SBLive's 2022 All-Northern Section Softball Team
Here is SBLive's All-Northern Section Softball Team for the 2022 season.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: P Riley Wickum – Sutter – SR.
How dominant was Wickum? Not only has she already been voted Northern Section MVP by the local news outlets. For the second straight year, we've concluded that she was the most dominant female athlete in the NSCIF across all sports and named her our Northern Section Athlete of the Year.
In 2022, the CSU Northridge commit was even better than she was as a junior, going 25-1 with a 0.41 ERA and 303 strikeouts in 154 innings. On top of only allowing nine earned runs all year for the section's top team and CIF Division III State champion, Wickum was one of the section's better hitters as well. She batted .470 with two home runs, 16 doubles, and 35 RBIs.
FIRST TEAM:
P Meika Lauppe – East Nicolaus – JR.
The Arizona State commit helped guide the Spartans to a Division 5 title and No. 2 finish in the section going 20-1 with a 0.81 ERA and 229 strikeouts in 112.2 innings. Lauppe was also a solid contributor at bat, finishing with a .351 BA and OPS above 1.000.
P Danni Farris – East Nicolaus – JR.
Farris was a big-time hitting threat and one of the most dominant pitchers in the state in 53.1 innings of work. She only allowed three total runs and one earned run for a 0.13 ERA, which we believe to be the second-best in the state. Her 0.39 WHIP is also surely among the state's best marks. And like her aforementioned teammate, she averaged over two strikeouts per inning with 112 of them total. In addition to going 8-0 in the circle, Farris hit .484 with six homers and 39 RBIs.
P Ella Thurman – Pleasant Valley – SO.
A workhorse who was at her best when it counted the most, Thurman went 11-4 to help steer the Vikings to a D3 title. She finished with a 2.27 ERA playing one of the toughest schedules in the section, and particularly shined against in-section foes. Strictly against NSCIF opponents, she was 8-2 with a 1.58 ERA in 66.2 innings.
P Brenna Herring – Wheatland – SO.
Herring was outstandingly consistent in the circle for the Division 4 semifinalist. She went 13-2 with a 1.14 ERA in 98 innings.
C Katie Marsh – Lassen – SR.
There's an argument to be made that Marsh was the best offensive player in the Northern Section in 2022, and she was certainly the most statistically dominant. The Sacramento State commit led the section in home runs (13), total hits (59), and runs scored (53) all with room to spare, and she also registered 38 RBIs. It culminated in a 2.026 OPS, which we believe to be the highest in the section.
INF Jerzie Brown – East Nicolaus – JR.
Brown hit .552 with 26 RBIs while also playing second base at a high level for the second-ranked team in the section. She stole 21 bases and was one of only three players in the NSCIF to score 50 runs.
INF Remmington Hewitt – East Nicolaus – SR.
Hewitt helped lead the Spartans to a Division 5 championship batting .511 with seven home runs, 36 RBIs, 43 runs scored, and 17 stolen bags. She finished with an OPS of 1.620 and is signed with Oregon.
INF Jordyn Wurzer – West Valley – SR.
Wurzer, who plays catcher and third base, hit .561 for the D4 semifinalist with 27 of her 46 hits going for extra-base hits. She registered six long balls, 44 RBIs, 31 runs scored, and a 1.627 OPS.
INF Ella Jolley – Sutter – SR.
The top hitter on the No. 1 team in the section, Jolley hit .500 with 11 home runs, 46 RBIs, and 41 runs scored. She also swiped 12 bases.
OF Avery Jolley – Sutter – SR.
A. Jolley was arguably the best defensive outfielder in the section for the NSCIF's top team and D4 victor. She also hit .441 with 30 RBIs and scored 21 runs for the Division III NorCal champ.
OF/P Neva Adams – Lassen – SR.
A two-way star for the Division 4 semifinalist, Adams hit, pitched, and the manned the outfield all at a star-caliber level. She batted .505 with four home runs, a 1.456 OPS, and 37 runs scored, and was second in the section with 46 RBIs. The William Jessup commit also went 7-3 with a 2.53 ERA in 66.1 innings and racked 80 strikeouts.
OF/P/UTIL Emily Thurman – Willows – JR.
Thurman is primarily an infielder and pitcher, but we slotted her in at OF where she spends some time. She helped lead the Honkers to the D4 quarterfinals batting .529 with four homers, 33 RBIs, and a 1.553 OPS, and going 11-3 in the circle with a 1.08 ERA and 201 K's in 97.1 innings.
UTIL Zereniti Sousa – Wheatland – JR.
The Utah State commit was one of the premier hitters in the section for the Division 4 finalist, and can play catcher and all around the infield. Sousa hit .543 with a huge 1.750 OPS, led the NSCIF by a large margin with 53 RBIs, and was third in the section 10 home runs.
