Latest news with #MiaValbuena
Los Angeles Times
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Daily Pilot Softball Dream Team: Marina's Mia Valbuena had no match in playoffs
Mia Valbuena couldn't quite put her finger on it as far as when she began taking an interest in softball, but it came early, and it came with a desire to be like her mom. Between pictures, videos and news clippings their grandmother had saved, Mia and her twin sister, Avi, became familiarized with the playing career of their mother, Willa Parchen. That was all the motivation they needed, said Valbuena, who reckons they were 4 or 5 when they discovered their source of inspiration. They were told about Parchen's path to a scholarship at Creighton University. As far as they were concerned, they had the blueprint set before them. 'Oh, that's what I want to do when I'm older,'' Valbuena would respond. 'We obviously wanted to be just like her,' she added. 'We're like, 'Oh, we're going to go to Creighton, too.' She's like, 'Well, no, you don't have to,' because we just wanted to be just like her.' Valbuena, now a University of Michigan commit, appears to have quite a bright future ahead of her in the game. The past few months were rather fruitful, too. The junior right-hander led Marina to the CIF Southern Section Division 3 championship, shutting down the opposition throughout the playoff run. Valbuena is also the Daily Pilot Softball Dream Team Player of the Year. Marina (19-13) ended a 30-year CIF title drought for the program with an 8-1 win over Westlake at Deanna Manning Stadium on May 30. Upon the final out, Valbuena came together with catcher Gabby DiBenedetto, a battery that has been together since before their high school days. 'That was probably the best decision we've ever made was to convince her to go to Marina because she's now like my best friend,' said Valbuena, who met DiBenedetto through her pitching coach Chrissy Haines in the eighth grade. 'She knows me so well, and it really shows in the field, I think, because we don't even have to communicate through words,' Valbuena said. 'I think I can tell what she's thinking through her face and her body language now, and I think she probably feels the same way. We know what's going on with each other.' Valbuena, the Sunset League Most Valuable Pitcher, dominated from the circle with a devastating riseball and a drop curveball. She allowed just two runs across five postseason starts, recording 56 strikeouts in 33 innings. For the season, she posted a 19-10 record with a 1.88 earned run average across 175⅓ innings pitched. She threw 11 complete-game shutouts and tallied 293 strikeouts. Valbuena was also one of the Vikings' more productive hitters. She had a .337 batting average with 21 runs batted in, seven doubles and two home runs. 'It's only a couple months out of the year that I'm even practicing hitting, or hitting in games, so I do my best to try to keep up with everyone else that's hitting yearlong,' Valbuena said. 'It takes a lot more focus, I think, for me than pitching when it comes to that. Moving into the No. 4 spot at the end of the year, I didn't even expect that, but I guess a little goes a long way sometimes in the close games. I was just trying to do my part to help the team out and help myself out on the offensive side.' At different times in the year, the twins said they play for each other. Pitchers love run support, and Avi, a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga commit, provided by driving in four runs in the CIF finals. At first, they played for their mom, who played and pitched at Marina before them. There's room for more in the circle of trust these days. 'Our chemistry as a team, we really bonded this year,' Valbuena said. 'Something clicked where we all became so united in our goals, and we all had the same idea of what we wanted for the entire year. I think that unity kind of made me able to know that my teammates had my back. They were playing for me, and I was playing for them.' Dan Hay / Shelly Luth A pair of faces that have been around the game for a long time, the duo helped guide the Fountain Valley Vikings to their sixth CIF title and first in three decades. Luth had previously been the head coach for back-to-back Division I titles for the program in 1994 and 1995. It was a new day for Hay, who raised a CIF championship plaque for the first time. Hay was part of the 2025 class of inductees into the Orange County Softball Hall of Fame. Courtney Kols P | Fountain Valley | Sr. A fixture in the pitching circle for all four years of her career at Fountain Valley (14-12), the right-hander will go on to play for Drexel University. Kols was a Sunset League first-team selection for the Barons, who narrowly missed out on a return to the postseason in a winner-take-all game against Edison to determine the league's fourth playoff berth. Gabby DiBenedetto C | Marina | Jr. DiBenedetto sported a .444 batting average, knocking in 20 runs and scoring another 15 runs in support of her battery mate. The Maryland-bound backstop supplied eight doubles, one triple and a home run among her team-leading 44 hits. Bree Carlson 1B | Huntington Beach | So. Huntington Beach (22-8) packed a punch offensively, especially from its twin towers manning the corners