The Woodland Christian High School varsity softball team took another step forward this year by earning its first postseason victory with second-year head coach Christie Miller at the helm.

The Cardinals finished the season at 18-5 overall and 5-0 against a pair of Central Valley California League rivals. Woodland Christian earned its fourth consecutive CVCL title and the No. 4 seed in the Division V CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Playoffs. In the quarterfinals, the Cardinals won in comeback fashion at home versus Riverbank.

Woodland Christian’s campaign came to an end at top seed Sutter for the second straight season. The Huskies completed the campaign unbeaten as section and NorCal champions at 30-0.

“Overall, it was a great season. We came out there and competed at a high level,” Miller recalled. “I wish that we had tougher competition throughout the season in league. Ultimately, we did well hanging with the tougher competition.”

Six Cardinals were selected to the All-CVCL team. Senior shortstop Macie Timothy was chosen as the league’s Most Valuable Player. Senior left-handed pitcher Emily Garcia, sophomore RHP Maggie Wurzel, and juniors, catcher Teagan Hayes, third baseman Adison Huiskens and second baseman Morgan Sanders, received all-league selections. Garcia, Hayes, Sanders, Timothy and Wurzel made the squad in back-to-back years.

At the team awards banquet, Hayes was presented as the “Home Run Queen.” Huiskens earned the “Speed Machine” moniker. Sophomore outfielder Kylee Bihlman received the “Wear It” award after being hit by the most pitches. Freshman OF Ariana Perez was chosen as the “Rising Star.” Fellow freshman OF Grace Doherty was presented with the “Heart and Hustle” award.

Timothy ranked in the top 10 of seven CVCL statistical categories: 0.515 batting average (5th), 0.788 slugging (4th), 0.516 on-base percentage (8th), 33 runs batted in (3rd), 27 runs scored (6th), 7 stolen bases (4th) and 0.900 fielding percentage (4th).

“Macie is an all-around student-athlete on and off the field that was a utility player and team leader for us,” Miller explained. “Her earning the MVP award this year is a reflection of all of that, as well as the character that she exudes on and off the field.”

Hayes entered the campaign as the reigning CVCL MVP and backed up the honor with further production. The UT Martin commit racked up 6 HR (1st), 37 RBI (1st), 43 runs (1st), 1.109 SLG (2nd), 0.630 OBP (2nd), 0.971 PFCT (2nd), 0.531 BA (4th) and 5 swiped bags (Tied 6th). She even ranked sixth in strikeouts with 2 after facing 5 batters in 1.0 inning pitched.

“Teagan is always there as a force. Her presence at the plate, higher-caliber teams have learned to pitch around her,” Miller said. “Teagan had to be prepared to make in-game adjustments coming through the lineup for the second or third time. She’s always a strong presence behind the dish for us as well.”

Huiskens ranked near the top of several league stats as well. The Idaho State commit recorded 5 HR (2nd), 36 RBI (2nd), 41 runs (2nd), 0.542 BA (2nd), 1.083 SLG (3rd), 8 SB (3rd), 0.602 OBP (4th) and 0.897 FPCT (T5).

“It’s been so fun to watch Addy on the field. There is really no position that she doesn’t have the ability to play. The only one she wants to stay away from is pitcher. She can cover any given position, even caught a little bit here and there for us and did well with that,” Miller recalled. “She’s so fast and it’s fun to see her level of confidence on the field, knowing she can take advantage of mistakes and get an extra 60 feet. Watching her in the field get to those balls that you think sometimes nobody can get to, then she makes a fantastic play. It’s so fun to see her level of speed on the field.”

Garcia contributed a 0.419 BA (8th), 0.532 SLG (9th), 19 RBI (8th), 29 runs (5th), 0.550 OBP (5th), 3.27 ERA (2nd), 38 K (3rd), 3 wins (4th) and 0.966 FPCT (3rd).

“She was versatile. First base was her comfort zone. She could definitely put herself out there on the mound but I know she loves to play first. She did a phenomenal job for us, watching her scoop and stretch for some balls, helping her teammates out in those situations,” Miller explained. “She just became a motivational teammate who was able to light a fire under her teammates when they needed it. We will certainly miss having a lefty pitcher, which just brings a different look and element to the game. I’m glad I had the opportunity to coach her for two years.”

Wurzel racked up a 0.422 BA (7th), 0.594 SLG (7th), 25 RBI (7th), 26 runs (7th), 0.486 OBP (10th), 6.21 ERA (4th), 33 K (4th), 7 wins (T2) and 0.897 FPCT (T5).

“Maggie definitely found her groove towards the end of the season,” Miller proclaimed. “She was putting in the work in practice, throwing more bullpens than we would before initially to begin the season. Her bat really started to light up as well. She’s still young but has a lot of game and skill already. She’s another one that I know is going to continue to improve these last few years in high school. We’re going to lean on her a lot for her experience going into next season.”

Sanders recorded a 0.431 BA (6th), 0.556 SLG (8th), 1 HR (4th), 26 RBI (6th), 21 runs (8th), 4 SB (T9) and 0.849 FPCT (7th).

“Morgan is just a hard worker. She’s another one who is willing to put in the work outside of practice. She did a lot of that coming into last season. It showed in her offensive and defensive improvements,” Miller said. “She’s willing to go wherever the team needs and we shift her around. She moved from second to third this season. She’s another one putting in the work with a desire to improve her game. She has been a consistent, all-around player for us and I see that going into next year as well.”

Garcia, Timothy and outfielder Alexis Wiese are Woodland Christian’s senior trio that departed at graduation last month.

“They were my first, per se. They gave me a lot of grace. I’m not perfect by any means. I think they allowed me the chance to make some mistakes,” Miller recalled. “They continued to support me and the team, which helped me become a better coach. It’s exciting to see the mark that your players leave on you. I hope the school, program and myself have given something back to them as well.”

With most of the team returning for next year, Miller is excited for what lies ahead during the Cardinals’ first season in the Sierra Delta League.

“I think the more that these core girls are able to play together, we just keep getting better. We’re coming into a new league, I don’t know a ton about our new opponents,” Miller foreshadowed. “It’s nice to know that we actually have seven other teams to play against in a true league. The talent is still 100% where we’d like it to be so our focus is to continue to fill our schedule with non-league games that prepare us for what we’ll see in playoffs. We pulled out one win in the first round this year and we’re hoping to go deeper next year.”