The feats of athleticism and high-level production remained consistent but there was something different about Kai Minor’s contributions this season.

The speedy center fielder became more of a visible role model for Orange Lutheran’s softball team.

“Beside her God-given talent, she’s a leader,” Lancers coach Steve Miklos said. “A great mentor for our younger players.”

Just call Minor a six-tool player, and The Register’s Orange County player of the year.

Minor blended her leadership skills with her abilities to hit for average and power, race around the bases, make stunning catches and throw from the outfield.

Minor, who signed with Oklahoma, hit .500 with 23 extra-base hits (five home runs) and 34 RBIs in 28 games.

She also stole 11 bases and didn’t commit an error for a team that spent time ranked No. 1 in Orange County.

Minor highlighted her defense by robbing a three-run home run against Mater Dei with a leaping catch at the fence in the first round of Trinity League.

Orange Lutheran won the game 3-2, and ended up beating Mater Dei by one game for its sixth consecutive league title.

“She’s amazing,” Miklos said of Minor, who also earned league player of the year.

Orange Lutheran (22-6, 6-3) earned the No. 3 seed for the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs but was upset by Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks 9-7 in the first round.

Minor remains positive about the season because of the interaction with her teammates.

“Being a senior and being a leader was a very amazing thing,” she said. “Leading by example is really important (to me). I’m not really a fire under the butt, type of person. I kind of say things, and if they go that way, they do. If not, somebody else has to take the wheel.”

“I’m still close with all these girls and I still talk to them to this day,” she added.

Minor credits her leadership skills to Mike Stith, her travel coach with the Orange County Batbusters.

“Talking to him, whether it’s about softball or just life in general, I always take away something to apply to other people or even myself,” she said.

Minor finished her four-year career at Orange Lutheran with a .474 average, 156 hits, 86 RBIs and 59 stolen bases.

The Lancers posted an 86-25 record during Minor’s four years. Last season, they reached their first Division 1 final since 2016.

“I’m more about the team,” Minor said. “I’m just glad that I left a mark ... mentoring the younger kids so they can be the same, too.”

JSerra pitcher Liliana Escobar showed up to practices and games last season motivated to help her teammates despite knowing she wasn’t eligible to play because of her transfer from Santa Margarita.

“I threw (batting practice) to all the girls, trying to get them ready,” she recalled.

This spring, Escobar contributed from the circle and led the Lions to new territory.

The junior went 14-5 with a 1.20 ERA and 239 strikeouts in 140 innings to power JSerra to its first appearance in the CIF Southern Section finals.

For her efforts, Escobar is The Register’s Orange County pitcher of the year.

“She’s been our go-to all season,” JSerra coach Katie Stith said of Escobar after a 3-0 loss to Los Alamitos in 10 innings in the Division 2 final. “She’s a grinder and I love her intensity.”

In a dramatic Division 2 title game, Escobar struck out 16 — one shy of her season-high — and walked two.

The Lions almost won the title in the bottom of the seventh but Los Alamitos threw out a runner at the plate and scored three runs off Escobar in the 10th.

While the loss stung JSerra, Escobar said her squad — which featured only two senior starters — still celebrated its season over pizza after the game.

“We’re super excited with where we got as a program and as a team,” she said. “That game was really fun. Winning is not everything. It’s the goal and it’s the journey with your teammates.”

Escobar often paired with freshman catcher Annabel Raftery.

The battery developed its chemistry and united in some impressive performances, especially in the Trinity League.

Escobar allowed one run and struck out 12 in nine innings of a 2-1 loss to Orange Lutheran in 11 innings. About a week later, she threw a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts in a 3-2 win against Santa Margarita.

“(I’m) just happy to be back playing and definitely happy of how the hard work has paid off to the point that we got as a team,” said Escobar, who was selected co-pitcher of the year in league with Orange Lutheran’s Rylee Silva.

BOBBY CALDERON, El Modena

In his ninth season, Calderon guided the Vanguards past challenges on and off the field for a historic campaign.

El Modena (23-10) claimed its first title at the Dave Kops Tournament of Champions. The team captured its first Crestview League crown under Calderon, reached its first CIF-SS Division 1 final and was ranked No. 1 in Orange County for the first time. For his program building and his team’s resiliency, Calderon is The Register’s coach of the year. The Vanguards finished as the Division 1 runner-up after losing center fielder Jocelyn Alatorre for much of the season due to injury. In the fall, the squad united to support shortstop Kylie Tafua after her mother died from lung cancer. “We took our lumps there a couple years, but with the mindset that we were going to get this opportunity one day, and we wanted to be ready for it,” Calderon said. “If you ask me, I think we were ready for it.” Calderon, a special education and math teacher at El Modena, was assisted by his brother Tony, Andy Martinez and his cousin Jeana Gonzales-Alvarado.

