Aragon’s Taylor Workman best softball player in the Peninsula Athletic League

The top honor in the Bay Division could have easily gone to one of four outstanding shortstops, including Hillsdale’ Mia DeMartini, Alice Han of San Mateo and Mills’ Jazzy Maske.

Those three earned All-Bay Division first-team accolades, it was Aragon’s Taylor Workman who took the Player of the Year honor.

Workman is the second great shortstop to come through Aragon, following in the footstep of 2022 graduate Megan Grant who just wrapped up a stellar college career at UCLA.

And Workman, who recently wrapped up her junior year, put up Grant-like numbers for the Dons this season as she helped the team to a second-place finish, one game behind co-champs San Mateo and Hillsdale.

Hitting in the leadoff spot, Workman raked against all pitching, and especially against Bay Division pitching, hitting .675 with 27 hits in 40 at-bats, 11 of which were for extra-base hits with seven doubles, a triple and three home runs. She was on base an additional 17 times with 15 walks and was twice hit by pitch.

In all, she reached base 44 times in 57 plate appearances. That’s an OBP .772 and an OPS of 1.897 — without striking out once in Bay play. She was second on the team with 17 RBIs.

Another Don, Natalie Jia, earned the Bay Division’s Freshman of the Year honor. Jia batted just .267 in Bay play with just 12 hits in 45 at-bats, but she drove in 16 runs with her dozen hits, which included seven doubles and three homers, which tied Workman for the team lead.

Celia Hernandez, who guided San Mateo to its first Bay Division title since 2017, was named Bay Division Pitcher of the Year. The rising senior was a workhorse for the Bearcats, making appearances in all 14 Bay Division games and throwing 81 1/3 of 95 1/3 innings. She didn’t blow teams away, she finished with 68 strikeouts against 24 walks, but she did a fantastic job of relying on her defense and getting outs, which is the name of the game. She posted a 2.15 ERA while compiling a record of 11-2.

Ocean Division

In the Ocean Division, the Player of the Year honor was shared by Notre Dame-Belmont’s Skylar Loo and Sequoia’s Nisha Mehta, both seniors.

Loo helped the Tigers turn around a tough start to the season to finish third in the Ocean Division. They earned enough power points to secure and at-large bid to the Central Coast Section Division IV tournament and then parlayed that into the program’s first section title since 2009.

Batting in the heart of the NDB order, Loo was the last person Ocean Division pitchers wanted to see at the plate. Loo batted .600 with 21 hits in 35 at-bats, which included eight doubles, a triple and three home runs — all of which led the team. She also drove in a team-high 17 runs. She slugged 1.143 and had an OPS of 1.793.

Mehta was a bright spot for an otherwise down season for Sequoia, that saw the Ravens finish second-from-the-bottom in the Ocean Division standings.

It wasn’t because of Mehta, though. She hit .571 in Ocean play, collecting 16 hits in 28 at-bats, nearly half of which were for extra bases — three double, with two triples and three home runs. Her 12 RBIs were second on the team to Jamie Elkington’s 15. Her OPS was just behind Loo’s, finishing with a 1.703.

Burlingame’s Brooke Arce was named Ocean Division Pitcher of the Year, helping lead the Panthers to the Ocean Division championship. The rising junior was part of a three-headed pitching attack, joining Kiley Lyons and Aditi Bafna, combining for an ERA of 1.86. Arce made nine appearances in 10 Ocean Division games, compiling a 1-1 record with a save and a 1.88 ERA. She led the Panthers in innings pitched with 26, struck out 38 against 11 walks and holding opponents to a batting average of .143.

Lavie Taufahema from Menlo-Atherton was named Ocean Division Freshman of the Year. A third baseman, she helped keep the Bears in the mix for the division title until the final week of the season, as the Bears eventually finished in second behind Burlingame.

Taufahema was one of four freshmen on the Bears’ roster and she batted .424, third-best on the team, as she played in all 10 Ocean Division games.

She collected 13 RBIs on 14 hits, while hitting six doubles and a home run.

Lake Division

In the Lake Division, underclassmen dominated the major award. South City sophomore, Madyson Quintanilla, was named Player of the Year. Another sophomore, Charlotte Kell of Mercy-Burlingame, garnered Pitcher of the Year honors, while her teammate Olivia Eastburn was Freshman of the Year.

Quintanilla just missed out on the Lake Division triple crown. She drove in a division-best 24 runs and hammered 10 home runs. Her batting average of .714, however, was second to teammate Sydney Semans. Quintanilla reached base 80% of her Lake Division play appearances and had an astounding 2.729 OPS.

Kell dominated in the circle for Lake Division champs Mercy. She went 7-0 in eight appearances, with a 2.25 ERA. She struck out 55, walked 18 and allowed just one extra-base hit. Lake Division team hit just .115 against Kell.

Eastburn was a dual-threat for the Bears. She made five pitching appearance, notching three saves with a 2.10 ERA. But it was the plate where she paid real dividends. She won the team triple crown, leading the Tigers in batting average (.649), RBIs (24) and tied for the team-lead in home runs with two.