NCS Freshman of the Year
DELANEY AUMUA, GRANADA
It would be fair to say that what Delaney Aumua accomplished as a freshman on the Granada softball team came as no surprise to those who knew a little about her from travel ball, even at the very beginning on the 2022 season.
Whether you call her “Laney” as most of her family and friends call her, or “D” as her Matadors teammates named her, or “Bam-Bam” as she has been nicknamed for her explosive bat, Aumua looks like one of the top future softball prospects, not only in the North Coast Section, but the entire state.
Last summer, playing for the Lady Magic 14U (Walling) travel ball team out of Sacramento, Aumua accounted for 163 RBIs and 38 of the team’s 88 home runs while hitting for a .408 average.
Travel ball stats don’t count towards these types of awards, but those numbers were a precursor of things to come in a season where her production has led to Aumua being named the Prep2Prep North Coast Section Freshman of the Year.
“I feel very blessed and honored to be recognized as the top freshman in the NCS and one of the top players in the state,” Aumua said when told she was being honored. “I’ve worked really hard with the help of my family, teammates, and coaches to set myself up for success and I appreciate the recognition.”
Aumua wasted little time showing her prowess at the plate. In a season-opening win over Arroyo, she hit a towering home run and went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored.
Bam-Bam bopped an even bigger blast with round-tripper No. 2 in the East Bay Athletic League opener when she got a hold of a pitch from Livermore ace Taylor Rodriguez. The result was a walk-off home run in 2-1 victory that upset the apple cart in the NCS large school pecking order and brought attention to Aumua as a blossoming star.
After all was said and done, and on a team with a lot of offense, Aumua was fourth on the team in average at .405, led the team in home runs with 10, was second in RBIs with 33, and her 29 runs scored was second, plus her 21 walks was by far the most on the team. The 10 home runs was the No. 4 reported mark in the state for freshman and double the No. 2 NCS mark. Her RBI total was No. 3 in the NCS for freshman. Laney was also excellent in the field at first base. In 175 total chances she only had two errors for a .989 fielding percentage.
“Obviously, I’m excited for her, and it brings a smile to my face, but it’s scary how good she can be,” said Granada head coach Johnny Heinz. “I’ve been coaching softball for 23 years and 13 as head coach at Granada, and I haven’t had a kid like her that has been so ready to step in. When she hit that walk-off against Livermore says it all. As the season progressed, even as a freshman, we just had teams that wouldn’t pitch to her.”
“Her hitting is going to evolve,” Heinz continued. “But it’s her desire and ability to get better that is a real asset. One part of her game that is sometimes overlooked is her defense. She’s an awesome first baseman.”
Her hitting may evolve but Laney’s travel ball Coach Steve Walling had this to say about her hitting abilities. “A dangerous power hitter and a true RBIs machine,” Walling was quoted as saying on Twitter in early June.
Bam-Bam knows she has a big bat, but she also realizes areas needing improvement.
“My best attributes I feel are on offense, using my size and strength to hit the ball,” Aumua remarked. “I feel like I need to improve in my speed on the bases.”
After Granada fell a little short in the playoffs with a loss in the NCS Division I title game to Heritage, and then an early exit in the first round of the D1 NorCal to Del Oro-Loomis, Aumua has re-set her goals for her sophomore season.
“Some of the goals I’ve set for myself for my sophomore season are: I want to beat the amount of home runs I hit my freshman year, so more than 10, and I also want our team to win EBAL and NCS,” Aumua told Prep2Prep just prior to leaving with Lady Magic for the July 13-17 TCS Nationals in Southern California.
Despite the fact colleges can’t offer freshmen and sophomore softball players scholarships, Laney knows she is on many D1 programs' radar screens, and she even has a wish list.
The schools whose radar I think I may be on is LSU, Auburn, and Clemson,” said Aumua, who carries a 3.8 GPA and was the freshman class president. “My top five dream schools are Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, Washington, and Florida.”
All those schools are big-time programs but college is a long way off. For now Aumua is a blossoming star and the 2022 Prep2Prep North Coast Section Freshman of the Year.
Others considered for the award: San Rafael's Thomara Drummer, Benicia's Emma French, San Ramon Valley's Sophia Jin.
|
