It was a power-packed softball season in the Metro Conference in 2025. Take note:
•Mater Dei Catholic’s Lady Crusaders won the San Diego Section’s Open Division title and went on to capture the Southern California Division I regional championship.
•The Eastlake Lady Titans won the San Diego Section Division I banner and Southern California Division II regional championship.
•The Olympian Lady Titans captured the Metro-South Bay League banner and Division III section championship.
That’s a lot of winning.
And it hasn’t stopped.
Mater Dei Catholic (17-2) and Bonita Vista (12-3) entered the week ranked first and second among the section’s Division I teams. Bonita Vista is the defending Metro-Mesa League champion and runner-up finisher to the Lady Crusaders in last year’s Open Division final.
There are other contenders as well, though not all of them the usual suspects.
Southwest (6-8) entered the week ranked second among the section’s 11 Division V teams.
Olympian entered the week ranked eighth among 20 teams in the Division II field while Sweetwater (5-3) and Chula Vista (7-2) ranked 10th and 13th among Division III teams. Hilltop (4-10-1) and Montgomery (7-5-1) ranked 10th and 11th, respectively, among Division IV teams.
Overall seven division championships are up for grabs this season — from Open to Division V-AA.
New horizons
Hilltop, which recently hosted its 42nd annual tournament, is looking to return to the playoffs after last season’s 13-14-1 finish, 2-4 in Metro-South Bay League play.
“The varsity softball team plans to compete for league this season and a Division IV CIF title,” Lady Lancers head coach Juan Reyes said. “We only graduated two players from last season’s team.”
This year’s Hilltop leaders include junior pitcher Catherine Vasquez, senior catcher Kaylani Sablan (first team all-league in 2025), senior Yaretzi Amesquita (second team all-league in 2025) and junior Lexi Martinez.
Impact players for this season also include senior Bella Martinez, junior Olivia Mertz and sophomore Maricela “M.J.” Barajas.
Vasquez and Barajas combined to no-hit Chula Vista Learning Community Charter, 20-0, in a non-league encounter last year.
The biggest addition is returning from a torn ACL injury: senior Ninoshka Castro.
Freshmen additions include Khloe Cabandong and Lizzy Mertz.
Statistical leaders to start 2026 include Castro (0.372 with six RBI, 15 runs scored and five doubles), Barajas (0.353), Sablan (0.324 with 10 RBI, three doubles, two triples and two home runs) and Amesquita (0.308 with three doubles).
In the pitching circle, Vasquez had posted a 3-2 record, 5.74 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 53.2 innings.
Around South County
Four Metro teams competed in the Hilltop tournament with Eastlake (8-13), Olympian (5-4-2) and Mar Vista (2-8-2) joining the Lady Lancers.
Eastlake finished 3-1 in tourney play while Olympian was 2-1-1, Hilltop was 1-3 and Mar Vista was 1-1-1.
Steele Canyon (8-9) went 6-0 to win the tourney title with a 4-3 decision over Westview (8-4-1) in the semifinals and a 10-0 run-rule victory over Sage Creek (8-8) in the championship game.
“It was a good run through Hilltop for sure,” Steele Canyon head coach Kevin Pearlstein said. “Our team goals begin tomorrow (Tuesday) with our first league game at Granite Hills. We are a Division I program, so we are guaranteed at least one game in the CIF playoffs.
“Our goals the rest of the season are to improve our overall ranking, winning the Grossmont Hills League and making a championship run in CIF.”
“We have nine seniors this season who contribute as well as nine underclassmen. Our top players are senior Ily Barclay, who is signed to play at Fairfield University in Connecticut as a student athlete, junior Payton Sos, who is committed to play at UC Santa Barbara, sophomore Sophia Jackel and freshman Izabella Thomas.”
Through 14 games, Barclay led the team with a torrid 0.465 hitting average while Jackel followed at 0.391 with 12 RBI, four doubles and two home runs, freshman Ariana Angotti at 0.362 with 10 RBI and Sos at 0.340 with nine RBI.
Senior Belle Will (0.327) had logged three home runs and 11 RBI while senior Dannika Lakin (0.300) had contributed nine RBI.
Junior Delaney Shamaya led the team with 15 appearances in the pitching circle with a 2.26 ERA while Will had posted a 4.24 ERA in 12 appearances.
Seniors Makenzie Meyer and Will each drove in two runs with home runs in opening win over Clairemont while Thomas tacked on one double and RBI. Will and Shamaya shared pitching duties.
