Little League’s Female Stars Shine In SoCal

(California District 42 female all-stars. In their respective Little League uniforms, from left to right: Chula Vista American’s Yaretzi Amésquita Zavala; South Bay’s Brianna Englebrecht; Sweetwater Valley’s Abigail Steffen; Luckie Waller’s Cassy Loa; Imperial Beach’s Fiona Ratliff; Chula Vista National’s Izabella Ramírez; and South Bay’s Annalyse Torres. Unless otherwise noted, all photos in this article courtesy of Jon Bigornia.)

From an early age, some little girls get told, “Go play softball. Baseball is for boys.” A number of young females follow that harsh advice, and leave behind Little League and its predominantly male membership. While, other girls ignore the negative comments, and stay with their love for America’s pastime. A few female baseball standouts outperform most of the boys their own age, and get named to all-star teams. This article focuses on such few very special athletes. Enjoy!

Better than the boys.

Female baseball all-stars are rare among their fellow females, among Little Leaguers in general, and even among all-stars. To understand how rare, let us examine this past summer. Six all-star teams representing five states competed last month in the West Region tournament held at Albert E. Houghton Stadium in San Bernardino. Let us start there. Not a single one of those six clubs’ rosters contained a female player. The team from Southern California represented one of nine leagues residing in California District 42. Among those nine leagues, only one female was named this year to the Majors 12-and-under division all-stars. Her name is Annalyse Torres.

Chula Vista’s South Bay Little League named Torres to its all-star team. According to her father, Mark Englebrecht, Annalyse’s Little League career started with tee-ball. He told CaliSports News that Torres moved her way up, reached Majors, and proved to be one of South Bay’s top players.

Congratulations !!

To further appreciate that young pitcher’s feat, consider that in the Majors’ 11U division, District 42 failed to field a single female this year. That means Torres was the only girl among the Majors’ 12U and 11U all-stars selected from those nine leagues. In other words, for the two tournaments, that district hosted more than 200 all-stars. Only one was female. Congratulations to Annalyse!

However, for some bizarre reason, five girls got named to District 42’s 10U all-stars. CaliSports News invited those five along with Torres and other current and former District 42 female all-stars to participate in a CSN-exclusive press conference. Seven of the invited young ladies attended the event held last month in the clubhouse at Chula Vista American Little League in Chula Vista.

One of those seven young women at the press conference was Fiona Ratliff. She was the only girl named to the Majors’ 10U team that represented Imperial Beach Little League of Imperial Beach. Ratliff told CSN that she enjoyed meeting with the other female baseball standouts.

Girl power.

“I liked seeing the other girls there,” the young all-star catcher said. “It was nice seeing the ones my age playing baseball. I think it’s nice to see that other girls dominate at the same sport.”

Those seven all-stars represented a spectrum of ages, but they share similar experiences. For starters, that press conference will likely serve as the first and final time any of those young women will ever sit with six others at an all-female baseball player table. Let us face reality.

Growing up female.

When we see seven baseball players seated together, whether in Little League, what is termed as travel ball, high school, college, or pros, they are usually all males. Each of the young ladies featured in the press conference knows what it is like being the one girl, or one of the two girls, at a table full of male ballplayers. Likewise, they know what it is like to be the only girl in a game, or in a league. Or, even being the only female in an entire tournament. That was especially the case for Chula Vista American’s Yaretzi Amésquita Zavala. She was one of only two females on her Majors team at CVA. Zavala then became the only female on CVA’s 10U all-star roster.

In fact, as reported in Bonita Killers Smash Section 7, 10U Monster-Slayer Makes History, Zavala is the only female ever selected to a Chula Vista American all-star team in any of the Little League divisions. In addition, Yari, as she likes to be called, reportedly became the only female all-star from any league at any level to ever win a District 42 title. Yari’s 10U champs then captured the Southern California Section 7 crown, making her District 42’s first female to ever win a Section 7 championship. Then, CVA competed as one of the 10 section winners at the SoCal 10U championship tournament held at Long Beach Little League in Long Beach. As reported in Sweetwater Valley To Play In SoCal Finals !!, of those 10 teams, Yaretzi was the only female. Approximately 130 players. One female among them. Zavala described that experience.

