THE TIMES 1999 ALL-COUNTY SOFTBALL TEAM : THE TIMES 1999 ALL-COUNTY SOFTBALL TEAM

PITCHER

Tia Bollinger

Mater Dei Jr.

Bollinger combined with Marissa Young to provide the Monarchs with the county’s most dominant pitching staff. A first-team selection for the third time, Bollinger limited opponents to a measly .102 batting average. She also did respectably at the plate, batting .316 with 14 RBIs, as Mater Dei played for the Division I title a second consecutive year.

1999 pitching record

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IP W-L SO BB ERA 100 1/3 12-2 149 10 0.28

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PITCHER

Susan Churchwell

El Toro Sr.

Perhaps no player was singularly more valuable than Churchwell to the sixth-ranked Chargers. She understood her role as field leader and the need to shoulder most of the load, and almost always responded. With Churchwell pitching, the Chargers could compete with teams of any caliber. She batted .303 with 16 RBIs, and will attend UC Davis.

1999 pitching record

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IP W-L SO BB ERA 140 15-5 130 47 0.42

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PITCHER

Courtney Fossatti

Foothill So.

Fossatti is on the team for the second time in two seasons. Top-ranked Foothill played its toughest schedule ever, and she responded with commanding totals, including the 0.20 earned-run average. Opponents batted only .081 against her, and she might have produced even more impressive figures if not for a late-season ankle injury.

1999 pitching record

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IP W-L SO BB ERA 107 15-2 129 20 0.20

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PITCHER

Natalie King

Fountain Valley Jr.

King blossomed into the pitcher most expected this season as Fountain Valley rose to No. 4 in the county rankings. By the time the Barons reached the Division I semifinals, where they were beaten by eventual champion Moreno Valley Valley View, King had gone 74 innings without giving up a run. Opponents batted only .108 against her.

1999 pitching record

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IP W-L SO BB ERA 152.1 12-5 225 33 0.46

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CATCHER

Toria Auelua

Pacifica Sr.

UCLA-bound Auelua, a second-team selection last year, was the undisputed leader of Pacifica. She scored 24 runs, drove in 27 and had a .720 slugging average. Amid huge preseason expectations, Auelua also called the pitches for Jessica Soto (23-7), leading the Mariners to the Division III title, their third.

1999 batting record

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AB H HR RBI BA 91 42 5 27 .462

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FIRST BASEMAN

Kristen Mann

Foothill So.

Mann is a young, dominant first baseman who can win games with her bat or glove. Batting cleanup, and protecting player of the year Jaime Clark in the order, Mann drove in 22 runs while facing perhaps the toughest schedule of any county team.

1999 batting record

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AB H HR RBI BA 76 21 3 22 .276

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INFIELDER

Jaime Clark

Foothill Sr.

Clark, a three-time first-team selection, broke her school record for RBIs and provided invaluable leadership. A shortstop, she often was the only senior on the field for Foothill, the county’s top-ranked team. She scored 21 runs and batted .524 with runners in scoring position. She will play next season at NCAA runner-up Washington.

1999 batting record

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AB H HR RBI BA 97 41 3 36 .423

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INFIELDER

Natasha Watley

Woodbridge Sr.

Watley, a shortstop who will attend UCLA, is a two-time first-team selection. One of the county’s two premier position players and an excellent fielder, she batted leadoff for the third-ranked Warriors. Effortlessly blending speed, grace and strength, she agitated and frustrated opponents, scoring 32 runs and stealing 32 bases.

1999 batting record

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AB H HR RBI BA 107 51 2 12 .477

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INFIELDER

Dara Webb

Pacifica Sr.

Webb, who signed with Cal State Fullerton, played second base and batted leadoff for the Division III champion. A quick runner, she led the county with 48 stolen bases, and scored 30 runs as Pacifica rose to fifth in the county rankings. Webb also put the bat on the ball, striking out only eight times in 110 plate appearances.

1999 batting record

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AB H HR RBI BA 105 38 0 7 .362

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OUTFIELDER

Kristin Farber

Los Alamitos Jr.

One of the county’s outstanding defensive players, Farber is on the first team for the second time (she was a second-teamer last year). A left-handed slap hitter who stole 19 bases, she is extremely quick out of the box and batted leadoff. She’s no liability in center field, either, boasting excellent range. Along with six RBIs, she scored 22 runs.

1999 batting record

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AB H HR RBI BA 94 43 0 6 .457

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OUTFIELDER

Brett Nakabayashi

Irvine Sr.

A two-time selection on the all-county team, Nakabayashi batted leadoff for the Vaqueros and was the key to their offense. Only five players in the county scored more runs than the 28 scored by Nakabayashi, who batted a team-high .400 and had an on-base average of .552. A right fielder who had 25 stolen bases, she signed with Northwestern.

1999 batting record

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AB H HR RBI BA 75 30 0 4 .400

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OUTFIELDER

Leslie Simien

Laguna Hills Jr.

One of the most dangerous offensive players in Laguna Hills’ history, Simien’s blinding speed was put to good use. A left-handed slap hitter, her 51 hits were the county’s second-highest total, same as her 42 stolen bases, and her 29 runs was third highest. With Simien batting leadoff, the Hawks rose to 10th in the county rankings.

1999 batting record

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AB H HR RBI BA 100 51 0 9 .510

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DESIGNATED HITTER

Tiffany Whitton

Brea Olinda Sr.

Much of Division III finalist Brea Olinda’s success was directly attributable to Whitton’s performance at the plate and in the circle. She hit a county-high nine home runs, and scored 24 runs to go with 27 RBIs. She also handled many of her team’s toughest pitching chores, going 11-5 with a 0.84 earned-run average. She will attend Harvard.

1999 batting record

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AB H HR RBI BA 107 51 9 27 .477

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UTILITY

Marissa Young

Mater Dei Sr.

Young is a four-time first-team selection and 1996 player of the year. When she didn’t play first base, the Michigan-bound pitcher was among the county’s elite (15-3, 0.51 earned-run average) with 235 strikeouts in 125 2/3 innings. Her ERA was 0.23 before giving up five runs in the title game, her third with the Monarchs (two victories).

1999 batting record

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AB H HR RBI BA 104 38 6 20 .365

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