Yuba City 2024 outfielder/pitcher Kaeden Bulock (17) and River Valley 2024 outfielder/pitcher Maddox McMains (5) pose after the conclusion of the 2024 Optimist Baseball All-Star Game in Sacramento on Sunday, June 9. Photo by Steven Bryla

SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - As local seniors were excited about graduation, 13 local senior athletes donned their school’s baseball and softball uniform for the final time in their career.

On Tuesday, June 4, eight softball seniors played in the 47th annual Optimist All-Star Softball Game, which was held at Folsom Lake College in Folsom.

Yuba City was represented by 2024 catcher Lexi Dell and 2024 infielder Drew McDonald. Dell played her entire four-year career on the varsity level for the Lady Honkers’ where she posted a .362 batting average in 66 games. Her 98% fielding percentage behind the plate and ability to keep her pitchers calm was a huge boost for Yuba City and exemplified her leadership skills throughout the program.

 Yuba City 2024 catcher Lexi Dell (1) and 2024 infielder Drew McDonald (11) pose before playing in the 47th Optimist All-Star Game held at Folsom Lake College on Tuesday, June 4. Photo by Chris Pedigo

McDonald hit .304 in her three years at the varsity level for the Lady Honkers’ and her 93% career-fielding percentage was a big asset against opposing hitters trying to get infield singles.

Dell and McDonald were key contributors and a big reason why Yuba City had its first playoff appearance this season since the 2019 season.

Fresh off of their CIF NorCal Division III title, six Sutter seniors represented the Huskies at FLC. 

All six infield positions were named to the all-star team. 2024 infielders Madison Schamanski, Nai Garcia, Grace Diaz, Alexa Carino, catcher Morgan Heggstrom and pitcher Olivia Bauer got to play with one another for a final time.

Schamanski was one of the three Sutter seniors who spent her entire time at the varsity level. She had a .429 batting average in her four years and this past season was her best season at the plate as she had 40 hits and 43 runs-batted-in (RBIs). On top of the great hitting numbers, Schamanski was a standout defender and was a wall at first base for the Huskies. She hit a home run in the second inning to start the run production in the CIF D-III final against Dixon on June 1.

 Sutter Union 2024 infielders Madison Schamanksi (22), Alexa Carino (8), Nai Garcia (7), Grace Diaz (9), catcher Morgan Heggstrom (2) and pitcher Olivia Bauer (5) take one final picture as teammates on Tuesday, June 4, at the 47th annual Softball Optimist All-Star Game. Photo by Chris Pedigo

Diaz and Garcia were a dynamic duo up the middle for Sutter. The connection between them and the range they were able to cover made them the best middle infielders in the area, whether it was baseball or softball.

Garcia collected 86 career hits in a Huskies uniform and hit .480. She recorded the final out in the Sutter CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division V victory against Calaveras on May 18 as she caught a line drive up the middle. 

Diaz’s strong arm from shortstop gave her the opportunity to throw every runner out from anywhere on the diamond. She had 100 career hits and hit over .500 both seasons she was at varsity. Diaz put the ball in play in every at-bat this season.

This Huskies team hardly struck out as they only got sent back to the dugout 50 times on strike three in 997 plate appearances.

Carino was a run-producing machine for Sutter as she hit an insane .502 in her career and brought in 133 RBIs from the batting box, including leading the Sac-Joaquin Section this past season with 60.

Carino sent 23 balls over the fence for home runs throughout her time and became the single-season leader last year as she set the record with 13. On top of her illustrious hitting stats, Carino was a mobile and versatile fielder between games behind the plate and played the hot corner at third base where she made plenty of SportsCenter Top 10 plays.

Heggstrom was able to see the entire Huskies’ undefeated season unfold behind the plate

She had a career batting average .403 in her four years and this past season, Heggstrom had career high in hits (36), RBIS (24), extra-base hits (16), including a home run to cap off four years of sending a long ball over the fence.