Feeling special.

“Being the only girl was kind of challenging”, Zavala told CaliSports News. Other all-stars seated in the clubhouse shared that sentiment. One of them, Brianna Englebrecht, daughter of Mark, was the only female on South Bay’s 10U squad. Brianna said it is “cool” being the only girl in a game. “It makes you feel more special,” Brianna told CSN. “Because you don’t see a lot of girls.”

A similar situation unfolded for the 10 section winners at the Southern California 12U championship tournament. That tourney held at North Mission Viejo Little League in Mission Viejo included only two female players. They were Ellia Chai of Tustin Western Little League in Santa Ana, and Emma Tseng of Sherman Oaks National Little League in Sherman Oaks.

The 12U tournament featured another rarity. A female coach. That is correct. An all-boys team with a female coach. And, that lady’s team reached the Southern California championship game.

A female Little League coach.

She finished only one win shy from representing SoCal at the West Region tournament. That coach is Meaghan Stotts. She served as the first base coach for Moorpark Little League of Moorpark. Yes, that coach’s last name might seem familiar. Stotts is the mother of Moorpark’s Tanner “Iceman Tan” Stotts. Iceman Tan apparently took his nickname after reading the CaliSports News Director of Little League’s description of Tanner in SoCal Finals !! Rabbi Rabbs mentioned in Bonita Killers that I view District 42’s nine leagues as my own nine children. Well, this summer I think I adopted Moorpark as my 10th. Or, perhaps Moorpark’s Little League community adopted me. In any event, more about Iceman Tan’s mother later in this article.

Where was I? Oh yeah, discussing District 42’s five 10U female all-stars. Right, Zavala. Her Chula Vista American club finished tied for fifth in Southern California. What a terrific run.

Little League World Series.

CVA showed great potential and four solid pitchers. Two years from now, that bunch has a legitimate shot at reaching the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, PA. If that happens, and Yari is on that team, she would become one of the few females to play on Little League’s ultimate stage. Less than 20 girls have done so. Since 1974. In the world. Go Yari!

District 42’s five female 10U all-stars include Abigale Casillas and Izabella Ramírez of Chula Vista National Little League in Chula Vista. Congratulations to each of the five!! Ramírez attended the press conference. Ratliff recognized her immediately. Fiona’s Imperial Beach squared off against Izabella’s Chula Vista National during the 10U tournament. Ramírez “was the only girl I recognized” seated at that table, Ratliff told CSN. “She is a really good player.”

In addition to District 42’s six female Majors all-stars, that district this year produced its reportedly first-ever Junior division female all-star. Her name is Abigail Steffen. She played for Bonita’s Sweetwater Valley Junior League all-stars. That team reached the district finals. This sportswriter attended the championship game. Steffen pitched in that contest. Abby, as she likes to be called, worked one inning on the mound, faced three male batters, and got them out, 1-2-3.

What a stud.

Last year, Steffen became Sweetwater Valley’s first-ever female 12U all-star. CSN published a feature about her accomplishment. In fact, Abby Steffen, Sweetwater Valley’s First Female All-Star was one of CSN’s most popular stories from 2018. I sent that article to Moorpark’s coach. Stotts read it, and responded with the following three words regarding Steffen: “What a stud”.

Another Little League parent shared similar praise for Abby. Marie Giblin-Anderson attended many games in which Steffen played, and was always “so impressed by her.” Steffen and Giblin-Anderson’s son, Joseph “Joe Man” Anderson, often faced each other. Joe Man played on teams for Chula Vista’s Park View Little League. Last summer, Joe Man was the catcher for Park View’s Majors 12U all-stars that won the Southern California title. This year, he played on that league’s Junior all-stars that finished tied for fifth in SoCal. Both years, Joe Man’s Park View competed against Abby’s Sweetwater Valley in the District 42 championship. As a result, “I spent a lot of time watching Abby,” Giblin-Anderson told CaliSports News. “I saw her as a leader. In my opinion, a team leader. She did whatever coaches told her. Pretty amazing thing for a kid to do.”

