Sudden Impact : Freshmen Have Wasted No Time in Leaving Their Mark on Several of the County’s Top Softball Programs

Michelle Churnock remembered the 1992 Southern Section softball finals vividly. She was, she says, scared to death. On the first ball hit to her at shortstop, she threw the ball over the first baseman’s head for an error.

She was a freshman at the time, neither the first nor the last to play in a title game.

This year, more than ever, freshmen have become impact players in Orange County softball.

The county’s three best teams each have an impact freshman. Foothill’s Jamie Clark plays shortstop and bats leadoff. Mater Dei’s Marissa Young pitches and bats cleanup. Pacifica’s Toria Auelua plays third base and bats sixth.

Almost certainly, one will be playing for a Southern Section title once the playoffs begin Wednesday.

“Of all the sports I’ve seen, certainly at Foothill, freshmen have made the biggest impact on softball,� Knight Coach Joe Gonzalez said.

“I would venture to say aside from the three freshmen [Auelua, Clark and Young], each team probably has a couple other freshmen doing real well. We have a freshman catcher [Cheri Nierman] doing an incredibly nice job.�

Pacifica has three freshman starters besides Auelua (.357, 22 runs, 11 runs batted in). Mater Dei, which has the best freshman in Young (.417, 32 RBIs; 13-1, 0.07 earned-run average), doesn’t start any others, but started five last year. Foothill’s Clark (.430, 25 runs) set a school record for runs batted in with 28.

High school coaches agree the reason for this year’s bumper crop of freshmen--and the increasing numbers of ninth-graders who are able to compete right away--is the area’s travel ball programs. Players are competing on virtual all-star teams in scores of games, getting used to the pressures of playing with a national championship berth on the line.

And the girls have found there’s little on-field difference in the transition to high school, where the opponents are a few grades ahead.

“It’s like the same as club--it’s still competitive,� Pacifica’s Auelua said. “It’s the same game, the same rules.�

Even if teams don’t have “star� players like the Big Three, several are getting important contributions from their own standouts--either individually or in bulk.

El Toro, ranked 10th in Orange County, has a starting lineup that is one-third freshmen: catcher Megan Norman, third baseman Jennifer Morey and designated hitter Megan Smietana. It occasionally includes an outfielder, Christine Joiner.

Kennedy (16-7) starts three freshmen. El Dorado (17-7) starts four--three in the infield. Kennedy and El Dorado finished 1-2 in the Empire League.

A team like eighth-ranked Irvine (21-6-1) is not atypical. The Vaqueros start two freshmen, including their leadoff batter, outfielder Brett Nakabayashi. Lauren Mertz bats seventh, but plays a critical position, third base, though she’s a true second baseman.

Huntington Beach, which doesn’t have any freshmen on the varsity, is the exception.

“A few years ago, if a freshman was going to make an impact, it was going to be as a pitcher,� Mater Dei Coach Doug Myers said. “The kids weren’t as advanced in some of the other areas. [Current Monarch sophomores] Kelsey Kollen and Robin Walker were great players immediately. They did the little things that can only come from a tremendous amount of experience. These kids can play over a hundred games a year. The impact has swung from just pitching to the position players.�

Nearly everywhere there are freshmen making an impact. If they’re not posting big statistical numbers, they are often filling holes to keep teams competitive. Many county coaches agree that a team of freshman all-stars this season could compete favorably against this year’s senior class.

“I think it’s very impressive when you rely on a freshman at a critical position,� El Toro Coach Jim Daugherty said. “It’s one thing to stick them in left field, but quite another to put them at any infield position or at pitcher. For good or bad, they’re coming in with a lot of experience and pressure situations under their belt.�

In the same way Mater Dei benefited from freshman players last year--the Monarchs had seven and started five en route to the section finals--Pacifica has benefited this year.

The Mariners, ranked third in the county and as high as fourth in the state this season, have four freshman starters: outfielder Tiffany Wallace, who bats second and has 10 sacrifice bunts; designated hitter Amanda Hallaway, who is batting 333; outfielder Debbie Mastergeorge and Auelua.

These players come on the heels of Pacifica’s Amanda Freed last year and Toni Mascarenas in 1994--both of whom were first-team Times all-county players as freshmen.

There are more on the way.

“[Pacifica is] going to get a better freshman crop next year than we did this year,� Mariner Coach Rob Weil said. “In our area, they’re producing softball players left and right. There are four freshmen who are going to have legitimate shots of making the varsity team. Two of the freshmen who are starters this year are going to have to work their butts off to remain starters next year.�

Colleen Burdick, who already throws as hard as Freed and Young, according to Myers, will be at Fountain Valley. Young has a sister, Jessica, in seventh grade who is also a fine player.

Which leads to the logical next question: When this year’s freshmen are seniors, how many teams in Orange County will be playing at the level Foothill, Mater Dei and Pacifica are today? Myers says at least six. Weil says six to eight.

By then, Auelua hopes to have a scholarship to Stanford in hand so she can become a lawyer.

“I like the game, but my main goal is to get a full ride,� she said. “So I’m going to work hard on my grades and on my softball so that I can get it.�

And here’s a little hope for Auelua that there’s always a spot for talent and that dreams can come true. Michelle Churnock, who didn’t consider herself an impact player in ninth grade, is now the starting shortstop for Arizona--the second-ranked team in the country.

As a freshman.