The bond between Heggstrom and Bauer is like no other on the field. From the times they waited for one another at the edge of the dugout to go out on the field together every inning and always ending a half-frame with a hug. You could tell they weren’t just a pitcher and catcher, but life-long friends that will cherish sharing the field with one another.

To round out the softball players in the Optimist games, we end with the 2024 MaxPreps California Player of the Year in Olivia Bauer.

Bauer hit .481 and collected 175 total hits (51 this season) in her four years in the Huskies’ program. She owned the circle the past two seasons since Sutter joined the SJS in the 2023 season.

She won 55 total games and posted a .90 earned-run-average (ERA) in her Huskies journey, but went 48-2 the past two seasons with 377 strikeouts in 284 innings. 

Bauer won multiple accolades from the 2023 season, and in 2024 added the MaxPreps California POY award, MaxPreps All-SJS team and was awarded the small school Most Valuable Player in the Optimist game on June 4. 

Bauer expressed to the Dispatch following a championship parade in Sutter on Wednesday, June 5, that her final week of high school was sentimental as there were so many last things happening, including donning the Huskies uniform a final time, and playing with teammates for one last time.

She told the Dispatch that her favorite non-championship memory was at a tournament in Reno, Nevada, during the 2023 season where she hit her first career home run against Woodcreek.

“To have that moment with all of my teammates there made it special for me,” Bauer said. 

The saying for the Huskies this past season was to do it for each other, and as they finished as the only unbeaten team in California, Sutter worked for it all-year long.

Bauer told the Dispatch that there were a lot of team bonding moments the girls organized, and they were constantly informing one another about their lives and thoughts. She added the bonding moments will continue as they planned for all getting together this past week.

Five local baseball players played in the 53rd annual Optimist Baseball All-Star Game on Sunday, June 9, at the Army Depot fields in Sacramento.  

River Valley was represented by 2024 utility Maddox McMains. McMains was a constant moving piece around the diamond as he was versatile and able to play multiple places.

McMains hit .242 in his time as a member of the Falcons and is moving on to Yuba College this fall.

Yuba City was represented by 2024 outfielder/pitcher Kaedin Bulock. Bullock hit .291 in his career with the Honkers and pitched 44.1 innings. 

Bulock led Yuba City this past season with 11 extra-base hits from the plate this year. Bulock is heading to American River College this upcoming school year.

The Sutter Huskies had three player representatives in the game this past Sunday as 2024 infielder Logan Yacavace, outfielder/pitcher Rylan Giovannoni and 2024 pitcher Jagger Beck wore a Sutter uniform for the final time.

 Sutter Union was represented by 2024 infielder Logan Yacavace (4), 2024 pitcher Jagger Beck (11) and 2024 outfielder/pitcher Rylan Giovannoni (1) on Sunday, June 9. Photo by Steven Bryla

Huskies head coach Stewart Peterson was named as a coach of the Small School Northern Team.

Yacavace hit .325 in his four years on the diamond for Sutter and was the anchor of the team in the infield at shortstop. Yacavace was also capable of being a pitcher when called upon. His pinpoint accuracy on the mound made opposing hitters struggle. Yacavace pitched 10.2 innings and struck out 19 this year.

Giovannoni hit .333 and was the perfect leadoff hitter for the Huskies. Giovannoni was able to get back into the outfield and on the mound this year as he went 10-1 in his career on the mound and struck out 88 hitters in 58.1 innings of work. The days of Giovannoni and Yacavace being teammates with one another will continue as they head to Sierra College in Rocklin together this fall.

Beck flourished in his time on the mound for Sutter as he posted an 18-3 career record and a 1.00 ERA in the 126 innings of work. Beck sent 212 batters back to the bench from strikeouts and was efficient on throwing strikes as he only walked 48 batters in the three varsity years.

All 13 athletes had special moments throughout their high school careers on the diamond, and the Dispatch would like to congratulate all of them as they get ready to embark on their new journey to the next level of life.