A farewell to baseball.

As it turned out, this year’s Junior championship that I attended marked the final game of Abby’s storied Little League baseball career. Those three Park View batters that she retired in a row were the last three she will ever face in Little League. I am glad I was in attendance to watch.

Since then, Steffen transitioned from baseball to softball. What!? Yes, you read that correctly. Abby now plays competitive softball. The same girl that told CaliSports News last year that she never had interest in softball has since switched over to it. Remarkable. And, after only a few weeks into her new sport, Steffen has already proven to be very good at it. A youth softball organization named the Firecrackers selected Abby to play for one of its 14U travel ball clubs.

Steffen is not alone. Brianna is likewise trying out to play for a Fall league softball team. However, the 10U all-star pitcher still wants to play baseball in the Spring. Her father told CaliSports News that “who knows? She might like softball, and will play both sports next year.”

Softball.

I already announced last year that I am a softball fan. In Why I Follow Little League Baseball, I wrote: “my interest in pro sports has decreased rapidly, and I much prefer following amateurs: Little League, hockey juniors, and UCLA athletics, especially its softball team which this past week competed in its NCAA-record 28th appearance in the Women’s College World Series.” On that note, one of Steffen’s new ball club’s assistant coaches played for my Bruins’ perennial softball rivals, the University of Arizona Wildcats. That coach is Eva Watson. Upon Steffen’s arrival at the Firecrackers’ tryouts, Abby’s abilities immediately captivated that former Wildcat.

“Abby has the arm of a Division 1 college athlete,” Watson told CaliSports News. “It was instantly noticeable from her first throw. I was unbelievably impressed by Abby’s arm in the outfield.”

Steffen pitched and played first base while in Little League. Abby’s goal was to play first base in college. Nevertheless, her new coach, the former Arizona outfielder, told CSN, “I want her arm there, in our outfield.” As Giblin-Anderson said, Steffen does whatever her coaches tell her to do.

(Abigail Steffen showcases her throwing arm during a Firecrackers’ practice session. The reaction from the catcher wearing no. 45 is priceless. Footage courtesy of Laura Steffen.)

See? What did I tell you? Back in June, in SoCal Little League Tournaments Return, I warned everyone about that kid’s arm. I wrote: “Steffen also rifled a throw from the wall in right field approximately 300 feet away to nail a runner rounding first base.” Boom! Rabbi Rabbs called it!

A natural.

Anyway, in addition to working with the Firecrackers, Watson serves as a volunteer assistant coach for the University of California San Diego Tritons softball program. Prior to that, she worked in that same capacity for the University of San Diego Toreros softball team. The coach told CSN that she is pleased with Steffen’s progress in transitioning into a softball hitter.

“There isn’t anything I’d want to change with Abby’s swing. It’s beautiful,” Watson said. “She’s so strong and powerful. I just have to help her with the timing of underarm pitching. I think her foundation is so strong. She’s completely bought into playing softball, and willing to learn.”

Steffen being a natural with the softball bat fails to surprise Giblin-Anderson, who once played catcher for those same Toreros that Watson coached. Joe Man’s mother offered her own take.

“Girls that played baseball enter softball with an advantage,” Giblin-Anderson told CSN. “A softball is bigger than a baseball. As a batter, pitches are much easier to track. For girls that are accustomed to tracking a tiny baseball, hitting a softball will seem like swinging at a watermelon.”

Former softball stars.

