Prep softball preview: Kai Minor and Orange Lutheran take aim at a title
The attention that comes with being one of the top high school recruits in the nation at their position can be a distraction for many players but not so for Orange Lutheran senior center fielder Kai Minor.
For her, the game is all about winning, and coming so close last year only to lose to Garden Grove Pacifica in the Southern Section Division 1 championship game fuels the fire for her and her teammates to get back to the finals and win. Minor desires to leave an indelible mark on the program and what better way to do so than to deliver a section title?
'The culture,' Minor said when asked why she signed with Oklahoma in November. 'It was a good visit to Norman and reflects everything I'm about. I'm looking forward to this season and getting ready for the next level. We have more pitching depth than last year.'
Minor is one of six seniors on a roster that includes seven freshmen and three sophomores.
She leads by example, but is vocal when she needs to be: 'It'll be my role to coach them up at times … I'll say, 'Hey, this needs to get done.''
Orange Lutheran opened at No. 4 in CalHiSports.com's top-20 rankings for the Southland and will look to defend its Trinity League crown behind Minor, shortstop and Mississippi commit Madelyn Armendariz (who like Minor plays club for OC Batbusters) and UCLA-bound pitcher Jo Marsh, a junior transfer from Los Alamitos.
Although hitting is her favorite aspect of the game, Minor is a terror on the basepaths and has played center since she took up the sport as a youngster. 'I like it because it gives me room to run left or right, forward and back,' she said.
Minor batted a team-best .420 with 29 base hits, 19 RBIs and four home runs with a team-high .540 on-base percentage as a junior and she has picked up right where she left off — contributing six hits, four RBIs, three runs and an .889 slugging percentage as the Lancers beat Corona Santiago, Great Oak and Riverside Poly at the Norco Showcase in Chino Hills last week.
No one appreciates Minor's talent and skill more than longtime assistant coach and Orange Lutheran alum Jenny Miklos, whose dad, Steve, has piloted the program since Miklos was a junior.
'Kai has all the physical tools you need and over the last four years has really improved in the mental aspect of this sport,' said Miklos, who went on to play at Concordia University in Irvine. 'She's the fastest player I've ever coached, she has a great attitude at the plate and excels at not chasing bad pitches. She's batting third in the lineup right now but she's great in the 1 or 2 spot or wherever we put her. She doesn't try to do too much.
'She has supreme confidence in the people behind her. She's a natural lefty and we'll rely on her leadership a lot this season. It's one of the stronger teams we've had. We have five pitchers we can rely on.'
Orange Lutheran has a demanding schedule and could run into No. 2 Anaheim Canyon at the upcoming Dave Kops Tournament of Champions or Carew Classic in Anaheim (April 3-5). The Comanches possess one of the elite infields in Orange County, led by Brigham Young -bound first baseman Irma Urincho, Augusta University commit Victoria Oropeza at second and California-bound shortstop Jade Diaz.
'It's not about me,' Minor insisted. 'It's about honing in on the games we have coming up.'
Here are other players to watch this spring:
Taelyn Holley, Sr., OF, Murrieta Mesa
The Rams' leadoff hitter and Tennessee commit powered her team to the Division 1 semifinals a year ago while scoring a California-best 59 runs and batting .598 with 11 home runs to earn CalHiSports.com's state junior player of the year. She posted a .708 on-base percentage, swiped 14 bags last spring and is the catalyst for an offense that figures to score plenty of runs again after averaging 9.5 per game in 2024.
Alyssa Galindo, Sr., P, Etiwanda
It is rare for a pitcher to also be the team's best hitter, but such was the case for the Eagles last season. The Michigan State commit racked up 51 hits, 36 RBIs, 12 homers and scored 24 runs, and posted a 10-2 record with two saves and 111 strikeouts for a sparkling earned-run average of 0.83. She earned Division 3 player of the year after leading the Eagles to 31 wins and a piece of the Baseline League title.
Brooke Stephens, Sr., OF, JSerra
Led the Lions in hits (35), runs (23), triples (4) and stolen bases (8) as a junior. She went three for three with a triple and three runs scored in an 8-0 tournament victory against California last April and had two clutch singles in her team's 3-2 come-from-behind triumph over La Mirada in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs.
McKenzy Becerra, Sr., 3B, Ayala
Made the All-Southern Section Division 2 team last season after getting 39 hits, driving in 43 runs, belting five homers, eight doubles and four triples, and batting .488 — all team highs. She was a big reason the Bulldogs captured the Palomares League crown.
Addison Moorman, Sr., P, Granada Hills
She has been the City Section's premier performer in the circle the last two years and will be motivated to cap her final campaign in green and white with a title after the Highlanders lost back-to-back Open Division finals to Carson. She had a 1.14 earned-run average with 195 strikeouts in 129 1/3 innings as a junior. She recorded 19 strikeouts and no walks in a 14-inning, 1-0 loss in the City title game last May.
Mia Cortez, Sr., SS, Arlington
One of the top returners in Riverside County and an All-Southern Section Division 3 first-team selection last year, Cortez turned heads as a junior after slugging .833, with 35 hits, 24 RBIs and 17 doubles while posting a .530 average and a 1.401 OPS. The Lions moved to the Sunbelt League after finishing second in the River Valley last spring and Cortez will need to be sound defensively again. She had 26 putouts and 25 assists as a junior.
Alyssa Torres, Jr., C, Valley View
Played catcher and shortstop and earned All-CIF Division 2 first team honors as a sophomore. She was the Eagles' stat leader in almost every offensive category: batting average (.513), on-base percentage (.566), slugging percentage (1.157), total hits (59), runs (51), RBIs (55), homers (20) and doubles (12). She is one of three team captains this year.
Sofia Hernandez, Jr., 3B, Whittier Christian
The Arizona State-bound infielder was overshadowed by teammate Aleena Garcia (now at UCLA) last year but has the spotlight all to herself this spring. She had 48 hits, 30 RBIs, 13 doubles, four homers and 36 runs while batting .490 as a sophomore. She also topped the Heralds with 12 stolen bases.
Mattea Stern, So., OF, Garden Grove Pacifica
Paced the Division I champion Mariners with 36 hits and 20 steals and was second in runs scored (29) as a freshman. She was also third on the team in batting average (.456) and saw action in 27 of 29 games. Stern cannot afford a sophomore slump if the Mariners want to three-peat as they lost 10 players to graduation, including three first-team all-state picks.
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