‘She had a great year.’ Golden Valley softball star named MVP after stellar season
Sophomore Bree Barner had a tremendous impact on the field for the Golden Valley High School softball team this year as a pitcher and a hitter.
Barner was one of the top hitters in the Central California Conference, finishing with a .488 average to go a long with a team-high four home runs and 23 RBIs.
The right-hander also compiled a 12-9 record with a 1.41 ERA. She racked up 301 strikeouts in just over 173 innings pitched.
Barner was named the CCC Most Valuable Player by the conference coaches.
“We wouldn’t have been where we were at without Bree,” said Golden Valley coach Ross Cruickshanks, whose Cougars finished second to Merced in the CCC standings. “She was the only one to beat Merced. She led our team in hitting. She had a great year.”
Barner’s 301 strikeouts ranked 11th in the state and seventh in the Sac-Joaquin Section.
“It’s amazing, it’s such an honor to be recognized as the MVP,” Barner said.
Barner was surprised when she found out she was selected as the MVP.
“I was shocked,” she said. “I had no clue anything like that could even happen.”
Atwater High senior Amelie Valdez was named the CCC Pitcher of the Year. The Falcons ace finished second in the state with 368 strikeouts to go along with her 1.48 ERA.
Merced High senior Ava Brown was named the Offensive Player of the Year. Brown helped lead the Bears to a CCC championship by hitting .405 with four home runs and 16 RBIs.
Merced’s John Kane was named the CCC Coach of the Year after the Bears won the conference championship with an 11-1 record.
Merced and Golden Valley each landed three players on the all-CCC first team. The Bears were represented by Kaitlyn Arceo, Ellie Alvarez and Melody Gomez. The three Cougars first-team selections were Stephanie Ramirez, Kylie Diaz and Mia Marquez.
They were joined on the all-CCC first team by Atwater’s Maya Romo, Buhach Colony’s Skyler Dietz, Central Valley’s Victoria Martinez-Lloyd, El Capitan’s Morgan Salcedo and Patterson’s Emma Medina.
The second-team selections were Hannah Slate (Atwater), Abigail Flores (Buhach Colony), Janessa Godinez (Central Valley), Rachel Behn (El Capitan), Jenay Scott (El Capitan), Maria Barillas (Golden Valley), Hannah Isakow (Merced), Ellena Ortiz (Patterson) and Grace Cruthis (Patterson).
The CCC Sportsmanship Award winners were Mia Hendrickson (Atwater), Julia Valencia (Buhach Colony), Micaela Martinez (Central Valley), Kassidy Spiva (El Capitan), Citlalli Ramirez-Sanchez (Golden Valley), Madelyn Mayo-Garza (Merced) and Ellena Ortiz (Patterson).