Prior to playing for USD, Giblin-Anderson earned a varsity letter in each of her four years while playing catcher for the then-San Diego’s University High School Dons softball team. While attending Uni High, she was named all-CIF. That institution later changed its name to Cathedral Catholic High School. That school sent several players in recent years to my Bruins’ softball team. UCLA’s current roster lists two former Dons. One of them pitched during the Bruins’ national championship run earlier this year. Her name is Megan Faraimo. Cathedral Catholic’s decorated former softball coach, Margaret Mauro, mentored both Faraimo and Giblin-Anderson.

Speaking of Arizona softball, Stotts once played for that team, too. For real. At that time, her name was Meaghan Finnerty. In 2002, her Wildcats reached the NCAA Women’s College World Series finals. During that series, Finnerty made a spectacular catch in right field. ESPN presented her diving grab during its Web Gem segment shown in the following video:

(Sorry, Derek Jeter. Meaghan Finnerty’s catch reportedly won. Footage courtesy of ESPN.)

Stotts now serves as the head softball coach for Moorpark High School in Moorpark. That must be why the Little League chose Meaghan as a coach. Interestingly, when she was younger, Stotts followed in the footsteps of her brothers, Mike and Bill, by playing baseball for that same Moorpark Little League. Later, Meaghan played softball for that same Moorpark High School.

Two-time PAC-12 player of the year.

I mentioned that Steffen became Sweetwater Valley’s first-ever female 12U all-star. However, prior to Steffen making history, that league selected another female athlete as an all-star in its younger divisions. That girl then went on to become one of the best softball players in America.

Her name is Hannah Flippen. The PAC-12 conference named Flippen softball player of the year in 2016 and in 2017 while she led the University of Utah Utes. Flippen’s accomplishment is amazing considering that UCLA and Arizona, the two most dominant softball programs in NCAA history, both compete in the PAC-12. After graduating, Utah hired Flippen as an assistant softball coach. Hannah is one of only 29 invited players that will try out next month to represent Team USA softball in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Only 15 of the 29 stars will make the cut.

Just like Brianna, Flippen reportedly grew up playing softball and baseball simultaneously. Only Hannah’s chronology took a different route. According to her father, John, Hannah first followed in the footsteps of her mother. In the early 1980’s, then going by the name of Mary Lou Ramm, Hannah’s mom pitched for the Utah State University softball team. Ramm helped lead the Aggies to back-to-back national championships in 1980 and 1981. So, Hannah started with softball. John told CSN that later, Hannah experimented with Little League baseball as well, and joined Sweetwater Valley. And, Hannah soon excelled at both sports. Ultimately, she ended up only with softball. Flippen then played for Chula Vista’s Bonita Vista High School Barons softball team.

An offer she couldn’t refuse.

Another former District 42 female all-star that transitioned to softball is Cassy Loa. The high school senior once played baseball on 11U all-stars for Luckie Waller Little League of South San Diego. Just like Steffen, throughout her childhood, Loa never showed interest in playing softball.

Loa took her first baseball swings in tee-ball, and continued with that sport. When Cassy turned 14 years old, she planned to try out for South San Diego’s Southwest High School Raiders baseball program. It was at that time that Southwest’s softball coach made for the shortstop an offer she could not refuse. A roster spot on the school’s varsity softball squad. Cassy is entering her fourth straight season of playing varsity softball. This past season, Loa was named first-team all-league in CIF San Diego Section’s South Bay League. Last year, she was second-team.

Lefty power-hitter.

In addition, Loa plays for an 18U travel ball club named the San Diego Renegades Gold. And, Cassy has aspirations to continue playing competitive softball after she finishes high school. The following video shows Loa recently belting a triple for the Renegades. That was one of two triples the left-handed batting power-hitter ripped during that game in which she batted 6-for-7.

(Cassy Loa throws righty, and bats lefty with power. Footage courtesy of Steve Loa.)

“The sky is the limit for this lefty!” Giblin-Anderson told CSN after watching videos of Loa. “She throws right and bats left. Exactly what I did. The best combo for a power hitter is to be a lefty!”

The transition from baseball.

