Heat Softball: Novato's Best and More

If you’ve ever watched a Marin County Athletic League girls softball game, you might have wondered: Imagine if both the talented teams on the field could be merged into one; what a powerful lineup you’d have.

Well, now imagine taking that to the extreme – getting all the top players from Marin to play on one team.

That’s the goal of every “A” division travel-ball coach in Marin, where “recruiting” is legal.

Novato Heat 14A coach Erin Lawley doesn’t have all of Marin’s best 13- and 14-year-olds on her team this summer, but she’s more than satisfied with the roster she’s lined up for tournament play.

“(We) are fortunate to be represented by talented girls from all over Marin County,” Lawley gushed. “Of our 12 players, we have student-athletes from four different high schools and three middle schools throughout the county.”

The team has its fair share of Novato-based talent -- Paige McIntosh, Tanner Rhoades, Christina Torre, Ali Scher, Sara Tong, Katherine Gonzalez, Jackie Gocobachi and Samantha Spina – but Lawley also tapped into Southern Marin’s talented pool for Isabelle Gardner, Kara Mia Reilly, Audrey Hector and Christy Gusiff.

The goal: To compete with the best at the Western Nationals in Roseville in August.

“With the success of both San Marin (where Lawley is an assistant coach) and Marin Catholic's high school programs, we weren't able to start our fusion as a Heat team until early June,” Lawley noted. “With three tournaments under our belt, we're showing improvement and promise.”

Spina, Gardner and Gusiff do most of the team’s pitching. McIntosh and Rhoades are the catchers. Hector, Tong, Scher, Reilly, Torre and Gocobachi man the infield, while Gonzalez, McIntosh, Rhoades, Reilly and Torre hold down outfield spots.

“Our team's strength is our hitting as it's a different girl each inning who comes through with a clutch at-bat,” Lawley claimed. “We're also fortunate to have a good amount of speed on the bases and several girls who can lay down a perfect bunt to keep defenses on their toes.”

The 14A squad is one of seven teams in the Heat travel-ball program. There’s also an “A” level team at the 12’s division; a total of five “B” teams compete at the 12’s (one), 10’s (two) and 8’s (two) levels.

Here’s a capsule look at this summer’s seven Heat teams:

8-and-under “B” Gold

Roster: Alexis Bishop, Calli Stokes, Courtney Simonetti, Jianna Franklin, Kaitlyn Jigalin, Kayla Simonetti, Kelsey McIvor-Tingle, Melissa McNair, Siena Escandon-Capanna, Summer Lake, Tereza Shea, Zoe Matheson.

Remaining schedule: July 16-17 at Rohnert Park; July 23-24 at Santa Clara; Aug. 21-22 at Vallejo.

8-and-under “B” Red

Roster: Abbie Brandt, Ani Ladd, Annabel Teperson, Courtney McIvor-Tingle, Diana Duncan, Emma St. Hilaire, Giovanna Reali, Grace Augusto, Julia Zahra, Kilee Koch, Lucy Mogan, Makena Barshack, Rebecca Russell, Sophia Zahra, Stephanie L'Heureux.

Remaining schedule: July 9-10 at Petaluma; July 16-17 at Rohnert Park.

10-and-under “B” Red

Roster: Rafi Ureta, Dani Carr, Megan Wheeler, Jenny Chin, Sierra Fischer, Hayden Callihan, Caitlin Rome, Nicole Malliaras, Allison Wyek, Kelsea Bergerson, Vianca Dagnino, Nicole Herrmann, Katie McGrath, Julia Maliarik, Cora Harris.

Highlights to date: Despite the fact it was placed in a higher division in the Rocklin Tournament than it had expected, the Heat had some memorable moments, highlighted by an unforgettable double play by Nicole Malliaris. Ally Wyek was the team’s top hitter in the tournament, while Megan Wheeler and Dani Carr were strong defensively behind the plate.

Remaining schedule: July 8-10 at Incline Village; July 23-24 at Union City; Aug. 5-7 at Novato.

Coach Christine Wheeler’s comments: “These are a great group of girls. They believe they are a force to be reckoned with and that goes a long way.”

