15 CUSD student-athletes named to Cal-Hi Sports All-State baseball and softball teams

Molly Millar, a recent Buchanan High graduate, was named a Cal-Hi Sports First Team All-State Pitcher after going 20-3 on the season with a 0.77 ERA and 12 shutouts. She is attending Stanford next year. Contributed by Raw Sportz Media

Cal-Hi Sports recently named its All-State baseball and softball teams and 15 Clovis Unified student athletes earned honors.

Four seniors were named to the All-State First Team: Clovis pitcher Blake Sodersten, Clovis North catcher James Bell, Clovis pitcher Danielle Lung and Buchanan pitcher Molly Millar.

Lung, who won three Central Section D-I titles in four seasons and is signed to play at Fresno State, was a finalist for the State Softball Player of the Year, called Ms. Softball, an award that went to Payton Tidd of San Marcos.

Here is a breakdown of the four players who earned First Team All-State status:

Blake Sodersten (Clovis) Sr.
Sodersten threw two no-hitters in 2018, his first against Tulare Western then against Clovis West, and was named the TRAC Pitcher of the Year. He had an 8-2 record with a 1.08 ERA and struck out 87 batters in 77 innings.

James Bell, recent Clovis North graduate and Oregon signee, was named a Cal-Hi Sports First Team All-State Catcher after hitting .361 with four home runs and 22 RBI. Contributed by Nici Krammerer

James Bell (Clovis North) Sr.
Bell hit .361 and had four homers with 22 RBI in a season he was rarely pitched to, earning 23 walks in the process. He was named MVP of the Fresno Easter Classic and was Co-Offensive Player of the Year in the TRAC. He will play at the University of Oregon next year.

Danielle Lung (Clovis) Sr.
Lung won an unprecedented three Central Section titles in four years for a Clovis team that finished the season ranked No. 4 in the state with a 30-2 record. Had one of the great seasons in Central Section history with a 25-0 record and ended her career with 91 wins. She will pitch next for Fresno State.

Molly Millar (Buchanan) Sr.
Millar ended 20-3 with 192 strikeouts in 144 innings with a 0.77 ERA and had 12 shutouts with one no-hitter, all three losses to Lung and Clovis including the Central Section final. As a sophomore, Millar pitched Buchanan to the Central Section title, beating Lung 2-0. She had a 4.65 GPA and was valedictorian of her senior class and will play next at Stanford.

BASEBALL
SECOND TEAM MULTI-PURPOSE: Kohl Simas (Clovis West) Sr.
THIRD TEAM PITCHER: Nick Castro (Clovis West) Sr.
THIRD TEAM MULTI-PURPOSE: Jared Aguilar (Clovis East) Sr.
UNDERCLASS FIRST TEAM INFIELD: Brady Hormel (Buchanan) Jr.
UNDERCLASS SECOND TEAM CATCHER: Darrien Miller (Clovis) Jr.
UNDERCLASS SECOND TEAM PITCHER: Riley Cooper (Clovis North) Soph.
UNDERCLASS SECOND TEAM OUTFIELD: Brock Jones (Buchanan) Jr.

SOFTBALL
SECOND TEAM CATCHER: Anni Raley (Buchanan) Sr.
SECOND TEAM INFIELD: Emily Puente (Clovis) Sr.
THIRD TEAM CATCHER: Jordyn Martinez (Clovis) Sr.
UNDERCLASS FIRST TEAM OUTFIELD: Emily Cazares (Buchanan) Soph.

Paul Meadors is a man of many talents. He is a elementary school teacher, Junior High athletic director, and basketball coach in Traver, CA, in addition to serving as the Sports Editor for the Clovis Roundup. He is also the author of the humorous book “Letters to eBay,” and he has recorded a piano album of his own compositions titled “Surviving the Storm.” He lives in Fresno with wife Lori and daughters Georgie, Alex and Ruthie.