel Palacio (St. Ignatius), Jr.; UTL Kat Perez (Lowell), Sr.; UTL Isabel Saylor (Galileo), Sr.
Peninsula/South Bay: OF Karina Chavarria (Capuchino), Jr.; INF Abbey Donovan (Half Moon Bay), Sr.; OF Cameron Kondo (Carlmont), Jr.; C Julia Lucas (Mitty), Jr.; P Sofia Magnani (Notre Dame-Belmont), Sr.; UTL Mailey McLemore (Carlmont), So.; P Brittany Prock (Homestead), Jr.; INF Lauren Quirke (Hillsdale), Sr.; P Savanna Smith (Mitty), Fr.; UTL Eleni Spirakis (Saratoga), Sr.
North Bay: UTL Haley Antonini (St. Vincent), Jr.; UTL Ashley Bottomley (Terra Linda), Sr.; UTL Ava Chabot (Petaluma), Fr.; UTL Taylor Del Santo (Rancho Cotate), Jr.; INF Savannah Jones (Terra Linda), Jr.; INF Sabrina Nunez (Redwood), Jr.; UTL Katie Rohrer (Rancho Cotate), Sr.; C Julia Scardina (Marin Catholic), Fr.; C Sierra Shanoff (Montgomery), So.; INF Rebecca Simonetti (San Marin), Sr.
East Bay: INF Tyesen Gordon (St. Joseph), So.; INF Sierra Mello (James Logan), Sr.; INF Kaitlynn Madsen (American), Jr.; UTL Taylor McCracken (St. Mary’s), Jr.; UTL Melika Ofoia (Swett), So.; OF Noellah Ramos (Irvington), Jr.; INF Yazmine Romero (Castro Valley), Jr.; OF Hannah Rosenfeld (Bishop O’Dowd), Jr.; C Cassandra Wenn (Logan), So.
Contra Costa/Tri-Valley: OF Ashley Balestreri (Amador Valley), Sr.; C Sierra Blair (Carondelet), Sr.; C Cara DiMercurio (Alhambra), Sr.; INF Allyson Ferreira (Freedom), So.; 1B Allyson McBroom (Freedom), So.; OF Alana Mendez (Foothill), Sr.; C Melissa Nunes (Livermore), Jr.; INF Juliana Pichardo (Concord), Jr.; INF Megan Shackley (Foothill), Sr.; INF Lexi Villalobos (San Ramon Valley), Sr.
More...