The Western Athletic Conference doled out all-league awards for the 2019 varsity softball season at Wool Growers Restaurant on May 9 in Los Banos.
WAC-champion Ceres High School earned two of the top honors and had five other contributors earn special recognition.
Freshman centerfielder/pitcher Brooklyn Heffernan was voted co-Most Valuable Player of the WAC.
“I’m proud of her,” Ceres High leader Mike Corsaut said. “She exceeded all of our expectations. She had a great year. She worked hard.”
Corsaut was named Coach of the Year.
“It’s nice to get recognized but I don’t take any credit at all,” he said. “It’s more of a team award.”
Corsaut came out of retirement to coach the Bulldogs again.
“I had a blast,” he said. “It was fun to be back out there. I coach because I love the game and want to see girls get better and go on to the next level.”
Heffernan also received first-team honors, along with Bulldog teammates Shania Evans, Rebecca DeLeon and Vianney Perez.
Ceres High’s Cheralyn Durossette and Megan Yorba were both selected to the WAC Second Team.
“We’re excited,” said Corsaut, whose coaching staff featured the father-daughter duo of Tim and Mady Costa. “The girls deserve the recognition. It shows the other coaches respect our team.”
Heffernan batted .481 from the plate with one homer, two triples, six doubles, 16 RBIs and 15 runs.
She had on-base and slugging percentages of .731 and .525, respectively.
She drove in the game-winning run during Ceres High’s 3-2 WAC title-clinching victory over Los Banos.
Heffernan posted a 6-0 record at pitcher with a 1.17 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 42 innings.
She tossed a no-hitter against Lathrop.
Heffernan made no errors on defense this season.
“She doesn’t play like a freshman,” Corsaut said. “She plays like a seasoned veteran. A lot of that has to do with her playing on a high-level travel team. If she continues to work hard, the sky’s the limit.”
Evans, a senior shortstop, batted .431 with one homer, three triples, 11 doubles, 13 RBIs and 17 runs.
She had slugging and on-base percentages of .824 and .525.
DeLeon, a junior third baseman, batted .429 with three homers, seven doubles, 19 RBIs and 11 runs.
She had slugging and on-base percentages of .886 and .533.
Perez, a junior second baseman, batted .317 with three homers, one triple, three doubles, eight RBIs and 19 runs.
Durossette, a sophomore catcher, batted .298 with one homer, eight RBIs and nine runs.
Yorba, a freshman pitcher, compiled a 6-1 record with a 2.21 ERA 51 strikeouts and one save in 45 innings.
“She threw great all year,” Corsaut said. “She played injured, too.”
Ceres High had a near-perfect 13-1 mark versus WAC competition.
The Bulldogs outscored their opponents, 127-39.
“Dominant,” Corsaut said. “That’s how I’d describe it. We didn’t have any holes in our lineup. All of our girls had good batting averages. The work ethic these girls have is pretty cool. They want to get better.”