Thomas (double), Jackel and Angotti (triple) each collected two RBI in the win over Oceanside. Jackel scored three runs in the game while Barclay each scored twice in support of Will (eight strikeouts) and Sos in the pitching circle.
The team continued pool play as Will and Angotti each drove in two runs in the win over Canyon Hills. Junior Kallan Shaw, Will and Jackel each scored two runs. Shamaya pitched six innings with seven strikeouts.
Mayer and Sos each logged two RBI in the win over Southwest El Centro while Sos scored twice. Sos and Angotti each had three hits while Barclay (triple) had two hits. Shamaya and Will combined to strikeout out 12 batters (seven for Will and five for Shamaya) in shutting down the Lady Eagles.
The semifinal game against Westview was much closer. Will (double) had two RBI while Sos and Jackel each had one RBI. Barclay, senior Tevia Cohen, Shaw and Jackel each scored one run.
Shamaya, Will and freshman Avigail Hendricks combined to scatter seven hits in the pitching circle.
The championship game against Sage Creek was not close as the Lady Cougars racked up 18 hits, including two doubles and two home runs. Senior Marina Gonzalez led the East County team with three RBI while Lakin and Angotti each drove in two runs. Cohen, Barclay and Jackel each had one RBI.
Sos had three hits while Gonzalez, Lakin, Angotti, Barclay, Jackel and Will each had two hits. Angotti, Jackel and Thomas each scored two runs. Shamaya and Hendricks were reunited in the pitching circle, allowing two hits with three strikeouts in the run-rule contest.
Steele Canyon entered the week 14th our of 20 teams in the section’s Division I rankings. The top eight teams advance to the Open Division after the postseason cut.
Around East County
A total of four Grossmont Conference teams participated in this year’s Hilltop tournament with El Capitan, Helix and Santana joining Steele Canyon in the fray.
“The tournament was great — 24 teams from all over the county participated,” said Hilltop head coach and tournament director Juan Reyes.
El Capitan (8-6) finished 3-1 in tourney play with victories over Ramona (6-0 on March 11), Hilltop (15-0 on March 14) and Helix (7-3 on March 14) and a loss to Eastlake (2-0 in eight innings on March 12).
Sophomore Addison Higuera drove in two runs in the win over Ramona while senior Ciara Bernardini, junior Sofia Simone and sophomore Isabella Farris each collected one RBI. Higuera tossed a completed game one-hitter with six strikeouts.
Higuera came through with three hits, including two triples and four RBI in the win over 0.390) Hilltop (4-10-1) while Farris also slammed two triples and drove in three runs. Seniors Quinnley Morehouse (double, triple) and Gwen Hill (double) also knocked in three runs apiece in the run-rule victory.
Freshman Mckenzie Passanisi struck out four batters and allowed one hit in four innings to earn the win in the pitching circle.
Bernardini (triple) drove in three runs while sophomore Brynlie Ford, Higuera and freshman Cassidy Sterling each had one RBI to hand Helix (14-1) its first loss of the season. Higuera scattered five hits with three strikeouts in six innings.
Senior Makenna Burton allowed three hits and struck out five batters in the loss to Eastlake.
On the season, Higuera topped the Lady Vaqueros with a 0.475 hitting average with eight RBI, two triples and two home runs, followed by Hill (0.462), Bernardini (0.390), sophomore G Garcia (0.389) and Sterling (0.343). Farris paced El Capitan with 10 RBI in 14 games.
Burton (1.54), Passanisi (1.95) and Higuera (2.07) were the team ERA leaders. Passanisi topped the group with 33 strikeouts in 28.2 inning while Burton had 22 strikeouts in 38.1 innings and Higuera had 16 strikeouts in 27 innings.
Helix and Santana (7-9) also finished 3-1 in tourney play.
Helix, led by sophomores Ella Aguyao (three RBI) and Lea Moya (two-hitter), clobbered Ramona by a 17-0 score on March 18 while Santana, braced by three RBI each from senior Bryleigh Britza and sophomore Alyssa Cipro, routed Canyon Hills (3-8-1) by a 15-0 score in another run-rule game on March 19 as junior Alexis Buquet struck out seven batters.