At the press conference, Loa spoke about her transition from baseball to softball. “It was tough playing with boys,” she said. “Sometimes I think we can play up to boys’ level. But, when I went to softball, I benefited more. I bond more with teammates. It feels more like a family with girls.”

Abby’s mother, Laura Steffen, attended the press conference, and listened to Loa. Laura chimed in to elaborate on what Cassy described as feeling similar to a family. “It was uplifting to hear supportive comments from teammates,” Laura said in regards to her daughter’s softball team.

Judged to a higher standard.

“In baseball, we were in a travel ball tournament this summer. The other team taunted Abby with terrible comments. It was brutal. Baseball was not fun anymore. As a mom, the pressure is unreal. You guys are judged to a higher standard,” Laura told the seven young female baseball standouts sitting inside the clubhouse. “With a boy, this wouldn’t happen to him. This is our journey. I need to switch. We’re going to do something special in softball.”

Did hearing about the experiences of Loa and Steffen affect the younger ballplayers? Well, Brianna had already signed up to play softball prior to the press conference. As for the others, CaliSports News posed the question to Ratliff. The 10-year-old told CSN that she enjoyed “seeing the two high school girls that transitioned to softball.” Still, Fiona said she is not interested in switching sports, and plans to play competitive baseball “for as long as they let me.”

To that end, Stotts said the timeline for transitioning, if ever, to softball is different for everyone. Giblin-Anderson offered encouragement to those making the switch. “These girls might be bummed out that they can’t compete at the highest level in baseball, but move over girls, because these baseball girls coming in to play softball are going to be setting records,” the former Torero told CSN. Stotts added that playing college softball offers many opportunities.

Women’s College World Series.

“For girls transitioning to softball, playing in the Women’s College World Series is an awesome goal. Collegiate games are highly-televised, and the game is booming,” the former Wildcat said.

Speaking of television, softball Hall of Famer Jennie Finch serves as an ESPN commentator for the Women’s College World Series. She is Stotts’ close friend, and the two played as seniors together for that aforementioned 2002 Arizona squad. Finch played four years for the Matadores’ softball team at La Mirada High School in La Mirada. I often write that District 42 is the Little League Capital of America. Well, Southern California serves as the softball capital to the world.

Stotts personally coached one particular Southern California standout. Amanda Lorenz was named all-CIF during each of her four years when she played for Stotts’ Moorpark Musketeers. Lorenz then became an NCAA first-team All-American at the University of Florida. She graduated this year, and just like Flippen, is one of the 29 softball stars trying out for USA’s Olympic team.

Olympics and NCAA championships.

Altogether, 11 of those 29 are from Southern California. Five are current or former UCLA Bruins, including Faraimo and 2019 USA Softball Collegiate Player Of The Year Rachel Garcia. The latter played for Palmdale’s Highland High School Bulldogs softball team. Incidentally, Southern Californians composed 16 of the 23 players on the Bruins’ 2019 NCAA Championship squad. For Loa, Steffen, Englebrecht, and other young female softball players residing in the San Diego area, they might be encouraged to know that four of those 16 hailed from San Diego County.

One of the four grew up within District 42’s boundaries, and like Flippen, played for Bonita Vista. Her name is Aaliyah Jordan. In Tournaments Return, I mentioned that Jordan plays for UCLA, and “proved to be instrumental” during the Bruins’ championship run. It is noteworthy that Jordan, Faraimo, and Garcia each played softball for the Corona Angels travel ball club.

Another Southern California female baseball all-star that transitioned to softball is Brenna Hayden. Like Flippen, Hayden reportedly started with softball, then became a Little League all-star, and then played high school softball. However, unlike Flippen, Hayden did not grow up playing both sports simultaneously. Instead, according to her father, Bob, Brenna dropped softball at age nine, and started playing baseball at Rancho Santa Margarita’s Tijeras Creek Little League. That sequence of events serves as the opposite of Stotts’ timeline. Meaghan started with baseball, and then stopped when she turned nine, and started playing softball.

