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Esperanza softball coach Ed Tunstall predicted almost two months ago that Taylor Shumaker was poised for her “best year ever.”
Based on the senior’s torrid start, the veteran coach is looking prophetic.
Shumaker enters this week hitting an eye-popping .718 (28 for 39) with 10 home runs and 20 RBIs for Esperanza (7-4), ranked No. 6 in Orange County.
Shumaker leads the state in home runs, has scored 22 runs and struck out only twice.
“She might be the best hitter in the OC,” Pacifica coach Tony Arduino said of Shumaker, who signed with the University of Florida. “She uses the whole field, can hit velocity and off-speed pitches and can run.
“In four years, I still haven’t figured how to get her out.”
Shumaker hit her 10th home run last week in a 4-1 loss against Pacifica (10-0), ranked No. 1 in Orange County and the nation by MaxPreps.
In 11 games, she is halfway to the Orange County single-season record for home runs. Former Capistrano Valley Christian slugger Natalie Gleason set the record with 20 home runs in 2022.
“Taylor is seeing the ball well, hitting to all fields and has very good pitch selection,” Tunstall said.
Shumaker, who plays travel softball for the Orange County Batbusters, also is an outstanding center fielder
In a 10-4 win against El Dorado on Feb. 29, she robbed a home run with a leaping catch at the fence. At the plate, she hit two home runs and had five RBIs.
MISSION VIEJO GOES UNDEFEATED IN NEVADA
Mission Viejo finished 5-0 in the Bishop Gorman tournament last week in Las Vegas, Nev., to improve to 8-2-1.
The Diablos’ duo of Sofia Elliott and Reece Uehara led the way with their two-way play.
Mission Viejo’s Sofia Elliott throws a strike against Los Alamitos in the first round of the Michelle Carew Classic at Peralta Park in Anaheim on Friday, March 31, 2023. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
The Iowa-bound Elliott went 3-0 with a no-hitter and hit .455. Uehara, a junior committed to Princeton, posted a 2-0 record and hit .714.
Mission Viejo also received strong offense from catcher Hailey Gald (.429) and leadoff batter Ava Tabangcura (.364).
The Diablos and Esperanza are scheduled to square off in the first round of the Carew Classic on March 27 at Peralta Park at 3:15 p.m.
TOURNAMENT UPDATES
JSerra, Tesoro, Cypress and La Habra are part of a strong field of 16 teams in the La Mirada Classic, which begins Saturday.
If JSerra wins its opener against Downey, it will have face the La Habra-Norco winner later on Saturday.
Norco is playing only the first week of the tournament to assist with scheduling and to face good competition, La Mirada coach Brent Tuttle said.
The championship is May 23. …
The Woodbridge-hosted Dugard tournament starts March 23 with Capistrano Valley, Aliso Niguel, Mater Dei and Fountain Valley among the field.
The final is set for March 30, the same day as the Carew Classic final.
MARINA ACE INJURED
Marina sophomore Mia Valbuena suffered a bruised elbow on her pitching arm last week, Vikings co-coach Dan Hay said.
The injury, he said, is the from Valbuena “smacking” her right elbow on her hip during her delivery.
“(It’s) not common but not unheard of,” Hay said of the injury.
Valbuena’s twin sister Avi, a left-handed pitcher, will be the Vikings’ key pitcher this week against Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor, Hay said.
NOTES
Whittier Christian (8-4) is averaging 8.5 runs per game entering its nonleague game at Sonora on Wednesday. “Our team utilizes every single player we have from slappers to power hitters,” Heralds coach Dale Van Duyn said. “We have a lot of good bats.” …
Fullerton (6-5) will return from a 2 1/2-week break from competition when it plays at Villa Park on March 20. “Just the way the schedule worked out,” said Indians coach Trevor Holton, whose team last played March 2 in the Dave Kops Tournament of Champions in Nevada.
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