By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

It was a sad day for Maranatha High School when Dawson Netz left the Pasadena campus for the final time in late May.

Netz played out his career for Matt Shupper’s Minutemen, which included a starring role in a 2018 CIF-Southern Section Division 3 championship.

Dawson Netz set school and CIF records and is now in Tucson getting ready to start his collegiate career for the University of Arizona.

But Maranatha still had Devyn Netz to look forward to in 2020.

Devyn has very much been Dawson’s equal for the Lady Minutemen and the softball program through her first three years at the school.

Devyn Netz was arguably the San Gabriel Valley’s most complete softball player and has dominated in each of the three prep season’s in which she’s helped Maranatha win 51 games.

Netz has also, including not more than a week ago, continued to dominate among the travel softball scene as well.

In 2019, as a junior, she went 19-4 in the circle, with a 0.75 ERA.

Netz walked 16 and struck out 253 batters.

Oh, and in 2019, she and Dawson pitched a no-hitter and perfect game apiece.

At the plate, Netz hit .494, with 38 hits and she scored 18 runs.

She collected 28 RBIs, had nine doubles, four triples and five home runs.

Over her three years in the circle, Netz struck out 656 batters, while issuing just 55 walks.

When Netz plays her senior year, however, it will be for Ironwood Ridge in Tucson, and for a Nighthawks program that went 27-5 in 2019, including a Division 5A state championship in Arizona.

Ironwood Ridge finished the year ranked second in the state by MaxPreps.

And when her senior season is completed in 2020, she’ll already be nearby her college destination, which is also the University of Arizona.

Her parents, Lisa and Dan, moved with their daughter to Tucson recently, while Dawson and Devyn’s eldest brother, Daniel, will continue to play baseball for Westmont College in Santa Barbara.

The move will not only give Netz a new challenge, it will give her a year to adjust to the dramatic weather change from Pasadena to Tucson.

For local sports fans (and writers) alike, it will certainly be a lot less entertaining not having Devyn or Dawson Netz to watch and document in 2020.

Quotable:

Former Maranatha softball player, Devyn Netz: “I wanted a new challenge as I take my career to the next level. I’m excited to start at a new school in a new state, especially my (future) college town. Being able to finish my senior year will allow me to get to know the atmosphere and culture that I will be playing for, due to Tucson being a big college town for Arizona. This also gives me an opportunity to get to know the other recruits in my class going into college next year. I love this town and the people within it, I can’t wait to start my last year and high school softball season in Tucson.”