10-and-under “B” Gold

Roster: Emily O’Brien, Sierra Melendez, Chloe Winnett, Natalie Fontillas, Erin Marino, Gianna Marino, Caitlin Dwyer, Ales Escandon-Capanna, Kendal Scheiner, Jacqueline Bondanza, Olivia Matheson, Amanda Simonetti, Alex Neller.

Remaining schedule: July 8-10 at San Anselmo; July 16-17 at Rohnert Park; July 23-24 at Incline Village; Aug. 5-7 at Novato.

Assistant coach David Winnett’s comments: “We've played in one tournament (in Petaluma) so far this summer. We have a young team, which was evidenced by our 0-4 showing at that tournament. Despite that record, we were encouraged by the fact that we lost our last game by just one run when one of our girls was tagged out trying to score on a wild pitch. If she had scored, we would have tied the game. The progress we showed in that tournament gives us reason to believe we'll become increasingly competitive as the summer goes on.

“The season culminates with the Novato Classic tournament the weekend of Aug. 5-7. The Novato Classic features competition in two age levels and already has 13 teams registered to participate. It's a great celebration of our community and our girls, and we can't wait to show off our skills and sportsmanship in our home town.”

12-and-under “A”

Roster: Alana Locke, Angela Malliaras, Angelica Malliaras, Ashley Bottomley, Carly Slack, Dixie Thompson, Jaleesa Lewis, Kiana Escandon-Capanna, Maia Dillon, Nicole Marino, Olivia Dallara, Rebecca Simonetti, Sam Tong.

Highlights to date: The first-year “A” program advanced to the semifinals at the Fairfield 14A Prequalifier and captured first place in Mattson Memorial Tournament in Rohnert Park.

Remaining schedule: July 9-10 at Capitol Sports Tournament, Davis; July 16-17 at Summer Showdown, Sacramento; July 23-24 at Napa Valley Express, Wine Valley Classic, Napa; Aug. 13-14 at South Lake Tahoe.

Coach Charlie Slack’s comments: “We expect strong competition (this weekend at the Capitol Sports Tournament in Davis) and our goals are to play to our potential in every game we play, keeping focus and not beating ourselves by being both mentally and physically ready for competition.

12-and-under “B”

Roster: Sarah Bailey, Sarah Calabrese, Kambria Chipman, Jenna Clark, Molly Dwyer, Emily Kibbe, Madison Perryman, Libby Peterson, Carrie Plotkin, Marissa Reilly, Dana West, Tehya Wheeler.

Remaining schedule: July 8-10 at San Anselmo; July 16-17 at Rohnert Park; July 23-25 at Incline Village; Aug. 5-7 at Novato.

Coach Paul Perryman’s comments: “(We have) not played a tournament this year. We played a scrimmage against the Blue Angels of Southern Marin last week. I was very pleased with the young ladies’ efforts. The girls showed a strong offense and defense despite having only one of our three main pitchers.

“I am very eager to get the first tournament under way in San Anselmo (this weekend). This is my first year in girls softball coaching after 10 years in Little League. It was an honor to be asked to coach the team and be involved in competitive fastpitch. The team has a lot of depth.

“My three main pitchers -- Sarah Bailey, Sarah Calabrese and Jenna Clark -- just came off of very successful Rec league and Marin County playoff games. Emily Kibbe, Tehya Wheeler, Molly Dwyer and Carrie Plotkin will provide us with a strong infield. Madison Perryman, Libby Peterson and Kambria Chipman are new to competitive softball and will provide us with a talented outfield.

“The young ladies have been practicing very hard the last four weeks and are looking for some fresh competitors to vie against. I hope at the end of the summer the young ladies will have made some great memories and increase their softball skills for the next spring.” 

14-and-under “A”

Roster: Kara Mia Reilly, Christy Gusiff, Samantha Spina, Sara Tong, Tanner Rhoades, Katherine Gonzalez, Paige McIntosh, Ali Scher, Jackie Gocobachi, Christina Torre, Audrey Hector, Isabelle Gardner.

Remaining schedule: July 23-24, Napa; Aug. 1-7, Roseville.