in the infield. Carlson, a Sunset League first-team selection, hit .500 with an area-leading 11 home runs to go with a dozen doubles. She drove in 53 runs and scored 38 runs. Kaila Arakaki 2B / SS | Edison | Jr. Arakaki was the prototypical leadoff hitter, reaching base at a high clip and failing to sit still once she accomplished step one. The middle infielder showcased her speed with 19 stolen bases, coming around to score 22 times. At the dish, she batted .360 with nine doubles, a triple and a home run for Edison (11-15). Tea Gutierrez 3B | Huntington Beach | Sr. Gutierrez handled the hot corner defensively while hammering the ball in the batter's box. The Jacksonville State commit boasted a .578 average with nine home runs, three triples and eight doubles. The Sunset League Most Valuable Player scored 45 runs and had 41 runs batted in. Morgan Drotter SS / OF | Huntington Beach | Sr. A natural outfielder, Drotter played at shortstop this season because it was an area of need for the Oilers. The Cornell commit posted a .405 batting average with 11 extra-base hits, including a game-winning three-run home run in the late innings of a key game against Marina in Huntington Beach's journey to a share of the Sunset League title with Los Alamitos, which was the CIF Division 2 champion. Cali Bennett OF | Huntington Beach | Sr. Huntington Beach saw the heart of its order put up some gaudy numbers, and it was often Bennett setting the table. The center fielder hit .431 and scored 36 runs from the top of the lineup. She compiled 10 doubles, three triples and one home run. The Louisiana Tech commit also drove in 19 runs and recorded 10 stolen bases. Kaya Collado OF | Ocean View | Sr. A four-year starter for Ocean View (2-22), Collado has committed to Pacific Lutheran University. Collado boasted team-high production with a .429 batting average, 25 runs scored, seven doubles, two triples and 17 stolen bases. Hannah Stolba 2B / OF | Edison | So. While Arakaki made things happen at the top of the order, it was up to Stolba to turn the lineup over. She excelled in that role with a team-best .435 batting average. The Chargers' left fielder produced eight doubles and three home runs, scoring 19 runs and driving in 15 runs. Avi Valbuena DP | Marina | Jr. The Viking were largely a station-to-station team that did not take many chances on the base paths. They had more sacrifice bunts than stolen bases, often looking for the clutch hit. Valbuena, who hit .397 this season, had a three-hit, four-RBI game in the Division 3 final. Position, Name, School, Year 2B / OF Zariah Billinger, Huntington Beach, Sr. OF Aubrey Catron, Edison, So. P Juliette Foutz, Huntington Beach, Fr. P Sophia Gutierrez, Los Amigos, So. SS / 3B Sophia Hannappel, Edison, Sr. C Ella Kim, Fountain Valley, Jr. OF Victoria Rios, Costa Mesa, So. OF Rachel Ruiz, Marina, Sr. C / 1B / 3B Ally Shaw, Newport Harbor, So. 1B Makenna Smith, Corona del Mar, So. 2B / OF Kileigh Villaloblos, Fountain Valley, Jr.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The Times' 2025 All-Star softball team
A look at the Los Angeles Times' 2025 All-Star softball team: Pitcher, Coral Williams, Norco, So.: She threw a one-hit shutout in the Southern Section Division 1 championship game while finishing the season with a 17-0 record. Advertisement Pitcher, Mia Valbuena, Marina, Jr. : The Michigan commit led Marina to the Division 3 championship. She had 293 strikeouts in 175 1/3 innings while going 19-10 with a 1.88 ERA. Utility, Aliyah Garcia, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Jr.: She led the Knights to the Mission League title while batting .465 and was the league MVP pitcher. Cather, Alyssa Torres, Valley View, Jr.: She had 22 home runs while batting .506 and driving in 46 runs. Infielder, Ki'ele Ho-Ching, Long Beach Poly, Jr.: The Oklahoma commit led the Jackrabbits to the Division 4 championship. Infielder, Leighton Gray, Norco, So.: She led the Division 1 champions in hitting with a .435 average, including eight home runs. Advertisement Infielder, Kaitlyn Galasso, El Modena, Sr.: The Loyola Marymount commit led her team in hitting with a .462 average, including 48 hits and 12 home runs. Infielder, Taelyn Holley, Murrieta Mesa, Sr.: The Tennessee commit batted .598 with 52 hits, 40 runs, 40 RBIs and 15 home runs. Outfielder, Tamryn Shorter, Norco, Sr.: The Boise State commit batted .404 with nine home runs. Outfielder, Jazmine Leyva, South El Monte, Sr.: The UCLA commit had 47 hits, a .691 batting average and hit 16 home runs. Outfielder, Kai Minor, Orange Lutheran, Sr.: The Oklahoma commit concluded a fabulous four-year career by hitting .500 with 44 hits and 34 RBIs. Advertisement Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
The Times' 2025 All-Star softball team
