Softball diamonds around Aurora were filled with gems during the 2023 season, which contributed to some high level play.
In all, three city teams — Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest and Grandview — had memorable seasons that ended at some stage of the Class 5A state softball tournament, with the Cougars and Wolves tasting victory once to finish among the final eight teams left standing at the Aurora Sports Park.
Those programs and a few others are represented well on the 2023 Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora Softball Teams, which are selected by the Sentinel in conjunction with balloting of city coaches. Among them are 21 players who earned all-league first team nods between the Centennial, City, Colorado and Continental leagues, along with nine others who made second teams and four more who were honorable mention.
Here’s a position by position look at the members of the All-Aurora Softball first team:
PITCHER
Briahna Gallegos, soph., Eaglecrest: The Raptors had an abundance of pitching options — most of them young — but Gallegos spent the most innings on the mound and got the call in the most crucial situations. The left-hander piled up 66 2/3 innings for Eaglecrest and she finished with the second-most wins among Aurora players and in the Centennial League with nine. Gallegos registered 57 strikeouts — getting many key situations, though the number wasn’t excessively high — and had a 2.84 ERA. She finished 1-2 against Aurora teams as she split decisions against Cherokee Trail and lost to Grandview.
Leah Graves, jr., Grandview: On a team that featured three quality arms that could be used situationally, Graves performed well in multiple roles, though she saw the majority of her action as a starter. She logged the most innings of any Aurora pitcher with a total of 92 1/3 and she finished with a total of 11 wins that led both the city as well as the Centennial League. She struck out 70 hitters and had a 3.34 ERA to earn an all-league first team spot. Graves finished 3-1 against Aurora teams with two wins over Eaglecrest and another against Regis Jesuit, while one of her losses came to Cherokee Trail.
Cayman Lightner, sr., Cherokee Trail: The Cougars were yet another team with a great deal of arms (as two strong freshmen joined the mix along with stalwart senior Sade Davis) and that was especially good this season given that Lightner was not cleared at the start of the season due to an injury sustained in the summer. Not pressured into coming back to early allowed her to ease into the season and many of her outings were shorter than in her junior year, when she threw a whopping 125 innings. Lightner logged just 43 2/3 this season, but she parlayed that into an 8-2 record, which included a 4-0 mark against Aurora teams with two wins over Grandview, one against Eaglecrest and another against Smoky Hill, with 33 strikeouts and a 5.61 ERA. The All-Centennial League second team honoree pitched two innings to close out the Cougars’ massive comeback win over Broomfield in the state tournament and allowed just a single run in 4 1/3 innings to Fossil Ridge in a tight 4-3 quarterfinal defeat.
CATCHER
Peytann Weiland, sr., Grandview: Weiland was a key figure behind the plate for both of the Wolves’ runs to the Class 5A state tournament. The All-Centennial League first team pick handled the duties of catching three pitchers (all with different styles) and did so without missing a beat as finished with a .950 fielding percentage. Weiland also had an important spot high in the batting order for the Grandview’s potent lineup and she lived up to that role with a .446 batting average that came on 37 hits, including 14 doubles. She finished 24 runs driven in to tie for third on her team.
INFIELD
Kennedy Brian, jr., Cherokee Trail: Brian came to the plate with a smile on her face every time, which she said was due to the encouragement of her teammates, who gave her the desire to come through for them. She did that in a big way as she was Aurora’s most well-rounded offensive force. Brian finished with a team-high batting average of .519 (which was up from .396) last season’s team leader in RBI did it again this season with a whopping 57 that ranked her fourth in Class 5A and was 13 more than any other city player. The RBI total was helped by her five home runs, which tied her for fifth among city players. Brian also ranked ninth in the classification with 43 runs scored, while in the field she turned four doubles plays.
Kristin Gallego, sr., Grandview: While the Wolves had a scary batting order, it was especially daunting in the middle, where Gallego lurked with a powerful bat that helped her lead Aurora players with nine home runs, which put her in a tie for 11th in Class 5A. She homered two times in two state tournament games, including a three-run shot in the final inning to lift Grandview into a tie with ThunderRidge in a game it would go on to win. Gallego also finished with 41 RBI to rank second among Aurora players and also had 41 total hits — including 17 for extra bases — that produced a .500 batting average. She was chosen as the Centennial League’s Co-Player of the Year and made the Colorado High School Activities Association’s All-State Second Team, which she also was picked for the Colorado Coaches of Girls’ Sports (CCGS) All-State game. In two varsity seasons since moving in from another state, Gallego hit a combined .511 with 15 home runs and 76 RBI.
Sasha Kennedy, soph., Grandview: Kennedy made an outstanding varsity debut as a freshman in the 2022 season as an outfielder, but moved to a more vital role at shortstop as a sophomore. Though the position change didn’t make as much use of her blazing speed, she handled it successfully and turned four doubles plays on the season. Kennedy’s offensive ability got even better as she hit .500 as the table setter for Grandview’s outstanding hitting lineup. She tied for second among Aurora players with 45 hits, which included eight doubles and four triples, and her 33 singles often ended up as at least doubles as she stole 26 bases (Aurora’s third-highest total). Kennedy scored 41 runs to finish just outside the top 10 in 5A.
Natalie Shellhorn, sr., Regis Jesuit: Shellhorn played her first two varsity seasons at Regis Jesuit, but had to move over to Thomas Jefferson as a junior when the school had to shelve its varsity program due to low numbers. Shellhorn pushed for its return and she was one of two senior catalysts who helped make it a success as the program became one of 32 teams to qualify for the regional postseason. The Raiders lost both games, but the experience should pay dividends in the future. Shellhorn — a Metropolitan State University of Denver recruit — had 31 hits (14 for extra bases) in 61 at-bats (for a .508 average), reached base in nearly 60 percent of her at-bats, scored 31 runs and drove in 19.