Rare moment for female baseball.

In any event, Bob told CaliSports News that his daughter made history a year later. He said that at age 10, Brenna became Tijeras Creek’s first-ever female all-star. When she turned 12, Brenna pitched during each of the six District 68 all-star tournament games in which her 12U team played. Then, she competed in the Junior division. Its Tournament Of Champions produced a rare moment for female baseball. Both starting pitchers in one of the TOC games were female. Brenna was one of them. Like Steffen, Brenna played in Junior all-stars. She then tried out for Rancho Santa Margarita’s Tesoro High School Titans baseball team. That is when Brenna finally switched back to softball. This past season, Brenna played on the Titans’ varsity softball squad.

As promised, now it is time for more about Iceman Tan’s mother. Stotts spoke with CaliSports News about her coaching experiences. First, the only female coach at the SoCal Little League championship tourney credits her accomplishments to the support from her husband J.T., who is a pro scout for the New York Yankees, and to the help from her parents, Bill and Judy Finnerty.

Coaching baseball and softball.

“It’s hard coaching high school, and Little League, and all-stars”, the busy mother of two boys said. Meaghan skippered the Musketeers for 16 seasons. In 2016, she started coaching in Little League when her sons, Tanner and Logan, played on the same team. “When I think of coaching, it doesn’t matter if I’m teaching boys or girls. It’s what I’m teaching, that’s more important.”

I asked Stotts what it was like being the only female coach in a Little League game, and if she felt eyes were focused on her. “I don’t feel it at all,” she answered. Then, I mentioned that I know a woman with a strong baseball background that has considered volunteering to coach. Stotts immediately responded, “she should do it. If you have the knowledge, do it. It’s a great thing.”

The Moorpark coach spoke about the Southern California finals against Sweetwater Valley. “I watched film on Sweetwater before our game. I knew from watching the film that they were extremely talented,” Stotts told CSN. “Then, I watched their infield pregame warm-ups. They were well-structured, well-disciplined. They were executing well. I could tell they had put in their practice time. I knew they were well-coached, and probably executing in other areas as well.”

Film!?

To be honest, I spoke with various Little League coaches throughout the summer. Hearing that from Stotts marked the first time a coach told me they had film of an opposing team. Mind blown.

Sweetwater Valley was clearly the most talented team Moorpark faced this summer. The scores attest to that. I told people during the final match, after Bonita’s boys hit their third home run of the afternoon, that Moorpark’s players had probably never before seen a team hit three dingers in a game. Not during those kids’ regular season, nor during all-stars. The 9-1 loss did not reflect Moorpark’s pitching. Instead, the score indicates that Bonita’s batters were savages in the box.

Despite the one-sided scores, Stotts demonstrated great sportsmanship. I stood on the field after the first game between the two clubs. Sweetwater Valley had won, 7-2. That contest was never close. Yet, I saw Stotts extend her hand to shake hands with Sweetwater Valley’s manager. She told him, “good game”. That impressed me. I do not think I could get those words out of my mouth after a one-sided contest. I might say “congratulations” or “good win”. As in, “you guys were great”. But, when my team gets beaten like that, it is never a good game. Kudos to Stotts. When I told her that story, Moorpark’s coach insisted that any credit given must be shared.

Great sportsmanship.

“I feel our athletes, the entire coaching staff, our parents, and our fans deserve the recognition for the way they represented our town throughout the entire process,” Stotts told CSN. “As proud of this group that I was for their on-field success, there were no greater compliments given to us than those from other cities expressing to us, after our run, that we had played the game with class, and that everyone involved with our program from players to fans did it the right way.”

Many of the boys that played in the finals for Moorpark and Sweetwater Valley almost faced each other last year, as both teams were among the final 10 standing in the 2018 Southern California 11-and-under tournament. Sweetwater Valley went on to reach the SoCal finals. However, Moorpark got eliminated before it could get that far. Stotts coached that Moorpark squad. That was not an all-boys team. That 11U crew featured a female catcher named Stasja Yaspelkis.