A look at the Los Angeles Times' 2025 All-Star softball team: Pitcher, Coral Williams, Norco, So.: She threw a one-hit shutout in the Southern Section Division 1 championship game while finishing the season with a 17-0 record. Pitcher, Mia Valbuena, Marina, Jr. : The Michigan commit led Marina to the Division 3 championship. She had 293 strikeouts in 175 1/3 innings while going 19-10 with a 1.88 ERA. Utility, Aliyah Garcia, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Jr.: She led the Knights to the Mission League title while batting .465 and was the league MVP pitcher. Cather, Alyssa Torres, Valley View, Jr.: She had 22 home runs while batting .506 and driving in 46 runs. Infielder, Ki'ele Ho-Ching, Long Beach Poly, Jr.: The Oklahoma commit led the Jackrabbits to the Division 4 championship. Infielder, Leighton Gray, Norco, So.: She led the Division 1 champions in hitting with a .435 average, including eight home runs. Infielder, Kaitlyn Galasso, El Modena, Sr.: The Loyola Marymount commit led her team in hitting with a .462 average, including 48 hits and 12 home runs. Infielder, Taelyn Holley, Murrieta Mesa, Sr.: The Tennessee commit batted .598 with 52 hits, 40 runs, 40 RBIs and 15 home runs. Outfielder, Tamryn Shorter, Norco, Sr.: The Boise State commit batted .404 with nine home runs. Outfielder, Jazmine Leyva, South El Monte, Sr.: The UCLA commit had 47 hits, a .691 batting average and hit 16 home runs. Outfielder, Kai Minor, Orange Lutheran, Sr.: The Oklahoma commit concluded a fabulous four-year career by hitting .500 with 44 hits and 34 RBIs.
Los Angeles Times
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Marina softball beats Westlake to win first CIF title in 30 years
IRVINE — Mia Valbuena had offered up nothing short of sheer dominance in the circle during the postseason for the Marina softball team. So it wasn't going to take much offensively for the Vikings to feel good about their chances in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 championship game. The production came early, and then it came often. Avi Valbuena and Eva Mazzotti each drove in four runs, as Marina beat Westlake 8-1 on Friday at Deanna Manning Stadium to deliver the program's first section title in 30 years. The Vikings had taken the lead before Mia Valbuena, the Michigan-committed right-hander, had thrown her first pitch. It was her twin sister whose two-out, bases-loaded double scored two runs in the top of the first. Shelly Luth, who co-coaches the Vikings with Dan Hay, called striking first in the contest 'huge.' First baseman Ava Kim had an infield single, Mia Valbuena also singled and center fielder Rachel Ruiz walked before Avi Valbuena, the designated player, laced the ball inside the left-field line. 'It just sets the pace for [Mia Valbuena],' Luth said. 'She's such a fierce competitor, and that's just insurance for her to go out there. Mia tends to think that she has to do it all on her own, and she knows it's not true, but you know, that's the funny thing about pitchers. You know, they wear it, and so we've been working really hard. … 'We have a mental coach for all of them that we brought in. She's been amazing for all of them to reset. One pitch. Don't make it bigger. Be present. Be in the now.' Avi Valbuena said her sister gave her 'a really hard high-five' after the first-inning hit. She added a single to drive in two runs in the third inning. When she returned to the dugout, she said she received 'an even harder high-five.' Marina (19-13) won its sixth CIF championship overall and first since 1995, when the Vikings completed a set of back-to-back Division I titles against Foothill and Mater Dei. Luth was the Vikings' bench boss then, too. 'I've been to the championship game once with Canyon,' Hay said. 'We fell short. [I have] been to the semifinals five or six times. This is my first championship, and I couldn't have written the script any better than doing it with Shelly. 'We came back out of retirement together and thought we'd be here two or three years, and this is our eighth season with Marina. Coaches strive to have their teams peak at the right time, especially at the end of the year in playoffs, and this team started to peak the minute playoffs began.' Mia Valbuena's postseason numbers epitomized that peak performance. She allowed a total of two runs across five games in bracket play, racking up 56 strikeouts over 33 innings pitched. The junior ace struck out 13 batters in the championship game. When the final out was recorded, the Marina bench emptied out onto the field. In short order, Mia Valbuena was crowned with a Viking helmet. 'That was me,' Avi Valbuena said. 'I brought it out and put it on my sister.' Pride was on the mind of Mia Valbuena when asked her thoughts on ending the extended section title drought for Marina. 'Our entire school is really proud,' she said. 'It's really amazing to have this feeling right now.' Avi Valbuena and Mazzotti (two doubles), the Vikings' sophomore shortstop, each had three hits. Catcher Gabby DiBenedetto had two hits and a run scored. Left fielder Halle Piramo scored two runs, and Ruiz reached base safely three times and scored twice. Marina will not compete in the CIF State Southern California regional playoffs, Hay said. Westlake (19-14) broke up the shutout in the sixth inning on a double by first baseman Lily Barrett. After the Vikings completed their postgame engagements, their fans wrapped them in hugs as they ascended the stairs out of the stadium down the right-field line. 'It was crazy to see a crowd like that for us,' Mazzotti said. 'I'm only 15. I haven't seen a crowd like that anywhere. It was amazing. Being able to see our team come together from the beginning of the season and producing this on the field, it was awesome.'
