Sutter Alumni Epperson and Jolley Pick CSUs
Jul 10, 2024 11:18AM ● By Steven Bryla
YUBA-SUTTER REGION, CA (MPG) - Sutter softball 2022 alumni Avery Jolley and Faith Epperson are both moving on to four-year California State Universities following their second season at different junior colleges.
Following the first California NorCal title for the Sutter softball program in 2022, Jolley and Epperson continued to be teammates at Butte College for the spring 2023 season.
Both expressed to the Dispatch in the summer of 2023 that it was not the right fit for them, and they had decided to move onto other junior colleges as Epperson chose Yuba College and Jolley decided to join Cosumnes River College in Sacramento.
For their sophomore seasons in 2024, Jolley and Epperson were a part of phenomenal seasons for their respective schools.
2022 Sutter alumna Avery Jolley celebrates her announcement of transferring from Cosumnes River College in Sacramento to California State University, Stanislaus in late May. Photo courtesy of Avery Jolley
Epperson was a part of the best Yuba College softball team in eight years, as this was the first season Yuba has posted over a .500 winning percentage, and the first time they have won 20 plus victories since the 2013 season.
Epperson was named the Most Valuable Player of the Golden Valley Conference where she had a .465 batting average, recorded 60 hits, had 31 runs-batted-in (RBIs) and tied for the state lead with 52 stolen bases.
She told the Dispatch that Yuba head coach Brian Seva challenged her with a goal to be the best base stealer. She had six games this past season where she stole three or more bags in a single game.
Epperson decided to continue her academic and athletic career at California State University, Sacramento.
Epperson also has the opportunity to connect with a former teammate from the Sutter program as 2024 infielder Alexa Carino signed with Sacramento State to play softball last fall. Epperson’s speed brings a lot of opportunities for the Hornets as they stole 47 bases as a team this past 2024 season.
Both Jolley and Epperson said to the Dispatch that finding the right coaching fit was a huge part of their decision process.
Jolley said to the Dispatch that the positive vibes of the coaching staff from her visit left a great impression and valued a lot of her decision on choosing CSU-Stanislaus to continue playing the game she loves.
Jolley was a part of the CRC team that participated in the State Playoffs and they were one of the four best Northern California junior college programs from the 2024 season.
Jolley hit .292 on the season and had 23 RBIs along with eight stolen bases. Jolley told the Dispatch she is going to miss the coaching staff at CRC because of the positivity they brought day-in and day-out.
“They pushed me to be my best, and really brought me up with a good positive environment,” Jolley said.
Epperson and Jolley are both excited to continue playing the game they have loved for years, and said that they couldn’t be happier with the opportunity to continue their dreams.
They both added that they have been appreciative for the continuous support they have received from their families, friends and coaches.
2022 Sutter alumna Faith Epperson takes an at-bat during a fall ball game. Photo courtesy of Faith Epperson