42nd Annual Hilltop Softball Tournament Scoreboard
Thursday, March 12
Eastlake 2, El Capitan 0 (8 innings)
Brawley 8, Mar Vista 3
Olympian 5, Madison 5
Saturday, March 14
El Capitan 15, Hilltop 0
Ramona 19, Hilltop 10
Helix 4, Eastlake 0
Eastlake 11, Holtville 1
Morse 13, Mar Vista 7
Mar Vista 2, Central Union 2
Olympian 6, Calexico 1
Westview 6, Olympian 1
Monday, March 16
Hilltop 9, Holtville 2
Thursday, March 19
Eastlake 10, Hilltop 0
Olympian 11, University City 3
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San Diego Section Softball Rankings
(Through April 11)
Division I: 1. Mater Dei Catholic 17-2, 2. Bonita Vista 12-3, 3. Escondido Charter 11-3, 4. Rancho Bernardo 10-4, 5. Pt. Loma 11-7, 6. Otay Ranch 9-5-1, 7. Mission Hills 9-6, 8. Del Norte 7-7, 9. Rancho Buena Vista 8-6, 10. Poway 9-9, 11. Torrey Pines 7-5-1, 12. San Marcos 6-8, 13. Cathedral Catholic 7-7, 14. Steele Canyon 8-8, 15. Christian 7-8-1, 16. La Costa Canyon 6-8, 17. West Hills 6-8, 18. Eastlake 8-13, 19. Imperial 6-5, 20. Sage Creek 8-8
Division II: 1. Carlsbad 8-0, 2. San Pasqual 13-4, 3. Westview 7-3-1, 4. Mt. Carmel 9-4-1, 5. Patrick Henry 4-3-1, 6. El Capitan 7-6, 7. Oceanside 8-6, 8. Olympian 5-4-2, 9. Scripps Ranch 7-6-1, 10. Mira Mesa 8-9, 11. Santana 6-9, 12. Clairemont 7-9, 13. Granite Hills 4-10, 14. San Dieguito Academy 7-7, 15. Southwest El Centro 8-8-1, 16. El Camino 6-8, 17. Coastal Academy 5-7, 18. Our Lady of Peace 3-6-1, 19. Canyon Hills 3-8-1, 20. Calexico 1-4
Division III: 1. Helix 10-1, 2. Brawley 10-5, 3. Palo Verde Valley 10-6, 4. Mission Bay 6-3, 5. Ramona 9-6, 6. Coronado 9-3-1, 7. Mission Vista 9-5-1, 8. University City 8-8, 9. Morse 11-5, 10. Sweetwater 5-3, 11. Tri-City Christian 3-6, 12. Holtville 5-4, 13. Chula Vista 7-2, 14. Mar Vista 2-8-2, 15. Foothills Christian 4-5, 16. Canyon Crest Academy 4-9, 17. Santa Fe Christian 1-4, 18. Bishop’s 1-0, 19. Bayfront Charter 2-8
Division IV: 1. Fallbrook 7-5, 2. Escondido 7-5-1, 3. Valle Center 7-6, 4. Madison 10-6-1, 5. Grossmont 7-5-1, 6. Liberty Charter 5-3, 7. Francis Parker 9-2, 8. Vista 3-1, 9. Central Union 5-7-1, 10. Hilltop 4-10-1, 11. Montgomery 7-5-1, 12. Lincoln 8-5, 13. Classical Academy 4-10, 14. Bonsall 5-1, 15. San Diego 9-7, 16. Maranatha Christian 6-4, 17. San Ysidro 5-8, 18. Chula Vista Learning Community Charter 2-7, 19. La Jolla Country Day 0-3, 20. Calipatria 1-8
Division V: 1. Monte Vista 7-6, 2. Southwest 6-8, 3. La Jolla 3-11, 4. Crawford 5-8, 5. Orange Glen 3-9-1, 6. High Tech San Diego 5-4, 7. Mt. Miguel 6-9, 8. Hoover 4-2, 9. Kearny 2-8, 10. Castle Park 2-9, 11. El Cajon Valley 0-6
Division V-AA: 1. Julian 7-6, 2. Borrego Springs 6-4, 3. San Diego Academy 0-2, 4. Guajome Park 2-4, 5. Mountain Empire 3-5, 6. Victory Christian Academy 0-4, 7. Vincent Memorial 1-3, 8. Warner 0-2, 9. St. Joseph Academy 0-6, 10. Ocean View Christian Academy 2-5, 11. High Tech Chula Vista 0-1
SOUTH County Alignment
Metro-Mesa League: Mater Dei Catholic, Bonita Vista, Otay Ranch, Eastlake
Metro-South Bay League: Chula Vista, Olympian, Hilltop, Mar Vista, Sweetwater
Metro-Pacific League: Montgomery, San Ysidro, Southwest, Castle Park
