‘I’m very honored.’ Atwater High freshman earns top softball award from conference coaches
Growing up, Madison Hiler had always played travel ball with older girls. So making the jump from eighth grade to varsity softball as a freshman at Atwater High School wasn’t a big deal for her.
Hiler proved it on the field.
Hiler hit .407 this season with four home runs and 18 RBIs. Hiler was selected as the Central California Conference MVP by the conference coaches.
“I’m very honored,” Hiler said. “It feels good.”
Atwater coach Jenna Boesch says Hiler isn’t your typical freshman.
“A freshman playing varsity is always huge,” Boesch said. “She brought something different. She was a freshman with a lot of experience. She was a leader on the team.”
Hiler was even more impressive in CCC play. She hit .532 with two home runs, 21 runs scored and 12 RBIs in 12 conference games.
“The ball just comes off her bat so fast,” Boesch said. “Sometimes people in sports just look different. That’s how it is with her. The ball just sounds different when she hits it. She’s also super fast so when you combine her power with her speed, it’s unbeatable.”
Golden Valley High School junior Bree Barner earned one of the other top CCC awards. Barner was selected as the Pitcher of the Year.
Barner went 5-3 with a 1.63 ERA in CCC play. She struck out 140 batters in just over 90 innings pitched.
Central Valley High School’s Victoria Martinez-Lloyd was named the Offensive Player of the Year after she hit .606 with three home runs, 16 runs scored and 15 RBIs in CCC play.
Central Valley’s Jimmy Bates was named the Coach of the Year after leading the Hawks to the CCC championship.
The all-CCC first team selections were Danyelle Castillo (Atwater), Mia Hendrickson (Atwater), Ciara Esparza (Buhach Colony High School), Janessa Godinez (Central Valley), Micaela Martinez (Central Valley), Jannet Valencia (Central Valley), Jenay Scott (El Capitan High School), Morgan Saucedo (El Capitan), Maria Barillas (Golden Valley), Aleatha Buchner (Merced High School) and Kayla Ortiz (Patterson High School).
The second team was comprised of Ashley Gallardo (Atwater), Lilianna Asato (Buhach Colony), Gabriela Delatorre (Central Valley), Priscilla Hamidat (Central Valley), Lindsey Henderson (El Capitan), Stephani Ramirez (Golden Valley), Annalise Ramirez (Merced), Haleigh Pearce (Patterson) and Jazmine Isom (Patterson).
The sportsmanship award winners were Castillo, Asato, Allie Peterman (Central Valley), Rachel Behn (El Capitan), Celia Giammona (Golden Valley), Tierra Richardson (Merced) and Desirrei Sorci (Patterson).
