Pajaro Valley sophomore Hemeria De La Torre and Monte Vista Christian graduate Kayla Fullalove-Silveira each received some of the highest honors in the Pacific Coast Athletic League for their outstanding play during the 2025 softball season
Fullalove-Silveria was awarded the Mission Division’s Offensive Player of the Year, while De La Torre was recognized as the Cypress Division’s Defensive Player of the Year by coaches within the league during the annual end-of-the-season meeting in May.
“It means a lot to me personally because I knew that all this hard work was gonna pay off eventually,” De La Torre said. “And just knowing that I got the award really showed how much work I put on and off the field.”
De La Torre had 47 put outs out of 54 total chances as the team’s first baseman, including one assist and six errors, according to statistics on the Max Preps website. As the starting pitcher, she went 6-10 with a 15.25 ERA and 99 strikeouts for the Grizzlies.
“My goal was just to believe in myself and that it is possible to overcome these obstacles,” she said. “Once I gave myself that little head space, I told myself, ‘You didn’t strike out the girl but your defense did get a play and got her out.’”
Fullalove-Silveira was on a different planet as MVC’s leading slugger. She finished batting a .639 average (53-for-83) with 10 home runs, 16 doubles, one triple, 46 RBIs, 53 runs scored, 19 walks and 20 stolen bases, according to statistics on the Max Preps website.
“I’ve been working really hard on my swing ever since I was 10,” Fullalove-Silveira said. “I feel like hitting was always a big part for me in softball. It’s kind of been my strong suit throughout playing the last 10 years.”
Fullalove-Silveira also earned All-PCAL Mission Division First Team honors. Teammate Samantha Bertoldi earned all-league second team honors, while Sophia Cortes was named to the Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship Team.
In the Gabilan Division, Watsonville’s Mia Espinoza and Jillian Lerma each earned All-PCAL Second Team honors, while Layla Romero was named to the Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship Team.
De La Torre earned All-PCAL Cypress Division First Team honors, while Elena Barron received all-league second team honors. Katie Hernandez was named to the Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship Team.
But the big news of being named Defensive Player of the Year is what came as a shocker to De La Torre—mostly because she had a subpar season in 2024. And after putting in the effort during the offseason by spending extra time on the field, the fruits of her labor finally flourished.
“Receving the award, it gave me some clarity to myself that the hard work did pay off,” she said. “All those nights I was really tired, and I didn’t want to do anything. But I was still able to push through, that really showed a lot.”
De La Torre also did some damage on offense by developing a powerful swing. She finished batting a .580 average (29-for-50) with three home runs, two triples, seven doubles, 32 RBIs, 32 runs scored, 15 walks and nine stolen bases.
Part of De La Torre’s development process included watching videos of herself hitting the ball, at times slowing it down to focus on her form or asking her sister, Pajaro Valley head coach Daisy Ortiz.
“It was just a lot of going back and reviewing everything to make sure that I’m using my legs correctly, using enough power, my bat path is flat so I can hit hard line drives,” De La Torre said. “But my goal was mostly to get good contact and get on base, move the runners.”
Fullalove-Silveira, who will attend the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut in the fall, was also pleasantly surprised to finish as the division’s top offensive player. She said the Mission Division was full of hitters who can smack the ball around, and were without question eligible candidates to receive the award, as well.
“I was a little surprised,” she said. “I worked really hard and to get [the award] was really cool. I was blessed, and I was not expecting it fully, so it was a cool experience.”