Frontier-Patriot League: Ocean View Christian Academy, Victory Christian Academy, San Diego Academy, Bostonia Global, HIgh Tech Chula Vista, King-Chavez Community
Frontier Summit League: Liberty Charter, Mountain Empire, Bonsall, CVLCC, Bayfront Charter
San Diego Section Baseball Rankings
(Through April 13)
Division I: 1. Cathedral Catholic 13-1, 2. Rancho Bernardo 11-1, 3. San Marcos 10-5, 4. Granite Hills 12-4, 5. Patrick Henry 11-6, 6. Eastlake 10-5, 7. Pt. Loma 9-5-1, 8. Southwest El Centro 14-5, 9. La Costa Canyon 9-6, 10. Del Norte 10-5, 11. Madison 10-5, 12. St. Augustine 7-10, 13. Mt. Carmel 8-6-1, 14. Torrey Pines 8-8, 15. La Jolla Country Day 8-7, 16. Carlsbad 6-8, 17. Sage Creek 3-10, 18. San Ysidro 7-11, 19. Coronado 3-9, 20. San Pasqual
Division II: 1. Bonita Vista 13-5, 2. Clairemont 14-3, 3. Helix 8-9, 4. Mission Hills 8-8, 5. Santa Fe Christian 8-6, 6. Grossmont 8-8, 7. Brawley 10-6, 8. Poway 6-9, 9. Calexico 9-7, 10. Scripps Ranch 8-9, 11. University City 8-10, 12. Montgomery 8-8, 13. Christian 8-7-1, 14. Mission Bay 9-7, 15. Mira Mesa 8-8, 16. Bishop’s 8-6, 17. El Capitan 7-9-1, 18. Marathana Christian 9-7, 19. El Camino 6-10, 20. Escondido 4-12
Division III: 1. Palo Verde Valley 16-1-1, 2. Ramona 12-2, 3. Westview 13-4, 4. Otay Ranch 13-4, 5. Mater Dei Catholic 8-4, 6. Classical Academy 9-6, 7. Imperial 8-7, 8. Santana 5-11, 9. Lincoln 6-1, 10. Vista 2-4, 11. La Jolla 7-10, 12. Olympian 11-8, 13. Hilltop 7-8, 14. Steele Canyon 2-5, 15. Rancho Buena Vista 5-10, 16. Monte Vista 9-8, 17. Fallbrook 3-11-1, 18. Valley Center 3-12, 19. West Hills 0-4, 20. Valhalla 1-14
Division IV: 1. Mission Vista 10-5, 2. San Dieguito Academy 10-8, 3. Central Union 7-9-1, 4. Francis Parker 10-5, 5. Escondido Charter 7-3-1, 6. Oceanside 6-8-1, 7. Foothills Christian 11-6, 8. San Diego 7-7-1, 9. Southwest 11-8, 10. High Tech San Diego 8-4, 11. Mar Vista 8-10, 12. Chula Vista 7-11, 13. Mountain Empire 6-5, 14. Morse 4-14, 15. Rock Academy 1-7, 16. Canyon Crest Academy 0-10, 17. Kearny 1-13, 18. Sweetwater 5-10, 19. Mt. Miguel 4-12, 20. Holtville 10-7
Division V: 1. Coastal Academy 12-4, 2. Canyon Hills 13-4, 3. Pacific Ridge 7-3, 4. Castle Park 10-10, 5. Orange Glen 7-5, 6. Chula Vista Learning Community Charter 6-1-1, 7. Bayfront Charter 0-1, 8. Crawford 4-8, 9. Hoover 4-12, 10. High Tech Chula Vista 0-8, 11. Guajome Park 0-2, 12. Gompers Prep 3-5, 13. El Cajon Valley 0-10, 14. High Tech Mesa N/A
Division V-AA: 1. Borrego Springs 5-3, 2. Calvin Christian 7-2, 3. Victory Christian Academy 4-6-1, 4. St. Joseph Academy 4-2, 5. Liberty Charter 6-5, 6. Army-Navy Academy 2-3, 7. Vincent Memorial 2-3, 8. Julian 1-5, 9. Warner 0-1, 10. Calipatria 0-5, 11. Bonsall 1-8, 12. Ocean View Christian Academy 5-2, 13. Tri-City Christian 5-3
BASEBALL SCOREBOARD:
Bonita Vista 7, Montgomery 6
Bonita Vista 10, Santana 1
Otay Ranch 10, Sweetwater 1
Otay Ranch 16, RBV 1
Montgomery 7, Steele Canyon 1
San Ysidro 2, Central Union 1
San Ysidro 8, Central Union 5
Hilltop 5, West Hills 4
Chula Vista 5, Castle Park 4 (8 innings)
Chula Vista 4, Mar Vista 2
Southwest 7, Sweetwater 2