CSN spoke with that young all-star. As was the case with many of the female players mentioned in this article, Yaspelkis started her baseball adventure by competing in tee-ball. Soon afterward, Stasja discovered that she played better than did most of the boys in her league. She quickly fell in love with baseball. Playing in games composed mostly of males failed to bother her. “Once you get to know the boys, you really don’t care anymore,” about being the only girl, she said.

These stories never get old.

But, like Steffen, Yaspelkis faced critics. Stasja recounted an incident that occurred during last year’s Section 1 tournament. Yaspelkis was at bat. She said the opposing team’s manager then “told his pitcher, ‘throw down the middle. It’s a girl.’ I hit a single. The manager apologized.”

That story might seem somewhat familiar to my readers. Earlier this summer, in 2019 Most Inspirational Player Award Goes To …, CSN reported that Diego Falomir dealt with such critics. In that article, Diego’s mother said, “every team we played against, he was the smallest kid in the game … other teams thought he couldn’t hit. They’d say, ‘he’s too small.’ Then, he’d whack the ball, and they were like, ‘wow! He can actually hit.'” I love those stories. They never get old.

Anyway, Yaspelkis wants to stick with baseball, and has no interest in softball. The 12-year-old plans to play in Little League’s Junior division next year. When Stasja becomes eligible, she wants to try out for the Musketeers’ freshman baseball team. If the young star makes the cut, she will bypass playing for Stotts. I asked the softball coach about that. “Stasja loves baseball, and has a passion for the sport. I can’t wait to see where the journey takes her,” Stotts said.

Conclusion.

So, what did we learn from this article? We learned that boys that make negative comments are often correct. Baseball is for boys. But, it is certainly not for boys only. Girl all-stars proved that. If baseball is the boys’ sport, then those girl all-stars are better than most boys at their own sport. Some girls do “go play softball.” And, some of those females excel in that sport, and earn free college tuition, play on television, win national championships, compete in the Olympics, land coaching jobs at every level, and even become TV announcers. Nothing wrong with any of that. All sounds pretty good to me. And, we learned that some special girls dominate in both sports.

But, we also learned that as boys grow, it becomes more difficult for their female counterparts to dominate. I have my own theory that might explain why stars Flippen, Loa, and Yaspelkis were not selected to their leagues’ 12U squads. My theory might also explain why District 42 produced five 10U female all-stars, but only one in 11U and 12U combined. My theory might even explain why that district has only ever featured one female Junior all-star. Here is Rabbi Rabbs’ theory:

My theory.

It tends to be easier for females to dominate at early ages before males enter adolescence. Once boys receive their growth spurts, competing against them becomes a whole new ballgame. I bet the play of those younger all-stars that failed to get selected to 12U was not indicative of those girls’ talents nor efforts. Instead, those young ladies likely worked extremely hard and constantly improved their game. Meanwhile, those little boys that the girls had dominated at age 10 had started becoming young men. Those males were suddenly much bigger and stronger, and by ages 12-13, they were far more difficult to compete against. If such young men do not fill up rosters by 12U or Junior levels, then they usually do when they enter high school, and almost always do when they reach college. That understandably feels disappointing to young females.

But, what do I know? I am just a crazy rabbi. However, Giblin-Anderson told CSN that she agrees with my theory. “It comes down to one word: Testosterone,” the former Torero said.

Incredibly difficult.

For the record, I would love to see young women play high school and college baseball, and I root for any girl that plays 12U or Junior all-stars. One rare female is Kate Blunt. Last season, she played for Tesoro’s junior varsity baseball squad. Congratulations! Go Kate! Competing against males at those high levels is incredibly difficult, and the odds are stacked against even the most gifted female athletes, including the reigning champs. We knew I had to mention them.

(UCLA Bruins win the 2019 NCAA softball championship. Footage courtesy of ESPN.)

