For the first time in its history, Crescenta Valley United Softball Association (CV United) was invited to the USA Softball Regional Championship, part of the California State Games held from July 13-15 in San Diego. During the weekend, the 10 and under All-Star team was able to advance undefeated through pool and bracket play, going six and zero while defeating teams from NorCal, SoCal and Nevada to ultimately win the championship against Fountain Valley 3 to 2.

The road to the regional championship took the team through two qualifiers. For its first test, CV United placed third at the Southern California USA Western District Championship for the second consecutive year. The tournament was held in Oxnard the weekend of June 16. The finish qualified them for USA Softball’s Southern California State Championship, which was held in Lancaster the weekend of June 30. CV United continued its winning ways at the State Championship and placed in the top 12 finishers out of a field of 42 Southern California teams, which then qualified them for the Regional Championship.

It was at the Regional Championship tournament that the team broke its tendency to squander hot starts. In both the district and state tournaments, the team started 3 and 0, only to lose its last two games in the double elimination format and fall out of contention for the top prize. Familiar with this pattern, the coaches knew that the team needed to up the pressure on its opponents in this tough test.

“[At the] Regional tournament in San Diego, it all started with outstanding play from our pitchers in the circle. Our defense also made great plays when the other teams put the ball into play, and our girls were hitting a lot at critical times in these games,” said Manager Joe Meadows. “CV United got off to a bit of a late start in its All Star season. In six games we scored 59 runs and only allowed 11, which is usually a winning formula.”

Rain pushed back regular season games, which then limited field availability and subsequently gave the coaches little time to ramp up and figure out the winning combination. The USA Softball Championship season runs from May 1 to July 15.

“I feel like this team got better and better the more they practiced and played games together throughout the summer All Star season. The hardest part of combining 12 girls from seven different teams is getting them to accept roles/positions in a relatively short period of time that they may or may not have played before.”

CV United was born out of a merger between CSA Softball and CVGSA Softball (formerly CVLL Softball). In the past year, the softball programs from both Foothill and Tujunga little leagues were also absorbed as they faced declining enrollment. CV United is the only organization throughout Crescenta Valley and Glendale that offers girls the opportunity to play in a single league dedicated solely to girls’ fast pitch softball.

“This summer has been a validation of the original vision of CV United. We knew if we built something fun and exciting good things would happen,” said league president Chris Barnes. “We think of winning the Regional Championship as a starting point to continue to grow the league and introduce softball to more girls in the area. Softball will be coming back into the Olympics, so we see CV United working hand-in-hand within the larger trend of the sport’s growing popularity.”

Opening ceremonies for the California State Games were held at CDCCU Stadium in San Diego on Friday, July 13. The team joined over 1,000 other California athletes from multiple sports in an Olympic inspired event including a procession onto the field, torch lighting and inspirational words from former Olympian and USMNT soccer team captain Landon Donovan.

The team comprises members Ryan Amorosi, Kylie Dunford, Jasmine Hernandez, Nadia Ledon, Annika Mark, Madesyn Meadows, Leah Mosley, Carley Mulcahey, Evelyn Ortiz, Mila Reddy, Emily Wagner and Hannah Wyroski. The team is coached by Joseph Meadows, Naveen Reddy and Renata Mark.

Earlier this summer, CVU placed second in the Westlake Agoura Softball Tournament.

Submitted by Dean APY