Los Angeles Times
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Marina ace Mia Valbuena shuts down Fountain Valley
Mia Valbuena hasn't required much run support in her time in the circle for the Marina softball program. The Vikings haven't provided much on offense of late, but the junior ace has covered up those deficiencies. On Thursday, she made the bare minimum stand up. Valbuena threw a complete game with 14 strikeouts, as Marina defeated host Fountain Valley 1-0 in a Sunset League game. Marina (7-5, 2-0 in the Sunset League) has the start it wanted with back-to-back road victories to begin its league schedule. Valbuena struck out 15 batters in a 3-0 win at Edison on Tuesday. 'A win's a win,' Marina coach Dan Hay said. 'We're having a hard time scoring runs these days, but we find a way to manufacture and do some things at the right time. With the support of that strong arm of Mia's in the circle, she's doing a great job.' Fountain Valley (5-4, 0-1) had five at-bats with runners in scoring position, each ending in a strikeout. Second baseman Kileigh Villalobos walked and stole second base before Valbuena fanned catcher Ella Kim and first baseman Natalie Loftis, the heart of the Barons' order, in the first inning. In the fourth inning, Villalobos drew a lead-off walk. Kim followed with a double to left. The Vikings intentionally walked Loftis to load the bases. Then Valbuena struck out the side. 'I tend to put myself in pressure situations like that a lot when it's not necessary,' Valbuena said. 'Having a lot of experience in those kinds of situations, I was just trying to keep myself calm and focus on every single pitch, focus on not only making a strike but also making it move so that it's not hit.' Valbuena met the moment when she faced a full count against left fielder Skyla Auger, getting a called third strike to avoid forcing in a run. The next half inning, the Vikings broke through for the game's only run. Designated player Avi Valbuena singled to begin the fifth, and left fielder Halle Piramo laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance her to second base. With two outs in the frame, second baseman Courtney Hames — the ninth batter in the order — laced a single to left to give Marina the lead. 'I think with the 2-0 [start in league], it gives us a little bit more confidence to go into the next games with a better mindset,' Hames said. 'We've been practicing hard, working hard, and I think that as a team, once we put everything together, we can definitely take advantage of it and beat those top teams.' Marina came close to adding to its advantage, but Auger made a diving catch near the left-field foul line to rob right fielder Liz Byer of a hit to extend the inning. 'She laid out on the ball, knowing that she was going to have back up,' Fountain Valley coach Saul Fernandez said. 'If you look at our center fielder [Ava Fernandez], she was actually behind her. She was trailing her right behind, so [Auger] took a chance, and we couldn't afford to give up another run in that situation, especially not the way that Mia Valbuena was pitching there in that game.' Center fielder Rachel Ruiz had two hits, including a triple, to lead Marina at the plate. Byer and Piramo each had a hit. Courtney Kols, who has committed to Drexel, also went the distance for Fountain Valley. She allowed six hits. Kols recorded six strikeouts without issuing a walk. 'She sets batters up really, really well,' said Fernandez, who has succeeded Rick Aldrich as head coach of the Barons. 'She keeps them off balance. … She wants to come out and finish her senior year with, hopefully, a nice CIF run.'