Pitcher: Liliana Escobar, JSerra, Jr.

Orange County Pitcher of the Year

Pitcher: Ava Phillips, Rosary, So.

The Pacific Coast League MVP went a county-best 20-3 with a 1.37 ERA, and earned MVP pitcher as the Royals won the Carew Classic for the first time.

Pitcher: Sara Pinedo, El Modena, Sr.

The Loyola Marymount-bound Pinedo went 17-5, including 3-1 in the section playoffs, with a 2.01 ERA to help lead the Vanguards to a runner-up finish in Division 1.

Pitcher: Mia Valbuena, Marina, Jr.

The Sunset League MVP pitcher posted a 19-10 record with a 1.88 ERA and a county-high 293 strikeouts in leading the Vikings to the CIF-SS Division 3 title.

Catcher: Brooke Piwowar, Sonora, Sr.

The Arizona State-bound Piwowar hit .433 with nine home runs, and played strong defense in the Raiders’ run to the second round of the Division 2 playoffs.

First base: K’lene Gutierrez, Rosary, So.

The all-tournament selection from the Carew Classic had a school-record 50 RBIs and hit .488 with 20 extra-base hits.

Infield: Jenna Caldera, Rosary, So.

The all-tournament shortstop from the Carew Classic hit .552 and had a school-record seven triples to help the Royals rise to No. 1 in Orange County for the first time.

Infield: Kaitlyn Galasso, El Modena, Sr.

The Boise State commit and Crestview League co-MVP hit .462 with 12 homers, 31 RBIs and 16 stolen bases to lead the Vanguards to their first appearance in a SoCal regional final.

Infield: Tea Gutierrez, Huntington Beach, Sr.

The Jacksonville State-bound third baseman hit .578 with nine home runs and 41 RBIs to earn Sunset League MVP and help the Oilers reach the second round of the Division 1 playoffs.

Outfield: Makayla Bishop, Cypress, Sr.

The Cal State Dominguez Hills-bound leadoff batter hit .474, scored 28 runs and stole 14 bases in earning co-MVP honors in the Crestview League.

Outfield: Hayden Huerta, Rosary, So.

The Pacific Coast League offensive player of the year hit a team-leading .565 and scored a school-record 47 runs for an offense that averaged 8.4 runs per game.

Outfield: Kai Minor, Orange Lutheran, Sr.

Orange County Player of the Year

Designated player: Bree Carlson, Huntington Beach, So.

The first baseman hit .500 with a school-record 11 home runs and a county-leading 53 RBIs in her first season with the Oilers.

Utility: Payton Kennedy, Santa Margarita, Sr.

The Mississippi-bound dual threat hit .408 with a county-leading 14 homers and 37 RBIs, and went 6-2 with a 2.27 ERA.

P: Ellena Ediss, Pacifica, Sr.

P: Katelynn Mathews, Fullerton, So.

P: Loula-Rae McNamara, Tesoro, Sr.

P: Rylee Silva, Orange Lutheran, Fr.

C: Eliana Corona, La Habra, Fr.

1B: Cienna Kowaleski, Los Alamitos, Sr.

Inf: Camryn Bradshaw, El Toro, Sr.

Inf: Natalie Keith, Northwood, Jr.

Inf: Sierra Nichols, Orange Lutheran, Jr.

OF: Cali Bennett, Huntington Beach, Sr.

OF: Hayley Brock, Fullerton, Jr.

OF: Sophia Rolon, Mater Dei, Sr.

DP: Auddrey Lira, Villa Park, Sr.

Utility: Delaney Faus, Cypress, Sr.

P: Jaliane Brooks, Los Alamitos, Fr.

P: Cassidy Stinnett, Capistrano Valley, Jr.

P: Mia Tamkoc, Woodbridge, Sr.

P: Emily Yoon, El Dorado, Fr.

C: Annabel Raftery, JSerra, Fr.

1B: Irma Urincho, Canyon, Sr.

Inf: Renay Chavez, El Dorado, Sr.

Inf: Alyssa Grajeda, Santa Margarita, Sr.

Inf: Emily Racine, San Clemente, Jr.

OF: Jocelyn Aguilar, Westminster, Sr.

OF: Ella Haugo, Aliso Niguel, Sr.

OF: Alyssa Hernandez, La Habra, Jr.

DP: Layni Kimura, Los Alamitos, Sr.

Utility: Mia Gonzalez, Buena Park, Sr.