Calaveras Enterprise

Athlete of the Year: DeLeon packs in as much as possible during senior year of school

Angelina DeLeon played soccer and was the Most Outstanding Softball player of the MLL
Calling her shot
2020-21 CALAVERAS FEMALE STUDENT- ATHLETE OF THE YEAR


 

 

When Angelina DeLeon put pen to paper in December of 2020 and committed to attend and play softball at the University of Mississippi, the Calaveras High School senior had her future all mapped out.

At that time, because of the uncertainty of COVID-19, it was still unclear if she would even get a chance to play another second of high school sports. But even if she didn’t play, she still had a one-way ticket to Oxford booked, and knew her athletic career was far from over.

And even when it was decided in February that high school sports would return, DeLeon could have easily opted out or taken it easy, as to not put herself in any situation that could possibly alter her college plans. If DeLeon did have those thoughts, they went through her mind quicker than a fastball.

Instead of taking it easy, DeLeon decided that only playing softball for Calaveras in the spring wasn’t good enough. So, the future Ole Miss Rebel went out of her comfort zone and played soccer for six weeks before hitting the diamond.

In her final few months of being a Calaveras student-athlete, DeLeon wanted to have as much fun as she could and relished every moment.

“It was very important to come out here and finish my senior year strong,” DeLeon said. “It was just fun making memories with girls who I will probably never play with again. It was just important to make memories and have fun.”

There may have been a few who were surprised to see DeLeon on the soccer field, but one person who wasn’t, was her softball coach and Calaveras athletic director Mike Koepp.

“She could have very easily said that she’s not going to play soccer and not play high school softball, but she’s a competitor and she loves it,” Koepp said. “She loves being around the group of people she’s grown up with. She’s a great friend, she’s a good person, a good teammate and all those things are the reasons why she plays, and she probably would have played more if she could.”

Soccer student

DeLeon’s soccer knowledge was that of a JV player. She played soccer as an underclassman but stepped away during her junior year to focus on softball recruiting. Even when she did play, she didn’t quite understand what she was doing and the psychology of the game. And that didn’t change by her senior year.

The one thing that DeLeon did know was that when she was out on the soccer field, she could be a different athlete than she was on the softball diamond and the change of personality was welcomed.

“I really liked letting out my aggression that I don’t necessarily get to in softball,” DeLeon said. “I also liked the pace of the game and having to work with all (my) teammates at once.”

DeLeon didn’t join the team thinking that she’d be the best player on the field, or that soccer would become the sport she loved. Rather, she viewed it as a good opportunity to get in shape before softball and to try something different, regardless of the risks.

“I viewed it as a chance to get 1% better by staying in shape and running,” DeLeon said. “I did not expect to play as much as I did, so I was a little nervous to go out there and potentially injuring myself. But I’m so blessed that I didn’t, but it was fun.”

On the Calaveras softball field, DeLeon is the queen of the diamond. But when it comes to soccer, she was just another player on the team. There were players who were better, understood the game at a deeper level, and who had been around the game their entire life. For DeLeon to get the opportunity to learn from better players and to not be looked at as the leader of the team helped her grow as a player.

“I just viewed it as another sport where I’m going to work hard and (my teammates) pushed me to become better,” DeLeon said. “I didn’t know much about soccer, but they are great teachers and people in general. Getting to make new friends and play with new girls was very special to me.”

DeLeon didn’t expect to play much during the short six-week season. She figured she’d spend some time on the field and some time on the bench. But co-head coach Matt Simpson had other ideas. Simpson knew that while DeLeon may be a softball player, she’s also an athlete capable of doing many things. Because of her athletic ability, DeLeon spent most of the season on the field.

“Angelina may be primarily a softball player, but she is an all-around athlete and the skills she brought were vital to the team,” Simpson said. “We knew she had some good soccer skills from when she last played for Randy (Scheidt, on JV) a few years ago, but it was almost like she never took any time off and she picked up where she left off on day one. But just as important was her understanding of team play and game flow. She wasn’t lost out there, she knew where to be and what to do. Part of that comes from her competitive nature. She was willing to do whatever it took to help the team win.”

DeLeon and her Calaveras teammates finished the Mother Lode League season with an overall record of 3-6-1. When the final game was over, DeLeon was ready to exchange her shin guards for a bat and glove.