OUTFIELD
Megan Drugan, sr., Eaglecrest: The Raptors had a blend of power and speed in the outfield from left to right, with Drugan a fixture in center field. The All-Centennial League first team pick was Eaglecrest’s top power source, as she mashed seven of the team’s 12 total home runs — which tied for second-most among city players — and had two-homer games against both Pueblo Central and Cherokee Trail. Drugan, a Washington College (Maryland) commit, also had a team-high 29 RBI and scored 25 runs to go with a .312 batting average.
Jaya Gray, soph., Vista PEAK Prep: The fleet Bison outfielder was one of the most dynamic players around with the ability to change the game with her bat and her legs. Gray led Aurora players in batting average (.662, which put her sixth in Class 4A), on base percentage (.716) and tied for first in total hits (45, including eight triples) in stolen bases with 29, while she also scored 40 runs, which put her fourth among locals. She was one two Vista PEAK Prep players to make the All-City League first team.
Addi Krei, sr., Cherokee Trail: Whenever the Cougars needed a spark, it quite often came from Krei, whose combination of energy and ability was unrivaled. An All-Centennial League first team and CHSAA All-State honorable mention performer, Krei pounded out 40 hits and nearly half of them went for extra bases (13 doubles, three triples and three home runs). Four of those hits came in the regional game that helped Cherokee Trail defeat Legacy to make the Class 5A state tournament and she was 15-for-22 in six games against Aurora teams. Krei drove in 30 runs and scored 33 as well with a batting average of .381, while she used her speed and fundamentals to play a near-flawless defensive game.
DESIGNATED HITTER
Chiara Pryor, sr., Cherokee Trail: Pryor was a force in the middle of the Cherokee Trail batting order and always seemed to come to the plate when it was most inconvenient for opponents. With a good eye and a smooth left-handed swing, Pryor could hit for average (.458 on the season) and power (she homered five times — which tied for the lead on her team — plus eight doubles), while she had the third-highest on-base percentage among Aurora players of .591. That helped the All-Centennial League first team and CHSAA All-State second team performer score 46 runs, the most among any city player and ranked her fourth in all of Class 5A, while she also finished in the top 16 in the classification with 36 RBI.
UTILITY
Jac Smith, sr., Eaglecrest: The Raptors had the most veteran infield among any city team and that included Smith, who played the shortstop position with skill and good range, while she worked well with second baseman Izzy Ervin. Offensively, Smith — a Colorado State commitment — was a tablesetter at the top of the Eaglecrest batting order, as she reached base at a .558 clip. That was in part due to her team-best batting average of .512, which included a team-high 41 hits, while the All-Centennial League first teamer and CHSAA All-State second team selection also paced the team in runs scored with 32.
2023 AURORA SENTINEL ALL-AURORA SOFTBALL TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
Pitcher — Briahna Gallegos, soph., Eaglecrest; Leah Graves, jr., Grandview; Cayman Lightner, sr., Cherokee Trail; Catcher — Peytann Weiland, sr., Grandview; Infield — Kennedy Brian, jr., Cherokee Trail; Kristin Gallego, sr., Grandview; Sasha Kennedy, soph., Grandview; Natalie Shellhorn, sr., Regis Jesuit; Outfield — Megan Drugan, sr., Eaglecrest; Jada Gray, soph., Vista PEAK Prep; Addi Krei, sr., Cherokee Trail; Designated hitter — Kiki Pryor, sr., Cherokee Trail; Utility — Jac Smith, sr., Eaglecrest
SECOND TEAM
Pitcher — Sade Davis, sr., Cherokee Trail; Scarlette Heredia, sr., Rangeview; Kamaya Soneia-Harris, jr., Grandview; Catcher — Jenna Patterson, sr., Regis Jesuit; Infield — Izzy Ervin, sr., Eaglecrest; Michaela Halton, fr., Overland; Amaya Herrera, soph., Vista PEAK Prep; Ashley Miller, sr., Grandview; Outfield — McKenna George, sr., Eaglecrest; Brooklyn Heil, jr., Grandview; Jocelyn Steiner, sr., Cherokee Trail; Designated hitter — Tayah Burton, fr., Cherokee Trail; Utility — Aniyah May, sr., Aurora Central; Addison Mower, sr., Eaglecrest
HONORABLE MENTION
Aniyah Baltazar, jr., Aurora Central; Izzy Becker, soph., Cherokee Trail; Camilla Caldera, sr., Vista PEAK Prep; Rylie Camarillo, fr., Vista PEAK Prep; Devyn Davenport, fr., Rangeview; Aubrey DeJong, sr., Grandview; Nayely Duran, jr., Vista PEAK Prep; Zaya Elliott, soph., Eaglecrest; Diana Esquivel, soph., Rangeview; Brianna Fiero-Chavez, jr., Vista PEAK Prep; Stephanie Gomez, soph., Aurora Central; Kaitlyn Hendrian, jr., Eaglecrest; Kyli Jesus, jr., Rangeview; Kalani Johnson, sr., Gateway; Nikiah Light, fr., Smoky Hill; Zariah Lopez, sr., Rangeview; Kaydence Maes, soph., Vista PEAK Prep; Sarah Rahimi, sr., Gateway; Julia Russell, sr., Cherokee Trail; Anna Salazar, sr., Rangeview; Gabrielle Scroggin, sr., Overland; Pennie Siple, sr., Overland; Kiley Snyder, soph., Smoky Hill; Alex Tavlarides, fr., Regis Jesuit; Kylie Twilt, jr., Cherokee Trail; Danika Wood, sr., Smoky Hill; Alexis Zubowicz, sr., Cherokee Trail