There’s no shortage of talent when it comes to 3A conference softball in the state of Arizona.

If anyone tells you different, there just fooling themselves.

From the 17-1 North region champion Page Sand Devils, to the double-threat clubs of Sabino and Empire out of the South region, which lost only two power point games combined all season.

Don’t forget North and South central region champs Northwest Christian and Valley Christian, respectively, or West champ Yuma Catholic for that matter. All they did is go undefeated in conference play this spring.

Holbrook, Payson and Snowflake all couldn’t decide who wanted the East title. The Roadrunners eventually took the crown after finishing in the Top 10.

The 3A state softball playoffs get underway Tuesday, May 2, with the highest seeds playing host.

DEFENDING THEIR CROWN

Jesamin Aguilar has led the charge this spring for a team looking to repeat as 3A state softball champion.

Aguilar hit .596 with 14 doubles and seven home runs. Aguilar led the team in hits (59) and runs (54).

Lilly Mann is the player to watch for the Sabercats. She hit .554 and 12 home runs to go along 10 doubles and 55 RBIs.

Sabino (26-3, 7-0 3A South) won the title a season ago after an 8-0 win against No. 2-ranked Winslow.

“We have a great group of talented young ladies that get along and enjoy being around each other,” Sabino head coach Cyndi Cubillas said. “The girls are hungry to compete, and that makes everyone better.”

FINAL FOUR BOUND?

Having lost to eventual 3A state champion Sabino in the semifinals may have left a bad taste in the mouths of everyone involved with Empire softball.

It didn’t seem to phase them this spring, however. The Ravens (26-1, 8-1 3A South) lost only one game all season, a 2-1 defeat at the hands of South region champ Sabino.

The Ravens have won eight straight games since and head to the 3A state playoffs with a Top 8 seeding.

Shannon Woolridge, coach of the Empire club, said the biggest factor to her team’s success this season has been “cohesion.”

“[We have] lots of passionate kids who love to play softball and play for each other,” Woolridge said.

Eva Peace, Morgan Faunce and Angelina Dehler lead the Ravens in RBIs with 35, 33 and 33l, respectively.

Dehler is hitting .584, while Peace and Faunce have four home runs each.

Add that offense to the pitching of Kendall Freidinger, who has struck out 239 batters in 114 innings pitched the season, going an impressive 19-1 overall, and Empire may go all the way this year.

“They are on a mission,” Woolridge said.

JUMP TO IT

Page pitcher Grace Jump led the Page Sand Devils (23-4, 12-1 3A North) this spring, posting a 1.14 ERA in 67-1/3 innings pitched, while recording 123 strikeouts and walking only 13.

“Pitching has been our biggest success factor so far this year,” Page head coach Sunni Crank said. “But our offense has been strong as well.”

Offensively, Tessa Cummings mashed 10 homers to go along with her 32 RBI. Miakoda Whitehorse led the club in RBIs (37) and hits (45).

Page hit over .400 this year as team with 33 home runs.

WINNING TOGETHER

Yuma Catholic’s brand of softball can both be a blessing and a curse. Hopefully more a blessing, as the Shamrocks don’t have one standout player offensively or defensively on the club, relying more on team play than perhaps most 3A teams.

“We are not totally reliant on one person to show up for us to win,” Yuma Catholic head coach Jarred Lackey said. “We have shows that we have the ability to win in a variety of ways. On any given day, a different player might play great and be the difference maker.”

Yuma Catholic (24-2, 12-0 3A West) has seven players with double-digit RBIs, with Alondra Cordova and Kodi Leigh sharing the lead at 25. Leigh leads the team in hits with 34 and runs (37). She’s also hitting a cool .453 this spring.

In the circle, Cherish Trujillo leads the Shamrocks with a 2.37 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 91-2/3 innings pitched this season. She’s a 14-game winner with six shutouts under her belt in 2023.

IT’S A BREE-ZE

Valley Christian sophomore pitcher Bree Hanzal was an understudy in 2022 behind one of the best pitchers in 3A, Ireland Strubbe.

But now that it’s Hanzal’s time to shine, she hasn’t disappointed. Here 12 wins with a 0.97 ERA in 72-1/3 innings pitched is nothing to shy away from. The 105 strikeouts isn’t bad, either.

Coming off a 1-0 loss to No. 4 Snowflake in the first round of the 3A state playoffs a season ago, Valley Christian (15-1, 12-0 3A South Central) has put it behind them and are focused on 2023.

“She has been on her game this year,” Valley Christian head coach Michael Fraley said.

Hanzal isn’t bad at the plate, either, leading the team in hits (29), RBI (30) and home runs (7).

For results of the 3A state softball playoffs, visit AzPreps365.com.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on Twitter @AzPreps365Brian. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.