BY BARRY FAULKNERThere will be no classified...

BY BARRY FAULKNER

There will be no classified ads and no help-wanted signs posted, but

the graduation last week of six high school softball standouts has

created plenty of openings for next season’s Daily Pilot

All-Newport-Mesa Dream Team.

The Class of 2003 has indeed been a fixture on the annual

selections, with six girls being recognized a combined 19 times

during their stay at Newport-Mesa schools.

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This year’s 11-player squad includes three four-time honorees and

two former Newport-Mesa Player of the Year recipients.

But the dominant campaign turned in by Costa Mesa High senior Ann

Marie Topps will add a third Player of the Year to the list, after

earning the honor to go with her third straight Dream Team

designation.

Topps, bound for the University of Oregon, also insured her name

would fill the Costa Mesa record book, posting single-season and

career numbers that may not be approached, despite only three seasons

with the varsity.

A shortstop who led Mesa to its first league championship by

capturing the Golden West League crown, hit .507 with 11 home runs

and 41 RBIs. Her 37 hits also included six doubles and five triples

and she stole 14 bases in 16 attempts, en route to scoring a

team-best 26 runs. All of those totals were, well, “Topps” among

Newport-Mesa players in 2003 and her 11 home runs were the most by

any player in Orange County.

A three-time All-CIF Southern Section and first-team all-league

performer, Topps, the Golden West League Co-MVP this season, played

in a county all-star game to cap a career of prolific proportions.

After playing on the junior varsity as a freshman, Topps amassed

19 home runs, 89 RBIs, 19 doubles, eight triples, 65 runs and 39

stolen bases in three memorable varsity campaigns. She also went 106

for 231 to post a .429 career batting average. And then there is the

added contribution of her defense, as well as the energetic

leadership she provided her team.

Mesa Coach Rick Buonarigo said Topps was incredible to watch and

her career homer and RBI totals are school records, as are her

single-season standards posted this spring in the same two

categories.

Joining Topps in the decorated Class of 2003 are four-time Dream

Team picks Alissa Zoelle and Amy Tyson from Corona del Mar, as well

as Athena Vasquez from Newport Harbor.

Zoelle, bound for Fresno State, was Newport-Mesa Player of the

Year as a sophomore.

Last year’s Newport-Mesa Player of the Year, senior Kim Moore from

Newport Harbor, is now a two-time Dream Team performer, as is Costa

Mesa senior Jade Moss.

Costa Mesa junior Jane-E Yamamoto, as well as Newport Harbor

sophomore Ashley Gleason, are additional repeat Dream Team

selections.

First-time honorees Kelly Topps, a sophomore from Costa Mesa,

Muriel Mason, a freshman from Estancia, and Catherine Dailey, a

freshman from Sage Hill School, provide the promise of Dream Team

continuity in the coming years.

Zoelle, the Sea Kings’ primary pitcher, was also the CIF playoff

team’s biggest offensive threat. She hit .500 with 30 hits, one home

run and nine RBIs. In the circle, she was 8-6 with a 1.66 ERA. For

her four-year career, she hit .471 (112 for 238) with five homers, 55

runs and more than 35 RBIs (RBI numbers were not available for her

junior season). She won 30 of 50 pitching decisions for the Sea

Kings, who were eliminated from their third straight postseason with

a loss in the Division IV wild-card round to finish 10-11.

Zoelle was a four-time All-Pacific Coast League performer.

Tyson, a catcher who also saw time in center field, hit .307 and

scored 17 runs for the Sea Kings. Her defense behind the plate was a

plus for CdM and her bat control in the No. 2 spot was a boon to the

offense. She was first-team All-PCL this season, after earning

first-team All-CIF Division IV laurels and second-team All-PCL

recognition as a junior. She was second-team All-PCL as a sophomore.

Tyson and Zoelle were co-captains for CdM, which won a third-place

playoff game to make the CIF playoffs.

Vasquez, who will play collegiate softball at Wisconsin, also

participated in a county all-star game after adding sterling defense

at shortstop for the Sailors. Offensive statistics were not available

for 2003, but Vasquez hit a combined .330 her first three varsity

seasons. She was first-team All-Sea View League her last two seasons,

after earning second-team honors as a sophomore.

Moore, the Tars’ main pitcher, hit .417 in league, en route to

second-team All-Sea View honors. She was a first-team all-league pick

as a junior, when she earned the top Newport-Mesa individual honor

after posting an 11-7 pitching record with a 1.35 ERA.

Moore, a second-team all-league pick this season, plans to

continue her career at Santa Ana College next year.

Yamamoto played second base and also helped out in the circle for

the Mustangs. She hit .333 with nine RBIs and stole 16 bases in 19

attempts, en route to scoring 17 runs. She was 6-3 with a 1.42 ERA as

a pitcher, compiling 49 1/3 innings. She was first-team All-Golden

West League after earning second-team All-PCL honors as a sophomore.

Moss, a center fielder, hit .351 with 14 steals and 20 runs in the

leadoff spot. Her speed helped her produce 26 hits, as well as run

down fly balls most center fielders would field on a hop. She was

second-team all-league this season and was a first-team all-leaguer

as a sophomore

Kelly Topps, Ann Marie’s sister, hit .333 with two homers and 18

RBIs. The first-team All-Golden West standout played first base for

the Mustangs, who finished 17-11 after a CIF Division III first-round

loss to Redondo. The younger Topps had 26 hits, 13 runs, four doubles

and three triples and also was successful on 9 of 10 stolen-base

attempts.

Gleason, the Tars’ third baseman, hit .311 after posting a .400

average outside of Sea View League competition. Further stats were

unavailable.

Mason was a unanimous first-team All-Golden West League pick after

impressing in her varsity debut for Coach Marc Rodig. She was 6-5 as

the Eagles’ primary pitcher and also hit .260.

Dailey helped Sage Hill, in only its second varsity season,

advance to the CIF playoffs for the first time. She hit a

team-leading .377 with 23 hits, 13 RBIs, 15 runs and 12 stolen bases.

In the circle, she produced a 6-6 record with a 2.18 ERA, allowing just 58 hits in 74 innings. She was named second-team All-Academy

League.