She ‘brings a confidence to our team.’ Golden Valley ace named MVP after stellar year.

The Golden Valley High softball team had their best season since the school opened in 1994.

The Cougars set a program record with 28 wins, advanced to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship game for the first time in school history and won a share of their first Central California Conference championship since 2005.

Leading the way was senior pitcher Marissa Bertuccio.

The Cougars ace led the state with 28 wins and finished second in the state with 308 strikeouts.

It’s no surprise the CCC coaches named Bertuccio the conference’s Most Valuable Player.

“I was excited when I found out,” Bertuccio said. “The thing about this season is I wasn’t trying to win MVP. I wanted to win the CCC with my team. Winning and also being named MVP is rewarding.”

Bertuccio finished the season with a 28-5 record and a 0.64 ERA. She threw 17 shutouts, three no-hitters and one perfect game.

The Sacramento State-bound star was also a threat with the bat, hitting .548 to go along with seven home runs, 44 runs scored and 36 RBIs.

“She really brings a confidence to our team,” said Golden Valley coach Ross Cruickshanks, who was named co-Coach of the Year with Patterson’s Jennifer Hamm. “We know we’re always going to be in the game with her pitching. She brings that stability and confidence because she also hits.

“It’s her work ethic too. The younger girls could see how hard she worked to get to that level.”

Atwater senior Megan Escobar was named the CCC Pitcher of the Year. The Falcons ace compiled a 13-6 record to go with a 1.29 ERA to help lead Atwater to a third-place finish and a berth in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.

Central Valley’s Scarlett Lloyd was named the CCC Offensive Player of the Year.

The all-CCC first team selections were Marley Gonzales (Atwater), Kendall Flatt (Atwater), Molly Haley (Buhach Colony), Brianna Quiroz (Central Valley), Madison Smith (El Capitan), Maddie Martinez (Golden Valley), Vanessa Saltos (Golden Valley), Abby Flores (Merced), Jewels Perez (Merced), Carolyn Dallimore (Patterson) and Alexis Zavala (Patterson).

The second team was comprised of Shelli Faulk (Atwater), Lexuss Ponce (Atwater), Jennifer Aguilar (Buhach Colony), Samantha Espinoza (Central Valley), Bella Spiva (El Capitan), Naomi Moore (Golden Valley), Kaitlyn Arceo (Merced), Delihla Garcia (Patterson) and Daniela Werra Torres (Patterson).

This story was originally published May 29, 2019 at 12:30 PM.