TRAVEL SOFTBALL UPDATE – Area players putting together solid numbers within first summer tournaments

June 18, 2025

By Loren Kopff • @LorenKopff on X

Whether they are recent high school graduates, or improving their game even more in the likelihood of getting noticed this summer, area softball players have not missed a beat with their early performances. And while the biggest tournaments will take place towards the end of July, the statistics are solid for several players. Here’s a look where most of the stand so far. If I have missed any area players, please post the necessary information on my X account.

18-Under

Alianna Calderon (Cerritos High/Long Beach City College)-The second baseman and utility player for the (Yorba Linda) BSC Bengals-Nichols leads the team with a .485 average in 13 games. She has 16 hits, 11 RBI, six runs scored, three doubles, two home runs and two walks and has committed one error in 14 chances. Her travel team has already qualified for the Premier Girls Fastpitch National Championships Premier Division.

Cierra Contreras (Gahr High)-In eight games played with 11 at-bats, the catcher for the (Whittier) USA Athletics-Garcia has four hits and has scored once. She has also been hit three times.

Isabella Gonzalez (Gahr)-The future of Gahr softball in the circle is a key pitcher for the USA Athletics-Rogers Gold where the right-hander has started four of five games, winning four of them and has an earned run average of 1.56. The recent sophomore has allowed nine hits and four runs in 18 innings of work with 10 strikeouts and the same number of walks. The USA Athletics have qualified for the PGF National Championships Premier Division.

Reese and Riley Hilliard (La Mirada High)-The up and coming sisters have been nothing short of spectacular as both play for the (Anaheim) Orange County Batbusters-Stith, the top team in the nation in The Alliance Fastpitch. In 47 games since the beginning of 2025, Riley Hilliard, a catcher, is second on the team in batting with a .459 average, and has 50 hits, 55 RBI, 31 runs scored, 16 home runs and seven doubles. Her sister, who primarily plays at third, but is also a second baseman, has a .367 average with 36 hits, 25 RBI, 20 runs scored, eight doubles and four home runs.

The Batbusters-Stith, which is in the Super Division, went 6-0 in the Zoom into June showcase tournament and has won 18 straight games and 20 of its last 25 games.

Malaia Huskey (Gahr/California State University, San Marcos)-The recent graduate who is an outfielder for the (Huntington Beach) Explosion Premier has one hit in six games and has scored four times. Her travel team has earned a berth in the PGF National Championships Premier Division.

Peyton Kingery (Valley Christian High/University of North Texas commit)-The hot-hitting catcher who plays for the (Anaheim) BSC Bengals-Briggs hasn’t been slowing down. In back to back weekends totaling 12 games, Kingery is batting .370 with 10 hits, eight RBI, eight runs scored, three doubles, two home runs, four walks while striking out just once in 27 at-bats. The Bengals have earned a spot in the PGF National Championships Premier Division.

Alea Medina (Artesia High/California State University, Dominguez Hills)-The former high school center fielder who now plays for the (Los Alamitos) Wildcats-Hunter, is hitting .389 with 12 runs scores, has seven hits, three runs batted in and one triple in seven games since graduating from Artesia. She also has not struck out in those seven games. In addition, Medina has recorded two outs in one game as a pitcher, facing four batters, giving up two hits and one run while striking out one.

Abbygail Perez (Gahr)-Splitting time between first base and as a right-handed pitcher, Perez has three hits for the (Whittier) USA Athletics-Garcia with two RBI and four walks while pitching 15.2 innings and posting a 4.92 earned run average.

Angelina Ratzlaff (La Mirada)-The former high school infielder plays second base for the (Laguna Hills) Firecrackers-Brashear, another team in the Super Division of The Alliance Fastpitch. Ratzlaff is batting .233 in 22 games, has scored 10 runs and driven in three.

Montserrat Reyes-Cardenas (La Mirada/San Diego State University)-Another member of The Alliance Fastpitch, Reyes-Cardenas plays for the Corona Angels-Tyson in the Super Division ranked seventh in the nation. In eight games since the end of high school, Reyes-Cardenas has pitched just over 21 innings and has given up 16 hits and 10 runs while striking out 16 and walking four.

Amanda Urbina (La Mirada/University of Oregon)-A member of the (Huntington Beach) Firecrackers Select-Rico/Brashear of The Alliance Fastpitch’s Super Division, Urbina doesn’t have any summer statistics. She plays on the left side of the infield.

Katherine Villegas (Cerritos)-The middle infielder for the (Laguna Hills) Firecrackers-Brashear, which plays in the Super Division of The Alliance Fastpitch, is batting .400 with 14 runs scored, 14 RBI, four triples, three doubles and one home run in 40 at-bats.

Rachel Zhang (Valley Christian)-The star pitcher for the Defenders plays for the (Redondo Beach) USA Athletics-Phillips/Lehr where she has pitched seven innings in three games from June 7-9, yielding 10 hits while allowing seven runs and six walks. Offensively, she has a .435 average this summer with nine hits, five runs scores, five walks, two doubles and has driven in a run.

16-Under

Choyce Chambers and Aubrielle Ramirez (Valley Christian)-The two stars for the Defenders play for the (Long Beach) USA Athletics-RML where Chambers has gone nine for 27 over the first two weekends in June, scoring nine runs, driving in five and walking three times. She also has one double. Ramirez is seven for 15 with seven hits, two runs and a run driven in.

Zoe Corrales (Cerritos)-The recent sophomore who plays for the (Westminster) USA Athletics-Mathis, has two hits and has scored two runs in nine games since June 7. Her travel team has already qualified for the PGF National Championships Platinum Division.

Briseyda Munoz (Artesia)-Playing for the (Downey) Nemesis 16 Gold team, the first base is batting .450 in nine games played with six runs, six RBI, one double and one walk. She also threw nine pitchers to two batters in one game, walking both with one of them scoring.

Alison Ortega (La Mirada)-The ace of La Mirada’s pitching staff for the next two seasons is a member of the (La Verne) Firecrackers Select RTY of The Alliance Fastpitch’s Super Division which participated in the Top Gun Invitational in Shawnee, KS. While the team didn’t win a game in the suburbs of Kansas City, Ortega pitched four innings against the (Peculiar, MO) Top Gun National last Thursday, allowing three hits and a run while striking out five. The next day, she faced the Tampa Mustangs and went three and a third innings, giving up seven hits, four runs while collecting three strikeouts.

Earlier in the month, Ortega pitched over seven innings, striking out 15, walking one and allowing four earned runs.