For the first time in a decade, the Coronado Youth Softball all-star team competed at the USA Softball Western National Championships in Everett, Washington.
In the tournament late last month, the team of girls aged 14 and under played five games, including three pool games that determined their seeding for a double-elimination bracket.
Coronado Youth Softball (CYS) was one of 30 leagues that qualified for nationals this year, playing alongside teams from California, Hawaii, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Washington.
On July 24, Coronado’s all-stars clinched a narrow 8-7 victory over Montana Freedom Fast Pitch, the tournament’s eventual runners-up, but fell 15-4 to the Central Orange Panthers. The next day, they bounced back with a 4-1 win against Skagit County’s NW Crushers.
In the double-elimination bracket, CYS fought hard but was edged out 10-9 by North Torrance and 9-7 by Seaside of Oxnard, concluding their spirited run at the championships.
Player highlights
Coronado’s Gabby Fichter led the team in hitting with a .462 batting average, followed by Jersey Cunningham with .444. Logan Munoz, Akenna Thorton and Izzy Guymon tied hitting .375.
Guymon, who was brought up from the under-12 team, also led the team in slugging percentage.
Maren Thompson was the all-star team’s primary pitcher at the tournament, throwing 28 of the 32 innings.
“Maren always gives a solid performance,” team manager Trent Munoz said. “[She] definitely kept us in the games and we wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without her.”
Traction from an undefeated regular season
The 14U all-star team went undefeated at the USA Softball Southern California State Championship, following a 10-0 record in the regular season and a 4-0 record at the end-of-regular season Tournament of Champions.
With a 6-0 performance at the state tourney, the ladies showcased a combined .548 batting average and tallied 74 runs, averaging more than 12 per game.
“We planned [on attending] states, but nobody planned for nationals,” Sheerah Haywood, Coronado Youth Softball Team president and assistant coach of the team said. “Being able to be there was a huge highlight, seeing the girls fight hard to be there and do really well against really good teams.”
Munoz said this was the first time that CYS had a team come away with a state championship banner.
“It was a super huge accomplishment,” Munoz said, “and it made having a chance to participate in the national tournament gravy on top. They really knocked it out of the park, literally and figuratively, at the state tournament.”
Haywood said the team did well fielding and catching at the national tournament, but struggled at the plate.
“The other teams just out-hit us,” she said.
Munoz agreed, saying the team “probably left a few too many runners on base.”
The all-stars played 27 games together this season. Nationals was the last time they’d play together at CYS.
“It’s a bittersweet highlight,” Haywood said. “Some of them have played together since they were in T-ball at 8 years old. Most of them are moving on to play in high school.”
Wins for the 12U all-star team
Every year, the league’s season spans from January to May, culminating in tryouts for the coveted all-star team. In May, aspiring athletes showcase their skills for a chance to join the elite squad. With just 80 young players aged 6 to 14, the league is smaller, allowing only one all-star team per division.
This year, the program had 10U, 12U and 14U all-star teams, all of which secured spots in the state tournament in Lancaster.
This marked the first time in CYS history that all teams progressed to the state tournament.
The 12U team also had an impressive season, finishing second place in districts, and fifth out of 40 teams in state, earning a spot in the San Diego regional tournament, the 2024 State Games of America, from July 17-21.
In five games at the 21-team regional tournament, the 12U team started with two losses. Yet those defeats were followed by a rebound: the girls won their last three games with a combined score of 35-0.
With those wins, the 12U team emerged victorious in the silver bracket, which featured a total of seven teams.
12U team manager Matt Fay said the older girls on the team — Annie Barbera, Natalie Fay, Izzy Guymon, Grace Hansen, Ashley Horton and Quinn Smock — were leaders and key to its success throughout the year.
“[They] were all of our key pitchers, position players and hitters throughout the year,” Fay said.
CYS’s gratitude for communal support
Coronado Youth Softball is run by volunteers, including the coaches and team managers.
Leading up to the national tournament, the league raised funds to pay for hotel rooms, airfare and other expenses.
Jessica Cunningham, treasurer for CYS, said the 14U team raised over $4,000 from selling cotton candy and snow cones at Coronado’s Fourth of July parade and Concert at the Park. The team also received $4,500 in donations from community members and local businesses.
“There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears from the parents and the kids, both from an organization and labor standpoint,” Munoz said.
