There is plenty of star power returning to the diamonds for Santa Clarita Valley softball teams in the 2025 season.
Carly Kearns, the two-time reigning Foothill League Pitcher of the Year, is back for her senior campaign with the Valencia Vikings. She is one of 14 players on the 2024 all-Foothill League teams who are bringing their talents back for this season.
The reigning Foothill League champions with a perfect 12-0 record, backing up their league title from 2023, the Vikings are set to begin their 2025 league campaign on Thursday on the road at Hart High School to take on the Hawks.
Also scheduled to host games to kick off the league schedule on Thursday are the West Ranch Wildcats and the Canyon Cowboys. West Ranch is hosting the Castaic Coyotes while Canyon is hosting the Saugus Centurions.
Meanwhile, the Santa Clarita Christian Cardinals have a couple of weeks before they start Heritage League play, with their first league game scheduled for Thursday, March 27, at Faith Baptist.
Here’s what you need to know about SCV softball squads ahead of the start of league action:
Editor’s note: All records are accurate entering Monday’s contests. Teams are listed in the order of their Foothill League finish in 2024, followed by SCCS.
Valencia out to turn league success into deep playoff run
After two straight league titles, both under third-year head coach Sean Pollard, the Vikings (3-2) enter the 2025 campaign with high hopes.
Kearns is a big part of those hopes and she has delivered in non-league play this year, recording 49 strikeouts in 35 innings while giving up just 24 hits and six earned runs.
At the plate, Pollard is expecting big years out of sophomore Riley Josett at outfield and first base, sophomore Sydney Bolder at shortstop and third base, junior Sammy Ross at first base and senior Scarlett Carlson, a transfer from Saugus, at catcher and third base.
Junior Blair Rune is set to be one of the defensive leaders behind the plate while sophomore Victoria Tejada is expected to do the same at second base.
A young team already, Pollard is hoping for freshman Aubrie Jensen to be a key contributor as well.
Rune has already committed to Cornell University while Carlson is planning to play at Loyola Marymount University after graduating high school. Kearns is still fielding offers.
“We intend to defend our back-to-back league championships and make a deep run in the playoffs,” Pollard said.
Saugus looking to unseat Valencia at top of league standings
Three seasons removed from their last league title, the Centurions (7-2) have hopes of unseating the Vikings and reclaiming the league championship.
Looking to help them do that is first-year head coach Kyle Mark, who comes over after helping the Castaic baseball program to CIF and SoCal Regional titles in 2023 as an assistant coach.
Expected to stand out for Saugus this season are senior Jordan Shepherd, junior Amelia Johnson, junior Taliya Mata and junior Savannah Smith.
Mata is looking like the ace of the staff, recording 29 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings pitched, allowing just 21 hits and eight earned runs, so far in non-league play. Mark thinks that, with her and three other pitchers with varsity experience, the Centurions should be one of the better pitching teams in the league this season.
Johnson is hitting over .500 while Shepherd is just over .400 with two home runs and nine RBIs.
A number of sophomores have also made the leap from junior varsity to varsity this season for Mark, though he is expecting them to have a big impact.
“Our expectations as a team are to compete for a Foothill League championship and to make a deep playoff run,” Mark said.
Young Hart team aiming for another playoff run
The Hawks (2-3) are seeking yet another playoff run, but with a young group that only has two seniors for head coach Steve Calendo, in the midst of his 19th year in charge at Hart.
Set to lead the way pitching are a couple of freshmen in Hannah Cook and Faith Wolbrock. Cook has already racked up 18 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched.
Senior Sadie Curtis is likely to lead the way offensively. She has 10 hits, including a homer, and seven RBIs in five games.
Junior Jessica Gutierrez and junior Bella Marquez are also expected to have big years at the plate. The former has nine hits while the latter has eight hits, including a homer, already.
“This is the youngest team that I have ever had,” Calendo said. “Our goals are to get better with every game.”
