2025 softball season is underway. Here are 21 top Stanislaus District returners this spring
Softball season is underway and Stanislaus District athletes have started the season strong. They’ve spent the offseason preparing mentally and physically. Now comes the fun part, when they get to compete for a chance at league, section and NorCal titles.
California is one of the top softball states, and some of the best talent is from the Sac-Joaquin Section. While there have been some impactful first-year players, coaches heavily rely on the returners to be leaders and tone-setters for their teams.
Here are 21 players who made an impact last season and are back for more, producing already for their respective teams just two weeks into the regular season.
All stats are from MaxPreps as of Thursday’s games.
Madi Babasa, Escalon, Junior
Arizona commit and 2024 All-District second-team member Babasa, who also led the Escalon girls basketball team in scoring this season, is one of the area’s top athletes. She pitches and plays in the field for the Cougars. She has struck out only twice this season and leads the team in batting average (.565), hits (13), runs scored (14), walks (7) and triples (3).
Madi Bohannon, Oakdale, Senior
An All-District first-team infielder last season, Bohannon helped lead the Mustangs to a Division III section title. Now in her fourth varsity season, the Cal Poly-bound senior is top five on the Mustangs in batting average, hits, runs scored and RBI early in the year.
Taryn Calderon, Central Catholic, Senior
Calderon is a two-time section runner-up and a NorCal champion as she enters her third season with the Raiders. A senior headed to UNLV next year, she was an All-District second-team infielder last season. Early this season, she is one of three Raiders hitting better than .500 (.533). She is top three on the team in hits (16), RBI (13) and runs scored (15).
Lillian Camarena, Enochs, Junior
Camarena is ready for a big bounce-back junior season and is already off to a good start for the Eagles. She leads the team in batting average (.630), hits (17) and RBI (13). The Stanislaus State commit also has four doubles, a home run and a triple on the season. The catcher and her team are off to a 4-0 record in CCAL play with a big 1-0 win over last season’s league champion, Gregori.
Cadee Campbell, Turlock, Senior
An All-District first-team utility player last season, Campbell has improved her batting numbers so far as a senior, going from hitting .429 as a junior to .571 to start her senior campaign. She has six multi-hit games and her total hits (20), runs scored (17), doubles (6), triples (2) and stolen bases (10) are team highs.
Alizae Cole, Ceres, Senior
Cole enters the final year of her four-year varsity career as one of the area’s best returning pitchers. The Cal State Northridge signee has 38 strikeouts in the circle in eight appearances to start the season. The 2024 All-District first-team pitcher also provides good offense, hitting .522 with 12 hits, seven RBI, six doubles, a triple, a home run and 12 runs scored.
Grace Cruthis, Patterson, Senior
Cruthis, who is committed to Alabama A&M, begins her fourth and final varsity season with the Tigers. Early in her senior campaign, she is posting a career high in batting average (.564) and already has surpassed last season’s RBI total with 14. She has 22 hits, seven stolen bases and 16 runs.
Gabriela De La Torre, Central Valley, Junior
An All-District honorable mention selection last season, De La Torre has had a strong start to her junior campaign. At the plate, she has a .483 batting average and leads the team in hits (14) and doubles (6). She also adds 12 runs scored, 11 RBI and a triple. As a pitcher, she has a pair of wins in four appearances with 23 strikeouts.
Madison Harrison, Central Catholic, Junior
The Raiders’ starting catcher since her freshman season and a 2024 All-District second-team member, Harrison is now one of the team’s veterans, entering her third year as a starter. A Sacramento State commit, Harrison is one of four players on the team with more than 10 hits, and she adds 10 RBI, 12 runs scored, a team-high three triples and two home runs.
Maya Guzman, Riverbank, Junior
Guzman, an All-District honorable mention selection last season, is one of the nation’s strikeout leaders early in the season, according to MaxPreps. She already has 117 strikeouts through 11 games, which is 19th nationally and first in California. She tallied 18 strikeouts in a season-opening win over Davis and has had 17- and 14-strikeout contests already. On offense, she is 10th in the state with five home runs, fifth in the section with 18 RBI and fourth in the section with 13 stolen bases.
