The American Athletics Girls Fastpitch Softball Club is a diverse collection of student athletes from schools in and around Mission Viejo who share the common goal of playing at the highest level possible.
This year, the organization is sending four teams to the most prestigious tournament in the country (The National Governing Body of Softball), the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) USA Championship.
The American Athletics Girls Fastpitch Softball Club was founded by Jim Bollinger in 1994 to develop and showcase the best softball talent in Southern California to college coaches and scouts seeking to sign players to athletic scholarships.
The organization emphasizes hard work, commitment and dedication both athletically and academically. Athletes are equipped with the skills necessary to compete at the collegiate level.
American Athletics 10U – Head Coach Troy Ybarra
The youngest team in the organization is heading to Johnson City, TN to compete for the USA ASA National Championship. This tournament determines the best team in the country at each age bracket. This group of girls, ranging in age from 9 to 11 years old, finished second in the Southern California ASA State Championship in Winchester, CA to earn a berth in the USA Championship. The team has played together since last August and has won tournaments in California and Colorado leading up to the National Championship.
Team members include Alexis Chung, Rosario Clark, Mackenzie Curry, Lauren Espalin, Allison Harvey, Noelle Hee, Kristina Inouye, Madison Rodriguez, Haeley Tran, Jordann Utterback, Amelia Van Orman, Kiana Waller and Camryn Ybarra.
American Athletics 12U – Head Coach Wayne Nilsen
This team is the 2008 10U club that won the ASA Western Region National Championship in Arizona last August. Players battled 115-degree heat and teams from across the Western United States to finish the tournament undefeated. The victory qualified the team for a position in the 2009 USA ASA National Championship in Normal, IL later this month. The team has competed in tournaments throughout Southern California since September 2008 in preparation for this trip.
Team members include Allanah Alvarado, Kimberly Crabtree, Ally Dickman, Lauren Kane, Marissa Mendez, Hanna Nilsen, Alyssa Palomino, Reece Schwartz, Kayleen Shafer, Kaley Winegarner and Nicole Wise.
American Athletics 16U – Head Coach Toni Mascarenas
This group of student athletes includes several members of the Mission Viejo High School squad. Coached by Toni Mascaranas, an assistant coach at Mission Viejo High School and a former All American Collegiate Softball Player from the University of Arizona, the team qualified for a berth in the USA ASA National Tournament in Sioux Falls, South Dakota at the end of July. The team placed second at the ASA Regional Qualifier Tournament in Sacramento earlier this month.
The team includes Alex Bauer, Alison McKibbon, Amanda Fernandez, Bethany Patterson, Brooke Cullison, Emma Engelage, Janelle Gusiff, Kelsey Choate, Mackenna Neuroth, MacKenzie Sanderson, Shianne Ybarra and Tayler Ybarra.
The American Athletics 18U team is led by Head Coach Dale Durham. Read about that team’s accomplishments on the City’s blog at http://missionviejolife.org/.
The City appreciates Steve Harvey, Troy Ybarra and Dale Durham for informing the City about this fabulous news. Other sports groups, schools and community organizations are encouraged to send in news tips to BlogNews@cityofmissionviejo.org.
