SBLive's All-L.A. City Section Softball Team: ECR's Cynthia Carrillo & Brooke DeSmet are MVPs
Here is SBLive's All-CIFLACS softball team for the 2022 season. Section champion El Camino Real led the way with two MVPs and five total selections.
Player of the Year: C Cynthia Carrillo – El Camino Real – SR.
Voted Player of the Year by the City Section, Carrillo was one of the top catchers in the entire state to help lead Elco to a dominant Open Division title run.
The CSU East Bay commit hit .516 with five home runs, 22 total extra-base hits, and 32 RBIs. Carrillo hit safely in every game against LACS competition, and in all but five games total. She drew 20 walks for a 1.538 OPS, scored 20 runs, and also was a defensive standout behind the plate. Carrillo absolutely dominated in four playoff games, reaching base in 13-16 opportunities (6-9 with seven walks) and totaling six RBIs and nine runs scored.
Pitcher of the Year: P Brooke DeSmet – El Camino Real – SR.
Despite facing the toughest schedule in the CIFLACS, DeSmet was arguably the best pitcher in the section all season long, and certainly a beacon of consistency. Appearing in 30 of 31 games, she went 22-6 with a 2.82 ERA in 164 innings. Strictly against City Section competition, the Cal Lutheran commit went 11-0 with a 1.40 ERA in just over 60 innings as her team went 12-1 against in-section foes. DeSmet also chipped in 23 RBIs at the plate, which was fifth on the team.
P Addison Moorman – Granada Hills Charter – FR.
Moorman was one of the top freshmen hurlers in not only the section but all of SoCal for one of the City's top teams. She went 11-6 with a 1.68 and 146 strikeouts in 100 innings, and threw a no-hitter with 15 K's against Taft.
P/DP Mia Sanchez – Eagle Rock – SO.
Sanchez was by some measures the most dominant two-way player in the section to lift the Eagles to an Open Division playoff birth. In addition to batting .459 with 22 RBIs, she went 15-5 with a 1.45 ERA in 115.2 innings in the circle. Her 234 K's led the section by leaps and bounds.
P/DP Maya Ramirez – Kennedy – JR.
Ramirez was a two-way lynchpin for the Open Division semifinalist. She went 9-2 with a 2.43 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 77.2 innings, and hit .370 with 13 runs both scored and driven in.
P/DP Kailey Duran – Chavez – SO.
A two-way star on the Division 1 champion, Duran batted over .500 with power and was almost always in control in the circle. She went 11-2 with an ERA below 2.00 and particularly pitched her best in the playoffs.
P Kaitlyn Barba – Birmingham – FR.
Facing one of the toughest schedules in the City, Barba went 16-7 with a 2.32 ERA.
P/DP Veronica Esparza – South Gate – FR.
Esparza quickly cemented herself as one of the top 2025s in the LACS both pitching and hitting the Rams to the Division 1 semifinals. At the dish she hit .507 with six homers, 14 doubles, a section-leading 49 RBIs, and a 1.611 OPS. Esparza also stole 12 bags in 13 tries, scored 38 runs, and went 8-4 with a 1.49 ERA and 109 K's in 84.1 innings.
C Brianna Rodela – San Pedro – FR.
From the start of league play (March 30) onward, Rodela was one of the best position players in the section as just a freshman. She batted .414 and finished the season on a 13-game hitting streak. Rodela also a standout defensive player with seven runners caught stealing, and was named the San Pedro Pilot Player of the Year for her efforts.
INF Xiomei Geluz – Banning – JR.
Geluz was as good as it gets in the batter's box with five homers, 33 RBIs, a batting average over .600, and a massive 1.844 OPS. She also stole 15 bases on her way to scoring 38 runs.
INF Hannah Di Genova – El Camino Real – SR.
Another Royal who was very much in the MVP discussion, Di Genova led ECR with 10 homers, 41 RBIs, and 44 runs scored. She finished with a 1.531 OPS and is committed to Nevada.
INF Alondra Dominguez – Kennedy – SR.
One of the most dominant hitters in the section for the Open Division finalist, Dominguez batted .657 with six home runs, 39 RBIs, 31 runs scored, and a huge 1.888 OPS.
INF Trinity Jones Estrada – Kennedy – SR.
The NIU commit helped lead the Cougars to the Open Division finals batting .591 with 19 RBIs, 28 runs scored, and a 1.539 OPS. Estrada also can play a bevy of positions on defense, and only committed one error all season in 141 chances.
INF Frankie Luster – Granada Hills Charter – JR.
Luster batted .450 with three home runs, 16 total extra-base hits, and 26 RBIs. She also scored a team-high 30 runs.
OF Jocelyn Jimenez – Granada Hills Charter – FR.
Facing one of the hardest schedules in the section, Jimenez hit .519 with five long balls, 21 RBIs, and a 1.404 OPS. She swiped 14 bases en-route to scoring 33 runs.
OF Kate Garcia – Kennedy – SR.
The Minnesota Crookston signee led the Open Division finalist with nine home runs and 34 runs scored. Garcia also finished with a .422 BA, 29 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases.
OF Kali Sue – Banning – FR.
Sue hit .515 with two home runs, 16 total extra-base hits, and 14 RBIs. She finished with a 1.450 OPS and also stole 14 bags on her way to scoring 26 runs.
OF Mikalah Nitta – POLA – JR.
The only Division 2 player to make our all-section team, Nitta dominated with five homers, a .613 batting average, and an OPS near 2.100.
UTIL Jayleen Piedra – Kennedy – SR.
Piedra blasted eight homers, drove in 30 runs, and hit .452 for the Open Division runner-up.
UTIL Vai Paniani – Carson – SR.
Paniani batted .471 with five long balls and a 1.279 OPS for the Open Division semifinalist. She also was a strong defensive catcher who could play pretty much any other position in the field.
UTIL Coco Cohen – El Camino Real – SR.
Cohen was second on the No. 1 team in the section with six home runs and 37 RBIs. She went 7-9 with five RBIs in three section playoff games.
UTIL Camryn Fritz – El Camino Real – SR.
Fritz was yet another member of ECR's outstanding senior core, hitting .458 with 35 RBIs and 16 extra-base hits. The Vanguard commit also scored 30 runs, provided a steady glove in the infield, and contributed in the circle.