Wildcats looking to be the surprise of the SCV
The West Ranch Wildcats (3-5) have finished fourth in the Foothill League for four straight seasons. First-year head coach Mike Merrilees is seeking to continue the trend of West Ranch making the playoffs, and maybe surprise some teams with his young squad.
Returning for West Ranch are senior Isabella Swanson and juniors Madi Meister and junior Payton Boreland. Swanson is expected to lead the defense from her spot at catcher, while Meister will patrol center field and Borland will take first base.
Meister has racked up seven hits already this season, while sophomore Naomi Stoll leads the team with 10 RBIs and two home runs in non-league play.
Stoll is part of a sophomore class that Merrilees believes is the team’s “blood pressure and our identity.”
Coming in as freshmen but expected to contribute are Gretchen Roen, Kara Carnes, Torrey Price and Elaine Shirley.
“We are going to be fun to watch,” Merrilees said. “This is an extremely young team with some excellent upper classman leadership. I expect us to shock some people and surprise some teams, but I also expect us to make some young mistakes.”
Canyon playing for winning record, playoffs
The Cowboys (3-5) are seeking their first top-four finish in the league since 2017 under fifth-year head coach Todd Wensley and their first playoff appearance since 2023.
With senior Jessica Carr, a three-time all-league selection, in the circle for Canyon, Wensley is hopeful that she can help lead the way. Carr has struck out 50 in 45 innings so far this season, adding 11 hits, including a home run, at the plate.
Junior Karina Montero leads the team early on with three home runs and six RBIs.
Also slated to be forces at the plate for Canyon are senior Isabella Heasley and sophomore Maci Dunagan, who is tied for the team lead with five runs scored.
“We have some young players, so we are hoping for them to gel with the upperclassmen and strive for excellence on and off the field,” Wensley said.
Inexperienced Golden Valley seeking to improve
The Grizzlies (2-3) enter 2025 with a new head coach in Al Vanhook, who has brought along his daughter, Jordyn, as an assistant coach after she recently wrapped up her collegiate career at Arizona State University.
Vanhook said his team has a few seniors to lead the Grizzlies, but for the most part, it’s an inexperienced Golden Valley squad that will likely take its lumps early in the hopes of being better as the season progresses.
Senior Rohan Elhamamsy is an all-around player who is expected to lead the team along with senior pitcher Cassandra Farrow. Sophomore Ilana Watson adds a young presence.
Elhamamsy leads the team early on with seven hits and is second with seven runs scored. Watson has cracked two home runs already and leads the team with eight runs and nine RBIs.
“We’ll be a better team later in the season, as we are in the beginning of the season,” Vanhook said. “Although we have seniors, we’re very inexperienced at high-level competition … But, you know, we tell the players, ‘No excuses, come out there and we play and we’ll be ready to go.’”
Castaic off to best start in young history
The Coyotes (6-4) are off to their best start in their young history as a program as they seek to not just get themselves out of the bottom of the league, but also pick up their first league win.
Leading the way early on have been Lulu Smith, Tatum McAfee and Alexis Steen.
Smith has racked up 19 hits, a homer, nine RBIs and 21 runs scored. McAfee has 17 hits, 12 runs scored and 17 RBIs. Steen has 16 hits, 15 RBIs, 10 extra-base hits and 12 runs scored.
In the circle, McAfee has been stellar as well with 58 strikeouts in just 33 2/3 innings pitched.
Five Castaic players have recorded double-digit hits, while two more are one away from that mark.
SCCS ready to fight in Heritage League
The Cardinals (3-2) are also off to a good start, this one in their third year since restarting the program.
Head coach Tim Brenner started the program with nearly all freshmen in 2023 and is expecting his team to begin competing for a playoff spot this season.
Returning for SCCS this season are a few all-Heritage League selections in shortstop Kaela Patterson, catcher Marlie Tucker, pitcher and shortstop Preslie Tucker, and third baseman Carley Brenner.
Those four make up more than a third of the SCCS roster, which has just 11 players on it.
“We are looking forward to league play,” Brenner said.
