Golden Valley junior is the Sun-Star Softball Player of the Year after stellar season
Golden Valley High School sophomore Bree Barner wasn’t happy with her hitting during the preseason. So she went to work.
“I was struggling to get anything out of the infield,” Barner said. “I didn’t like feeling that way. So I worked for hours and hours on my hitting because I didn’t want to feel that way again.”
Barner fixed her issues at the plate. The Cougars star finished the season with a .488 batting average to go along with four home runs and 23 RBIs.
Barner was also an ace in the circle, finishing with a 12-9 record with a 1.41 ERA. She finished with 301 strikeouts in just over 173 innings pitched.
Barner was named the Central California Conference MVP after her stellar season.
Barner is also the Merced Sun-Star Softball Player of the Year.
After watching Barner excel as a pitcher and hitter this season it’s hard not to compare her to former Golden Valley star Marissa Bertuccio, who is now an ace at Sacramento State.
“They’re two different types of players,” said Golden Valley coach Ross Cruickshanks. “Marissa was such a beast in the circle. Bree is more subtle. She doesn’t throw as hard as Marissa, but she’s crafty. They’re both competitive.”
“Bree still has a lot of potential. She’s only a sophomore. She’s got a lot of work ahead of her, but she’s ahead of where most girls are her age. If she keeps improving she can do what Marissa is doing now.”
Playing college softball is the ultimate goal for Barner, who finished 11th in the state with the 301 strikeouts.
Barner says any comparisons to Bertuccio are flattering.
“She’s an amazing athlete,” Barner said. “She has made it so far. I hope I can accomplish what she has.”
Barner led the Cougars to a second-place finish in the CCC and she was the only pitcher to defeat Merced in conference play, shutting out the Bears 2-0 on May 5.
“We were so excited to beat Merced,” Barner said. “We put in so much work for that. We were hungry to be the only team to beat them.”
Track
Jazmine Severo, Golden Valley
Golden Valley senior Jazmine Severo says competing at the CIF State Track & Field Championships was one of the most amazing experiences of her life.
“The experience was honestly crazy,” Severo said. “It was very different, very competitive. It was very overwhelming, especially making your way down to the field. You see all the people there and all these amazing athletes.”
Severo proved she belonged qualifying for the high jump finals at the state meet and finishing tied for eighth, clearing 5-feet, 4-inches.
Severo is the Merced Sun-Star Girls Track Athlete of the Year.
Severo competed in some of the top high school events, finishing third in the high jump at the Arcadia Invitational in the Open Division, third at the Stanford Invitational and third in the Sacramento Meet of Champions.
Severo was also one of the top long jump and triple jump athletes in the CCC.
“This season was very special to me,” Severo said. “Especially after missing almost two full years of track. To come back for my final year and show what I can do was the best.”
Severo’s personal best mark in the high jump of 5-foot, 5-inches is a school record. She cleared 5-5 at Arcadia, the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Meet prelims and the CIF State prelims.
Severo will continue competing in track in college. She’s headed to College of Staten Island next year.
“I’m very excited,” she said. “Its very overwhelming because I’ve never been across the country. I’m excited for the new experiences and new challenges.”
Swimming
Sydney Hinman, Merced
After each race, Merced High swimming coaches always gave something for senior Sydney Hinman to work on.
“Whether it was working on my streamline or kicking, my coaches always had something for me,” Hinman said. “I loved that they always had something for me to improve on. It kept me working hard.”
The work paid off as Hinman on the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle individual Central California Conference championships. Hinman helped lead the Bears to a eighth consecutive CCC championship.
Hinham is the Merced Sun-Star Girls Swimmer of the Year.
“This was probably my favorite high school swim season,” Hinman said. “Just because my team and my coaches, we were always ready to go race.”
Hinman said there was pressure to keep the Bears’ CCC championship streak going.
“We were nervous this year before the season,” she said. “We saw how many swimmers Buhach Colony and El Capitan had. We didn’t have that many girls this year. We didn’t want to be the team that couldn’t keep the streak going.”
Merced went undefeated and won the CCC championships.
Hinman did her part at the CCC championships. She won the 50 freestyle with a time of 26.35 seconds in the final. She touched the wall in 59.03 seconds to win the 100 freestyle.
“The 50 and the 100 are my main races,” said Hinman, who plans to swim and play water polo at Merced College. “I’ve been working on those all season. To finally win, it felt good to be CCC champion in those events.”
All-Area Honors
Softball
Ava Brown, Merced
Amelie Valdez, Atwater
Skyler Dietz, Buhach Colony
Abi Pikas, Pacheco
Hailee Moore, Los Banos
Morgan Salcedo, El Capitan
Stephanie Ramirez, Golden Valley
Megan Harris, Mariposa
LeeAnne Rainey, Dos Palos
Ellie Alvarez, Merced
Paige Smith, Los Banos
Caitlyn Cole, Stone Ridge Christian
Katilyn Arceo, Merced
Arissa Ruiz, Pacheco
Cali Cole, Stone Ridge Christian
Melody Gomez, Merced
Jenna Gomes, Hilmar
Track
Isabel Perez-Zoghbi, Merced
Anaya Shelton, El Capitan
Karina Duran, Livingston
Kyndell Johnston, Hilmar
Sydney Perez, Merced
Jayden Leeper, Buhach Colony
Mya Farr, El Capitan
Jacqueline Sanchez, Buhach Colony
Jordin McDowell, Atwater
Swimming
Chloe Dingeldein, El Capitan
Abby Perez, Buhach Colony
Julia Nies, Merced
Macie Drum, Stone Ridge Christian
Anali Sebastian, El Capitan
Claudette Asenjo, El Capitan
Eliza Marquez, Buhach Colony
Sofia Belerique, Hilmar
