Saunders Named Bay League Softball MVP; Lajeunesse MOP

Mira Costa junior catcher Katie Saunders and Peninsula senior third baseman Allison Blackman have been selected as co-Most Valuable Players in Bay League softball.

“It’s great, but I was surprised,” said Saunders, who hit five home runs, drove in 36 and batted .480 this season. “It’s a big honor. I guess you never think of yourself as getting that award, at least I didn’t, since it’s such a big deal. It’s just a great and wonderful honor.”

Blackman also had an outstanding season, leading the Panthers to a co-championship in league with Mira Costa. Blackman hit .425 with four home runs and 30 RBIs. She helped guide Peninsula to the second round of the CIF playoffs, anchoring Peninsula's defense by recording a .925 fielding percentage and committing only six errors in 27 games.

“Allison had an awesome year,” said Peninsula coach Tim Hall.

Mira Costa’s Stefanni Lajeunesse captured the league’s Most Outstanding Player award. Lajeunesse, a junior, led Mira Costa with 11 home runs, 41 RBIs and a .525 batting average. She tied for team-high honors in triples at seven with Taylor Glover. Like her teammate, Lajeunesse wasn’t expecting the high praise.

“I was very surprised,” said Lajeunesse. “I never even think about becoming Most Outstanding Player of the league, I just play the game I love to the fullest and work very hard. I was very proud of my teammates this season. They deserve credit. We really bonded this year and played as one. Everyone had each other’s back." 

She added, “If someone made a mistake or struck out, we picked each other up. We trusted each other so much that the game was so much fun and we didn’t even think about losing. We took a loss as fixing our mistakes and moving on to the next game. I think that had a great deal to do with our success.”

Junior pitcher Breanna Kelly, who finished 16-5 overall, and sophomore centerfielder Taylor Glover were first-team selections. Glover was one of the team’s catalysts, hitting a team-high .561 with three homers and 29 RBIs. She also led the team in steals (22), runs (43) and hits (60).

Second-team picks included seniors Chloe Krasnoff and Kamyle Glover. Krasnoff batted .448 with four home runs and 36 RBIs, while Glover had two homers, 19 RBIs and a .372 batting average. 

All six players were pivotal in Mira Costa’s run in the league, finishing as co-champs with Peninsula.

“We had a tremendous year,” said Mira Costa coach Dick Amberik. “We scored 258 runs, which is incredible. And the team batting average was .414. It was a wonderful year and the kids did as well as they possibly could.”

Mira Costa, which finished 22-7-1 overall and 8-2 in league, earned a 8-7 victory in eight innings (regulation play is seven innings) over Santa Maria Righetti in a CIF playoff wild-card game in May. Costa was then eliminated in the first round a day later in a 7-6 decision by Lake Elsinore Lakeside.

Still, the loss didn’t dim the Mustangs’ run or their prospects for next year. The team will lose five players to graduation, but many of its top performers will return.

“I’ve never had a team that hit this well,” Amberik said. “This is the best one ever in my 18 years. And most of them are coming back.”

Junior shortstop Meghan von Behren, who finished with a .422 batting average and 38 RBIs, will be among them.

Von Behren was one of five players to share the team’s Most Outstanding Player award. Saunders, Lajeunesse, Taylor Glover and Krasnoff were the others.

“We had such a great year, we had such a difficult time picking one,” Amberik said. “All five of them drove in 30 runs in only 30 games. If they were Major League Baseball players, they would be making $40 million for that kind of effort.”

Other Mustangs awarded team honors: Shannon Savino (Freshman Player of the Year), Kelly (MVP), Kamyle Glover (Coachs’ Award) and von Behren (Most Improved).

Six Redondo players, all-league picks

Pitcher Brett Aspel, outfielder Jennifer Stevens and shortstop Cindy Zamudio, all seniors, were the all-league softball honorees for Redondo. The team also placed three players on the second team. 

Aspel compiled a 9-7 mark with 18 complete games. Stevens tied teammate Linda Park for top honors in homers with six. She hit .359 and drove in 27 runs and scored 23 more. Zamudio hit .386 with four triples.

Park, a senior third baseman, freshman second baseman Katrina Cohen and junior outfielder Juliana Jordan made the second team.