Central Valley’s softball team will compete in the Western Athletic Conference this spring.
The Hawks moved from the Central California Conference to the WAC as part of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s league realignment plan.
“Being in the WAC with Ceres High is going to be really fun,” Central Valley head coach Jimmy Bates said. “There’s a lot of softball talent at both schools.”
The Hawks’ 14-person roster is loaded with experience and talent.
“Even with all of the returners, we have seven underclassmen,” Bates said. “We’re young. I’m excited to see what we can do as a group.
Central Valley return nine players from a season ago, including Destiny Herrera (Sr.), Gabriela Delatorre (Jr.), Alicia Espinoza (Jr.), Abigail Krauss (Jr.), Alayah Villa (Jr.), Valerie Espinoza (So.), Reylena Herrera (So.), Valeria Padilla (So. and Brooklynn Steeley (So.).
The Hawks have five new players, including Jaren Bass (Jr.), KaDynce Piceno (Jr.), Madelyn Morales (Fr.), Monster Prudhel (Fr.) and Selene Valencia (Fr.).
Bass and Piceno competed at the junior-level this past season.
Central Valley lost two players to graduation: Jannet Valencia and Priscilla Hamidat. A four-year starter, Valencia garnered first-team all-league recognition for the second straight season. Hamidat was named Central Valley’s CCC Sportsmanship Award winner. She earned second-team all-conference honors as a junior.
“This is the deepest we’ve been as a team,” Bates said. “They want to listen. They want to be coached. They want to improve individually and as a team.”
Steeley, Reylena Herrera and Gabriela Delatorre are team leaders.
“They’re the ones that take charge,” Bates said. “They lead by example. In the dugout, those are the voices I hear. They’re always picking up their teammates. I’m blessed to have a group like that within our program.”
Delatorre was named to the CCC First Team as a sophomore.
Delatorre, a sophomore third baseman, earned first-team all-conference honors.
She batted .444 from the plate with three home runs, one triple, two doubles, 15 RBIs, 15 runs and eight stolen bases.
She ranked first on the team in batting average, hits, home runs, RBIs, runs, slugging percentage and on-base slugging percentage, second in triples and stolen bases, and third in doubles.
Steeley was named to the CCC Second Team as a freshman.
She compiled a 4-5 record at pitcher with a 5.92 earned-run average and 21 strikeouts.
She batted .405 with one homer, six doubles, 12 RBIs and seven runs.
She ranked first on the team in doubles, and second in batting average, hits, homers, RBIs, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
Reylena Herrera batted .273 with one homer, one triple, one double, eight RBIs and 10 runs.
Steeley and Delatorre will both log playing time at pitcher this year.
“It’s nice to know we have two arms we can throw at teams,” Bates said. “She (Steeley) nibbles around the strike zone and hits corners. She (Delatorre) changes speeds. She’s more aggressive.”
Former standout Hawk pitcher/hitter Scarlett Lloyd has been added to Central Valley’s coach staff.
Lloyd played college softball at the NCAA Division-I level with UOP and Wagner College.
“We’re lucky she wanted to come back to her alma mater and help coach,” Bates said.
Central Valley will vie for its second Sac-Joaquin Section playoff appearance under Bates’ direction in 2025.
The Hawks compiled a 9-16 overall record and finished in fifth place with a 4-8 mark in CCC standing in 2024.
Central Valley beat last-place El Capitan twice, and sixth-place Buhach Colony and first-place Atwater once last year.
The Hawks lost five games by one run in league play.
Central Valley’s 2025 WAC schedule will include home and away games versus Ceres High, Beyer, Grace Davis, Johansen, Lathrop, Pacheco and Livingston.
Los Banos and Mountain House relocated to the Central California Conference and Valley Oak League, respectively.
Livingston previously competed in the Trans Valley League.
The top three teams in the WAC will be awarded postseason berths.
“It’s going to be a new challenge,” Bates said.
Central Valley and Ceres High will play for more than just bragging rights.
“It means more now,” Bates said. “That’s pretty cool.”
“I know our girls are excited to play against Ceres more than once,” he added. “They’re friends. They all grew up playing together and against each other.”
The Hawks enjoyed their best season to date in 2023 by compiling a 19-4 overall record, claiming their first league championship and qualifying for the playoffs for the first time. The Hawks won the CCC title outright with a near-perfect 11-1 mark.
“I believe our program is moving in the right direction,” said Bates, who was voted CCC Coach of the Year during his first year at the helm. “We want to continue to grow.”
