7 Pioneer High School softball players earn accolades before leaving Golden Empire League
Before departing for the Monticello Empire League, the Pioneer High School varsity softball team earned back-to-back Golden Empire League championships. At 21-6 overall and 11-1 against GEL foes, the Patriots shared the league title with Dixon again a…
Before departing for the Monticello Empire League, the Pioneer High School varsity softball team earned back-to-back Golden Empire League championships.
At 21-6 overall and 11-1 against GEL foes, the Patriots shared the league title with Dixon again after splitting the season series. Pioneer boasted a 10-5 record versus what head coach Linda Merrida deemed to be the most difficult non-league schedule in program history.
The Patriots destroyed Del Campo 12-2 in the first round of the Division III CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Playoffs. However, Pioneer was eliminated in the quarterfinals at home for the second straight season following a 5-2 loss against Manteca.
"By playing teams that have a reputation and good track record, it really creates an environment for us to be properly prepared for every situation that we are put into," Merrida explained. "Yes, we should've beat Sheldon, but those are early season games that helped us all the way to the end. We had opportunities to come out with a win against Manteca but we didn't."
Seven Patriots received individual accolades from the GEL following the 2024 campaign. For the second year in a row, junior right-handed pitcher Jia Beebe earned the league's Defensive MVP award.
Two pairs of Pioneer sisters were selected to the All-GEL team: senior second baseman Briana Parker, juniors, outfielder Abril Parker and third baseman Sofia Hernandez, and sophomore shortstop Marisa Bryson. While the Parkers may be bound by blood, the "Bash Sisters" share a bond that can't be broken. Junior catcher Ashley Gruben and sophomore first baseman Caitlin Mayfield each received an honorable mention from the league.
Beebe and Gruben shared the team's Defensive MVP award. Bryson and Hernandez split the Patriots' Offensive MVP award. Briana received the Captain Award. Sophomore RHP Gracie McGinty earned the Hustle Award.
Beebe racked up the most wins in the GEL with 15 and finished second in the league with 97 strikeouts and a 1.79 earned run average.
"She dominated and was able to control every factor each time she went out to the circle," Merrida recalled. "She and her fellow batterymate always had a game plan and how to execute it. Her teammates also had her back. If she didn't place the ball perfectly, defensively we made the plays. Jia is never concerned about how many people she strikes out, that's not in her character. That's one big factor is that Jia is a team player completely."
If you ask Merrida, for the second consecutive season, Bryson was snubbed for the GEL MVP. The highly touted national recruit ranked in the top 10 of every single league statistical category. Bryson recorded a 0.554 batting average (2nd), 13 home runs (1st), 1.145 slugging (1st), 45 runs batted in (2nd), 47 runs scored (1st), 0.641 on-base percentage (3rd), 13 stolen bases (tied 4th) and 0.980 fielding percentage (6th).
"In this league, she's the best shortstop, she also hits. The young lady who won it, she pitches and plays shortstop when they're playing a team that isn't as competitive. Marisa is always in the action," Merrida proclaimed. "With a pitcher like Jia, she is going to get a lot of opportunities to showcase her skills. When she does, it's very impressive with backhands and reading every ball that is hit to her. She makes it look easy! She has a very good softball IQ out there and knows what to do. The plays that you don't expect any player to get, she's there.
"I'm disappointed. Last year she was a freshman, but we don't put a class by their name, we see the end result of what she does every game against teams in the league. The one area she really improved was her on-base percentage. She's not going to go fishing. She's valuable on the bases with her legs, will steal and challenges teams. Last year she was getting her feet wet. This year she has really come around, matured and utilized every bit of knowledge that she has about the game."
Hernandez has earned an All-GEL selection in back-to-back years. She tallied a 0.541 BA (4th), 9 HR (2nd), 1.106 SLG (2nd), 36 RBI (3rd), 37 runs (4th) and 0.560 OBP (6th).
"We felt we could get more production if Hernandez was batting fourth. Sof had a chance to create scoring opportunities for us. She would've had two more home runs at Rio Linda where the fences were 235 (feet). She crushed two balls out there! They both would've been home runs in anyone else's ballpark. She has really improved this year putting the ball in play, hitting a lot of doubles," Merrida said. "Defensively, she's been really strong at third base. That's probably the strong point in her game but her batting really came up to the top this year."
Before continuing her softball career at Southern Oregon, Briana received all-league honors for the second straight campaign. She recorded 35 runs (5th) and a 0.974 FPCT (9th).
"When she was a freshman, she was by herself and didn't know what the dynamics of the team were. She watched what was going on and absorbed everything," Merrida recalled. "This year she led the team. It's really tough to have players trying to communicate to the team what to do but she does it in a very positive way. She wants our team to step it up and didn't allow people to lag. Everything you would expect a captain to do, she was the one who the kids would go and chat with.
"When Bri came into the program, she was earmarked to play shortstop. When Marisa came into the picture, she did not hesitate to move wherever we asked. She's a team player all the way!"
After getting an honorable mention last season, Abril rejoined the All-GEL team, which she made as a freshman.
"She's become an expert out there catching all the balls (in center field) by being at batting practice. She goes after every ball that's hit in her area and more," Merrida explained. "She used batting practice as fielding practice. That's why you saw her go after balls that others wouldn't. The way she practices is how she plays in the game. It's amazing to see her catch balls that we thought would drop for a hit. She has a really strong arm that helps also."
Mayfield racked up a 0.471 BA (10th), 0.753 SLG (9th), 34 RBI (4th), 29 runs (T8) and 0.972 FPCT (10th). The sophomore first baseman adds an honorable mention to the All-GEL selection she earned in 2023.
"She brought her craziness. She is not afraid to go after every foul ball, she's very agressive. I thought a couple times that she'd go out of the gate in her gear to go catch a foul ball," Merrida recalled. "She has a great glove out there. She is very athletic with a strong arm. She needs to put a helmet on, I'm afraid she'll make a dent in the fence. Her bat came along and she added more pop to our lineup."
Rounding out the group is Gruben with back-to-back honorable mentions after making the All-GEL team in 2022. She recorded 4 HR (T5), 22 RBI (T10) and a 0.975 FPCT (8th) this campaign.
"She knows the game and has caught Jia for three years. They think on the same page. Some teams have coaches that call pitches but typically we do not do that. We want our players to take more control of that strategy," Merrida said. "Ashley is basically the quarterback back there. They have mutual respect for each other. You'll never see Jia shake Ashley off. She's a wall back there that's starting to be more assertive with the team aspect calling signals. It's not a position that I want to play! She is really good on her communication skills with the umpire too."
During the first week of June, Briana competed in the Optimist All-Star Game and crossed the stage at graduation. With only one departing senior, Pioneer is poised for a deep postseason run next year. The Patriots have experience versus most of their new MEL opponents and the entire 2025 schedule has already been released.
"The only teams that we haven't played recently are Sac High and Rodriguez, the other four teams we played this year. These teams will respect Pioneer," Merrida foretold. "We'll be familiar with everyone. It'll be like a homecoming for me."
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