Mackenzie Hough, Beyer, Senior
A Wagner College signee, Hough is batting .485 this season, good for second on the team, and adds a team-high 16 hits. She has scored 10 runs, driven in 10 more and has three doubles and a triple. The 2024 All-District honorable mention honoree, Hough is a four-year varsity player for the Patriots.
Jaelyn Lee, Oakdale, Senior
Lee is another four-year varsity player for Oakdale and looks to have a big senior season. An All-District first-team utility player last season, she has spent most of the past couple of seasons at first base and pitching. Ready to step in as the next Oakdale ace, Lee already has five wins in eight appearances and has a 1.37 ERA this season. She will head to the University of the Pacific next year.
Jordyn Lish, Beyer, Senior
Lish will head to Utah State to play softball when her high school career is done, but before that, she hopes for a successful senior year. In her fourth varsity season, Lish leads the team in runs scored and adds 12 hits, eight RBI and three doubles. In the circle, the 2024 All-District second-team utility player has a 5-3 record in eight starts with 63 strikeouts against just four walks.
Morgan Merzon, Big Valley Christian, Senior
Merzon helped lead the Lions to their second section and NorCal titles in three seasons last year as a junior. Then, a few weeks after a deep playoff run, she committed to play college softball at Fordham University. A 2024 All-District second-team outfielder, she ended last season with a two-homer, five-RBI game and so far this year hasn’t cooled off, hitting four home runs. She leads the team in batting average (.513), hits (20), runs scored (20), doubles (5) and RBI (15). She also ranks third in California and first in the section with 10 stolen bases.
Ava Montesdeoca, Ceres, Senior
Montesdeoca is a four-year varsity starter playing in the final season of a decorated career. The Stanislaus State-bound 2024 first-team All-District infielder is hitting an impressive .667 to start the season, with 14 hits, nine runs scored, seven RBI, three doubles and a pair of triples. She also has four stolen bases.
Samantha Nichols, Central Catholic, Sophomore
One of the best in her class regardless of position, Nichols enters her second season as the Raiders’ starting shortstop. She hits .405 with 15 hits, 13 RBI and leads the team with 17 runs scored. Her four home runs put her in the top 10 in the Sac-Joaquin Section. Nichols finished last season as an All-District first-team infielder.
Jazmarie Roberts, Central Catholic, Senior
Signed to play at Arizona State, Roberts early in the year is having the best season of her four-year varsity career. The infielder is No. 2 in California in RBI (27) and one of a handful of players with four home runs in the Sac-Joaquin Section, putting her at fifth in the section. She is also 11th in the section in slugging percentage (1.167). She leads the Raiders in RBI, hits (25), home runs (5) and doubles (7) and hits .610 on the season. She was an All-District first-team utility player in 2024.
Kali Saykao, Davis, Senior
An All-District honorable mention selection last season and a star on the basketball court for the Spartans, Saykao led Davis in batting average, hits, doubles, triples and home runs. A Regis University commit, she is batting .444 this season with a double and two triples. Saykao has driven in three runs and scored five runs herself.
Nevaeh Scheper, Gregori, Senior
An All-District second-team infielder in 2024, Scheper is once again one of the most productive offensive players in the Jaguars’ lineup. She is batting .516, has a team-high nine extra base hits, tallying a team-high seven doubles. She has the team’s only triple and is one of two players with a home run.
Desirrei Sorci, Patterson, Senior
An All-District second-team pitcher last season, Sorci is another of Patterson’s four-year varsity players. In the circle, she has five early wins and has 70 strikeouts in 12 appearances and 49 innings pitched. Offensively, she is posting a career-best .441 batting average with 15 hits, 10 RBI and a pair of doubles.
Chelsee Toon, Beyer, Senior
An East Tennessee State University signee, Toon was named to The Bee’s All-District second team as an infielder last season. A four-year varsity player, she enters her final season looking to help the Patriots get back to the playoffs for the first time since her freshman year.
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 10:35 AM.
