Prep talk: Freshmen will be prominent in Mission League softball

With no junior varsity teams and wanting to maintain rosters, softball coaches in the Mission League are giving freshmen the chance to make an impact on varsity.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame coach Justin Siegel said he has six exceptional freshmen who could be immediate contributors for his defending league championship team, including twins Kelsey and Keira Luderer, who are the daughters of former Notre Dame baseball player Brian Luderer and the cousins of former Louisville pitcher Grace Luderer. Another freshman is Alyssa Lusk, whose mother and father were softball and baseball standouts at Granada Hills Kennedy. And Hayley Maldonado is the daughter of former St. Genevieve baseball coach Edgar Maldonado.

Finley Suppan has joined Chaminade as a freshman pitcher. She’s the daughter of former major leaguer Jeff Suppan. Harvard-Westlake has two promising freshmen in Ava Molina and Tudor Hampole. Sierra Canyon has four freshmen who could be starters.

The player to watch in the league is junior Aliyah Garcia of Notre Dame. She’s coming off a sophomore season in which she batted .544 with six home runs and 28 RBIs. She had surgery in September for a torn labrum in her non-throwing shoulder but is expected back when the season begins next month.

Harvard-Westlake has two juniors committed to Harvard and Stanford, respectively, in Dylan Fischer and Kale’a Tindal. Both have grade-point averages above 4.0.

El Camino Real and Birmingham will play their second boys soccer game in West Valley League play Friday afternoon at Birmingham. El Camino Real won the first meeting 3-0. They are considered the top two teams for the new City Section Open Division playoffs.

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