Softball superstar

While DeLeon may have felt like a stranger on the soccer field, on the softball diamond, she was right at home. In 15 league games, DeLeon put up numbers that many could only dream of. She batted .655 with 36 hits, had 36 RBIs, and scored 36 runs. She blasted seven home runs, legged out four triples and recorded seven doubles. She was hit by five pitches, walked four times, and did not strike out in 64 plate appearances. DeLeon also stole 13 bags and from her shortstop position, had a fielding percentage of .955 with three errors in 66 chances.

When the 2021 season came to an end, DeLeon was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Mother Lode League. She joins ex-Calaveras players Keelie Koepp (2018), Marissa Hukkanen (2015), Tanna Bindi (2008), Katie Busi (2006), Lindi Winkler (2002), Sarah Bassham (1998), Carrie Jasper (1993/94) and Laura Ramirez (1988) as winners of the award.

“I’m honored,” DeLeon said. “Being the Most Outstanding Player says something and I’m honored that I got that label.”

During her sophomore year, which was the only time she played a full high school softball season, DeLeon played in 25 games, which ended in a section championship loss. She only got to play in nine games as a junior and 15 games as a senior. While DeLeon would have liked an opportunity to chase after a blue section championship banner in her final high school season, she was glad that she even got the opportunity to wear her softball uniform a final time, regardless of how many games were on the schedule.

“Some people didn’t have the same opportunities that we had to play 15 games and to do what we did and to bond as a team, I couldn’t be happier finishing my senior season the way it was,” DeLeon said.

With a future at Ole Miss right around the corner, it would have been easy for DeLeon to think she is on a different level than her Calaveras teammates. She could have been focused on her individual success and not worried about the player standing next to her in the dugout. Instead, DeLeon looked for ways that she could continue to improve as a player and to also help her teammates out as much as she could.

“I go into a game or practice knowing that I need to get better and everybody, despite their level of play, will push me in some way to get better, whether it’s as a person, teammate or player,” DeLeon said. “Putting in the work here and staying humble will help lead me to success in the future.”

DeLeon wasn’t just a big bat in the lineup, or a solid glove at shortstop. In fact, Koepp valued her opinions nearly as much as he valued her play.

“She was like another coach out there, and I mean strategy and next-level kind of coach when it comes to our girls and our program,” Koepp said. “It was a lot of fun to bounce things off of her and get her perspective as to what she sees as a player, which helps me as a coach determine what we are going to do.”

Calaveras finished the season 15-0 and in her high school career, DeLeon never lost to a Mother Lode League opponent. And while she was grateful to have had the chance to have a senior season, the one thing that she wished could have been different was to have been officially league champions.

Because of COVID-19, the Mother Lode League made the decision to not have league champions. So, despite Calaveras’ unblemished record, history will not remember DeLeon’s 2021 team as champions.

“It sort of upsets me because we all worked very hard to win each game, but it is what it is and you can’t change something that’s out of your control,” DeLeon said. “But getting that title would have been very special for the newer girls on the team or for the seniors.”

Moving on to Mississippi

DeLeon’s final great moment wearing Calaveras colors came June 10, as she and 165 of her classmates officially graduated from high school. Now, DeLeon shifts her focus to college and is ready to join the Ole Miss team.

“It’s bittersweet,” DeLeon said about leaving California for Mississippi. “Leaving family and friends is never easy, but I am just so excited to start my career at Ole Miss and to be in that atmosphere and to play with and against some of the best people in the country.”

DeLeon isn’t the first Calaveras softball player Koepp has seen continue their softball career at the next level and won’t be the last. He has watched her from her time as a youth player up to her final swing in high school. But Koepp hopes he gets to watch her in a different way over the next few years.

“I hope to turn on ESPN or ABC to be able to see her play softball,” Koepp said. “I’m hoping I get to watch her play in the College World Series. But whatever her journey takes, she’s going to do good things. She’s a quality person and it’ll be fun to see.”

And while her new home is going to be in Oxford, Koepp wants her to know she’ll always be welcomed to come back to her old diamond and take some swings for old time’s sake.

“She knows she’s always welcomed to come back and workout here and I’d be more than happy to throw (batting practice) to her any time,” he said.

Calaveras High School winners of the Calaveras Enterprise Female Student-Athlete of the Year award:

2005 Carly Whitney

2006 Katie Busi

2007 Katie Busi

2008 Bethany Basques

2009 Cecily Basques and Kelsey Hull

2010 Tanna Bindi

2011 Sam Golston

2012 Madison Cox

2013 Brianna McGinness

2014 Kelly Airola

2015 Hannah Hull

2016 Kaylyn Hedstrom

2017 Isabella Moyer

2018 Jasmine Blair

2019 Madison Clark

2020 Keelie Koepp

2021 Angelina DeLeon

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