Meet SBLive's All-Central Coast Section Softball Team: Saint Francis leads the way with 6 selections

2022, like any other high school softball season, saw many of California's top players come out of the Central Coast Section. That included a litany of all-section selections from the back-to-back No. 1 team in the state (Saint Francis), numerous more picks from fellow WCAL powerhouse Archbishop Mitty, and a strong list of other elite softball players.

Without further ado, here is SBLive's All-CIFCCS softball team for the 2022 season.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: INF Jess Oakland – Saint Francis – SR.

Recently named SBLive's California co-Player of the Year, Oakland led the state with 21 home runs while batting .578 for the CIFCCS Open Division champion, Northern Region Division I champion, and No. 1 team in the state. The Minnesota commit finished with a .681 OBP, a 2.114 OPS, 67 RBIs, and 52 runs scored.

P/DP Shannon Keighran – Saint Francis – SO.

Keighran was a two-way star on the top team in the state. She hit .515 with six home runs and 25 RBIs, and went 14-1 with a sub-1.00 ERA and 124 K's in 76 innings mowing down the best teams in California.

P/DP Anna Bean – Los Gatos – JR.

Bean was one of the top two-way players in the section to lead the Wildcats to a 22-4 record and Open Division playoff birth. In the circle, she went 14-1 with a 1.05 ERA and 120 K's in 86.1 innings. She also led Los Gatos in essentially every statistical category of hitting, finishing with a .443 BA, nine home runs, 39 RBIs, and a 1.417 OPS.

P/DP Emma Fales – Branham – JR.

Fales was one of the best two-way players in the section, and was named the 49ers Cal-Hi Sports CCS Pitcher of the Year. She had a 15-7 record and 1.28 ERA in 141.2 innings, plus she hit over .400 with 25 RBIs.

P/DP Ainsley Waddell – Sequoia – JR.

Waddell, a UCSB commit, was one of the top two-way players in the section. She went 17-5 with a 0.98 ERA and 213 K's in 150.2 innings of work, and hit .471 with four home runs and a 1.351 OPS.

P Samantha Rocha – Notre Dame (Salinas) – SR.

Rocha helped steer the Spirits to the Open Division semifinals going 11-4 with a 1.67 ERA and 184 K's in 117.1 innings.

P Kate Munnerlyn – Saint Francis – SO.

Munnerlyn was a crucial contributor on the top team in the state, and particularly reached another gear in the playoffs. She went 12-1 with a 1.24 ERA in a team-high 85 innings.

P Kelly Zybura – Archbishop Mitty – SR.

The Penn commit was outstanding for the second-best team in the section and one of the elite teams in the state. Zybura went 7-0 with a 0.96 ERA in a team-high 72.2 innings.

C Corri Hicks – Archbishop Mitty – SO.

Hicks broke out as one of the top catchers in the state for the Open Division runner-up, and consistently raised her game during the biggest stretches of the Monarchs' season. She hit .405 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs.

INF Samantha Rey – Notre Dame (Salinas) – JR.

A Central Florida commit and the Monterey Herald's Player of the Year, Rey lifted the Spirits to the Central Coast Section Division 2 semifinals hitting .577 with eight home runs, 30 RBIs, 37 runs scored, 56 total hits, and a lofty 1.594 OPS. Rey is also known for her work in the field.

INF Taryn Kern – Archbishop Mitty – SR.

Kern, an Indiana commit, helped slug the Monarchs to a 26-5 record and Central Coast Section Open Division finals appearance. She hit .527 with 13 homers, 11 doubles, 31 RBIs, and an impressive 1.682 OPS, and also scored 40 runs.

INF Megan Grant – Aragon – SR.

The UCLA commit hit .511 with six homers, 22 RBIs, 25 runs scored, and a 1.667 OPS. She was also a versatile defensive contributor.

INF Seryna Esparza – San Benito – SR.

Esparza led one of the section's top teams with a .512 BA, 1.425 OPS, 33 RBIs, and 29 runs scored. She also hit six home runs.

INF Elon Butler – Archbishop Mitty – SR.

Butler hit .450 with eight homers, 42 RBIs, and 34 runs scored for the No. 2 team in the section. She was a defensive stalwart as well and is signed with Cal.

INF Ahmiya Noriega – Silver Creek – SR.

The San Jose State signee was one of the best hitters in the CIFCCS to help lead the Raiders to the Division 1 semifinals. Noriega hit .547 with nine homers, 30 RBIs, a 1.606 OPS, 23 stolen bases, and 36 runs scored.

OF Carly Cummings – Saint Francis – JR.

Cummings hit .519 with two homers, 20 RBIs, and 44 runs scored for the section and Regional champion.

OF Lexi O'Gorman – Saint Francis – SR.

The UCSD commit hit .505, including a team-high 55 hits, for the No. 1 team in California. O'Gorman stole 11 bags and scored a total of 48 runs.

OF/UTIL Sarissa Block – Carlmont – SR.

The CSU East Bay commit was the top hitter and a big contributor in the circle and on defense for the Division 3 champion. Through the end of the regular season, Block hit .557 with five home runs, 23 total extra-base hits, 25 RBIs, 27 runs scored, and an OPS of 1.566. Additionally, while she's an outfielder by trade, she also led the team in pitching wins.

UTIL Sydney Stewart – Saint Francis – SR.

The Washington signee was one of the best hitters in the state and a high-caliber C/1B on the section's top dog. Stewart hit .557 with 15 homers, 53 RBIs, and a huge 1.944 OPS, and was recently named SBLive's CIFCCS Athlete of the Year for her two-sport dominance.

UTIL Olivia DiNardo – Aragon – SR.

The Arizona commit was one of California's top hitters and a valuable defensive weapon, primarily a catcher who can also excel at the corner positions or in the outfield. DiNardo led the Dons to the Central Coast Section Open Division semifinals batting .606 with nine home runs, 38 RBIs, and a massive 1.969 OPS in just 23 games.

UTIL Ella Myers – Monterey – FR.

Myers helped lead the Dores to a D2 title and CIF Division IV Regional championship with her two-way play. She hit .432 and registered team-highs in home runs (12), OPS (1.491), RBIs (40), and runs scored (38). Myers also went 15-5 in 130 innings in the circle and contributed defensively at 2B at other times.

UTIL Brooke Tran – Aragon – JR.

A key contributor at both pitcher and OF for the Open Division semifinalist, Tran hit .444 and scored 26 runs on offense. She also registered a 1.17 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 77.2 innings in the circle.

UTIL Alexa Couto – Notre Dame (Belmont) – JR.

Couto, who can play all over the field defensively, helped power Notre Dame to the Division 1 finals hitting .492 with eight long balls, 31 RBIs, and a 1.679 OPS. She also stole 16 bases en-route to scoring 39 times.