I also wish to state that young male ballplayers should be taught to understand and appreciate how much their female counterparts overcome just to compete against them, and to stop taunting those girls with mean comments. Guys, we can behave so much better than that. Please be respectful of the female players. Do it for Rabbi Rabbs. And those are my two shekels.

Senior division.

For females that wish to play baseball after Little League’s 14-and-under Junior division, I think a great option is the 16U Senior division. The best male athletes in that age range will likely play for their high school teams, and thus will not compete in Senior leagues. Those males’ absences allow for females to excel. Hayden tried that this year. She reportedly returned to Little League just because of her love for baseball. And guess what? Hayden got selected to Senior all-stars.

And, that concludes this article. I hope you enjoyed reading it. CaliSports News is your only source for this type of feature story. So stay with CSN, Southern California’s undisputed leader in Little League coverage. I know that Stotts digs this type of story. The former Wildcat told me so.

“I love everything about the concept of this article”, she said. “So great for these amazing young women to be celebrated this way. I am sure the article will be treasured for all those involved.”

CaliSports News’ Director of Little League worked hard this year. With the round-trip shlep from West Los Angeles to Chula Vista for the female all-stars press conference, I drove a total of approximately 2,230 miles, starting in May, covering Little League. That is the distance from LA to Daytona Beach, FL. Basically, I drove to Florida’s Atlantic Ocean coastline. I drove 382 miles short of the distance from Chula Vista to South Williamsport, as shown above in a photo taken at the 2013 Little League World Series. I missed going to Williamsport by only 382 miles, or three Sweetwater Valley victories. Story of my life. Oh well. Next year. Until then, stay tuned !!

CaliSports News expresses its gratitude.

Incidentally, those 2,230 miles included visiting an unincorporated area and seven cities residing within three SoCal counties, where I stopped at seven Little League ballparks plus the regional headquarters, and watched Little League games played on 10 different fields. The press conference marked my third trip this year to Chula Vista American. Yes, CSN utilized the same room that earlier this year hosted a similar CSN press conference featuring district umpires.

CaliSports News thanks Chula Vista American for its generous hospitality, and especially to CVA’s Chief Umpire Ed Lopez for giving up his Sunday afternoon last month to serve as the ballpark’s gatekeeper so CSN could hold its press conference. Much appreciated. CSN also extends its gratitude to District 42’s Director of Umpires Steve Loa for securing the location, and to the district’s hard-working photographer Jon Bigornia for snapping all of the photos that day.

More importantly, during District 42 tournament games, Bigornia reported to CSN each female player that he saw. Between his reports, those from district umpires, and correspondence with other sources, CSN determined which females were named to the district’s all-star teams.

Hard work.

Looking back at this summer, the most effort Bigornia and I made was likely not in snapping photos or writing articles, but in locating and contacting female players. That included searching for girl ballplayers during Section 7 and SoCal Championship tournaments. CaliSports News sent at least seven spies to various tournaments to report back if they saw any female players. My readers have no idea of the length to which the work went into the making of this story.

CaliSports News wishes to thank its sources that provided information not only for this article but for others published this year. Finally, CSN thanks the family members of the all-stars that attended last month’s press conference. This story marks CaliSports News’ final Little League article for 2019. However, CSN will soon publish one more related update, when it shares the final numbers as to how its Little League coverage in terms of popularity compares to that of CSN’s coverage of other sports. You do not want to miss that. Until then, Let’s Go SoCal !!

A Little League Of Their Own.

I shall leave us with the following highlight video I call, A Little League Of Their Own. Enjoy !!

Warning: Get your tissues ready. Here comes a tearjerker.

(Music courtesy of Madonna. Footage courtesy of Sony Pictures, NCAA, & CSN sources.)

Related Posts

• 
  Sweetwater Valley Earns Berth In SoCal’s Final 10
• 
  Little League All-Star Girl To Play For Oregon Ducks
• 
  Star Of 2013 Little League World Series Dead After Freeway Wreck