As part of the Alliance Fastpitch Player Recognition Program, we are excited to honor Pacific Coast Fastpitch League (PCFL) 3^rd baseman, Maya Matthies of Athletics Mercado (Tidd-Bustamante 09) 14U as the Senior Player of the Month AND Alliance National Player of the Month for her admirable performance in April.

Matthies had a stellar month at the plate with an impressive .688 batting average. The 2027 closed the month with a memorable 17 RBIS, 12 singles, 5 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homeruns, and 2 stolen bases. Matthies also had zero strike outs on the month.

Players Response

 Tell us a bit about your softball story! How’d you get started in the sport?

I became interested in softball when I watched my older cousin Destiny play in her All-Star Tournament and win the championship and trophy. My parents signed me up for tball in 2014 at Bonita Valley Softball in Chula Vista, CA and then I continued to play summer and fall ball. I played for 7 seasons with team HEAT and Coach Robert Baca. In 2018 I made All Stars and kept playing until 2020 when we switched over to travel ball.

What has been your favorite softball memory?

We played in a tournament this year on President’s Day Weekend, and I hit 5 home runs, 1 being my first Grand Slam. The best part was my teammate Asia also hit 4 Home Runs herself and we kept going back-to-back, it was great energy and momentum, we kept motivating each other and I will never forget that.

Who is your favorite softball player?

I’ve always looked up to Sierra and Sydney Romero, they were from Chula Vista and are always working to get better. I also love Tiare Jennings and her mental approach; she is fierce but cool and collected. I was recently inspired by Madison Schaefer from Grand Canyon; she is a great hitter and plays 3rd base. Her approach at bat and in defense at the regionals is what I am working towards.

What do you like to do outside of softball?

I recently started playing flag football with my younger brother in a rec league and with our middle school, we made it to the championship game, and I threw a touchdown pass to the other girl on our team, it was epic!

What are some of your current goals – both on and off the field? (Softball, school, other athletics, related, etc. all welcomed!)

My current goal is to graduate middle school with a 4.0 GPA and continue obtaining good grades in high school. My goal is to continue playing softball in high school as well as try other sports like water polo. This summer my travel team will go to Colorado and then the Alliance National Tournament, my goal is to help my team defensively and with my bat, so we go far into the tournament, hopefully to the last day. In the winter I will attend the USA national high-performance event where we will be evaluated for the national team.

What is the Alliance Fastpitch Player Recognition Program?

The Player Recognition Program was built to recognize and spotlight our individual players in each Member League. Each month, registered Alliance Fastpitch coaches can nominate a player from their age division. League Leadership will review nominations and a monthly stats report from AthletesGoLive (AGL) to determine the League’s Player of the Month.

Following the announcement of each League’s Players of the Month, the Alliance Fastpitch will recognize a National Player of the Month. To be considered for Player of the Month, your team must score League games in AGL so your stats will be included in the League’s monthly report.