In 2019, Flintridge Sacred Heart escaped the previous two years in the league basement to earn a Sunshine League championship.
Louisville, which finished one-game back of FSHA in the league standings, ended their season as the CIF-SS Division 5 champions.
For their invaluable contributions, FSHA’s Amanda Ramirez and Louisville’s Grace Luderer were named the 2019 Sunshine League’s Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Pitcher, respectively.
In the first three years of her remarkable prep career, FSHA’s Amanda Ramirez and the Tologs struggled mightily in league play, which as mentioned, included last-place finishes in both 2017 and 2018.
But Ramirez and her teammates completely flipped the script and earned the 2019 Sunshine League championship, going 7-1 along the way.
Those seven victories matched the Tologs win total from 2016, 2017 and 2018 combined.
FSHA also won playoff games over both Knight and Newport Harbor.
Ramirez played a crucial role in that turnaround, batting .606, with 40 hits, 36 runs scored and 32 RBIs.
Ramirez collected 15 doubles and five triples.
For her career, Ramirez put up incredible and consistent numbers over those four years.
She amassed 134 hits, 124 runs, 96 RBIs, 44 doubles, seven triples and six home runs.
Grace Luderer, who is the daughter of St. Francis athletic director Matt Luderer, performed with the temperament of a veteran, despite being just a sophomore.
Luderer went 12-4 in the circle, with a 1.82 ERA.
She struck out 195 batters in 112 2/3 innings, and also registered a save.
But that only tells part of her story.
Luderer went 9-0 down the stretch and led her program to a CIF-SS D-5 championship.
In the postseason alone, Luderer went the distance in all five games.
She struck out 48 batters and had three shutouts.
In the 1-0 victory over Grace Brethren in the quarterfinal round, Luderer threw a six-hit shutout, fanned 11, walked just one and hit a solo home run for the game’s lone score.
Lurderer finished off her amazing sophomore campaign with a 5-1, title-game clinching victory over Torrance.
She allowed one run on two hits and struck out five.
Victoria Ramirez, Amesie Noll, Sarah Peck and Cate Ziegler all represented FSHA on the first team.
Victoria Ramirez went 14-5 in the circle, with a 2.83 ERA.
Ramirez was the Tologs’ workhorse, going a team-high 94 innings.
The freshman also hit .419 at the plate, with 31 hits, 16 runs, 22 RBIs, eight doubles and three triples.
Amesie Noll finished her prep career with a bang.
Noll hit .418, with 33 hits.
Noll scored 23 runs, drove in 39, had nine doubles and a triple.
Sarah Peck hit .419, with 31 hits.
Peck scored 26 runs, had 22 RBIs and four doubles.
Cate Ziegler played a major role as well in the league title.
Ziegler hit .418, with 23 hits, 32 runs scored and 19 RBIs.
She doubled four times and had three triples and a home run.
Nicole Norman, Coco Cohen and Shayna Slade all earned first-team honors for the D-5 champions from Louisville.
Nicole Norman batted .483, with 29 hits and 21 runs scored.
Norman drove in 18 runs, had six doubles, two triples and three home runs.
Coco Cohen hit .429, with 27 hits, 12 runs scored and 19 RBIs.
Cohen collected eight doubles, two triples and a home run.
She also went 1-0 in the circle, with a 1.84 ERA.
Shayna Slade had a big year as well, batting .438, with 32 base hits.
Slade scored 20 runs, finished with 11 RBIs and hit two home runs.
Devin Waddell and Mary Cooper were Marymount’s two representatives on the league’s first team.
Devin Waddell went 8-10 in the circle, with a 1.84 ERA.
She struck out 171 batters in 112 2/3 innings.
At the plate, Waddell batted .714, with 35 hits, 30 runs, 13 RBIs, 11 doubles, six triples and five home runs.
Mary Cooper batted .224, with 13 hits and seven runs scored.
Cooper had eight RBIs and three doubles.
Immaculate Heart’s Lucia Mosquera and Notre Dame Academy’s Liyah Ferris were also named to the Sunshine League’s first team.
Lucia Mosquera finished her freshman year 6-6 in the circle for Immaculate Heart.
Mosquera had a 1.73 ERA, and she struck out 163 batters over her 113 innings of work.
Liyah Ferris represented Notre Dame Academy, but the Regal Gryphons do not post their stats online.
Sunshine League’s First Team:
Amesie Noll, FSHA
Cate Ziegler, FSHA
Sarah Peck, FSHA
Vicky Ramirez, FSHA
Nicole Norman, Louisville
Coco Cohen, Louisville
Shayna Slade, Louisville
Devin Waddell, Marymount
Mary Cooper, Marymount
Lucia Mosquera, Immaculate Heart
Liyah Ferris, Notre Dame Academy
Sunshine League’s Second Team:
Julia Powers, FSHA
Karrie Niskiyama, FSHA
Maddie Napierala, FSHA
Maya Pirkl, Louisville
Alanna Lemp, Louisville
Sofia Lombardo, Marymount
Drew Biernot, Marymount
Emily Maloney, Immaculate Heart
Clarice Gil, Immaculate Heart
Lexi Clancy, Notre Dame Academy
Lexi Heath, Notre Dame Academy
2019 Sunshine League Standings:
FSHA (18-6, 7-1)
Louisville (16-9-2, 6-2)
Marymount (8-10, 3-5)
Immaculate Heart (4-10, 2-6)
Notre Dame Academy (4-10, 2-6)