When Great Oak junior Miali Guachino isn’t in the pitcher’s circle striking out members of the opposing team, she is playing travel softball on the 18U Athletics Mercado/Smith team, practicing for either team or finding other ways to devote time to the sport.
The 17-year-old has been playing for 11 years, always as a pitcher, and continues to enjoy it. “I love the competition the sport brings with each game, the bonds I have formed with my past and current teammates over the years, and the way I have grown not only as an athlete but as a person as well,” Miali said.
When Miali pitched a shutout in the CIF Southern Section championship game on May 20, she felt from the beginning that it was going to go that way “because that’s how most of my games went throughout this season.” She said, “After the first inning strikeouts, I felt confident enough to know that was how the remainder of the innings were going to go.”
Adding to her success in the postseason, Guachino tossed a no-hitter with 20 strikeouts in the semifinals against Moorpark Saturday, May 13, and through their five games in the playoffs she only gave up one run on 14 hits and sat down 84 batters in her 39 innings of work. More so, according to MaxPreps, the junior ace finished with a 15-4 record this past season, a 0.57 ERA and 280 strikeouts in her 135 innings of work while in the circle.
Not only was she a threat toeing the rubber, but Miali was also one of the top hitters, leading Great Oak in 2023 with 25 hits, 22 RBIs and belted 5 home runs, with whom she tied the feat with teammate Jocelyn James. Her batting average was equally as impressive at .312, just behind James who hit .329. “I think being a pitcher, it is easier to identify which type of pitch is coming at you, and what type is going to be called next,” she said.
Miali has been on the Great Oak girls’ varsity softball team since her freshman year and compared this year to previous years. “We had lost a lot of seniors last year, but this year was a little different because I think we were more motivated to win. We only had four seniors on our team this year.”
When she is not on the softball field, Miali said she loves to hang out with friends, but mostly she loves going to Dodger baseball games. She lives with her mother on the Pala Band of Mission Indians Reservation. Her father is a Pala Tribal member as was her maternal grandmother, Mary Guachino, who passed away in 2021. Her maternal grandfather and member of the Santa Ysabel Tribe, Ralph Guachino, had a huge impact on the family’s love of softball, having coached the sport for many years.
Miali’s mother, Rollena Guachino, a Sioux Native from the Colville Confederated tribes from Washington, played softball prior to high school. She continued to play fast-pitch softball at all the Native American reservation tournaments until several years ago when things got serious with Miali and she wanted to put all her focus and energy into helping her be successful.
Guachino said she had a pretty good idea her daughter was going to be a great player “when she started firing that ball into my glove at such a young age.” She added that all Miali’s mechanics for pitching were already developing at the age of 8 “so I knew she was special; God definitely blessed her.” Her other daughter Tiana, 20, played softball until her junior year of high school but her son Ralphie, 22, did not play high school sports.
To support Miali in meeting her personal and athletic goals, Guachino said the most important thing is always being there, whether it be to motivate or discipline. “It’s important to always set the example of being present and committed,” she said. “I stayed committed to her and the teams she played on; I never missed practice for a birthday party, a cultural event, a party, a funeral, nothing. There were no excuses.”
She said, “Miali always wanted to play at the next level so I had to show her next level effort. It was either you go to that sleepover or you put in more reps because she was just one girl in a world full of other girls wanting that same scholarship and opportunity to play in college. You’re either the same or you’re different and in this case, different is always the better choice.”
The travel ball club will keep Miali busy all summer playing in many tournaments, but she is looking ahead to her final year at Great Oak. The Wolfpack ladies ended the 2023 regular season with an 11-3-1 record in the Southwestern League (21-8-1 overall), and in second place behind another stellar team in Murrieta Mesa. The Rams went undefeated at 14-0-1, but Great Oak was the only team that stood in the way of Murrieta Mesa’s perfect season.
In their first meet up of their league campaign, Miali held the Rams to just three runs and the game ended in a tie due to daylight running out. The Wolfpack also ended their year in far better shape than their league counterpart, winning a CIF Southern Section Division 2 title. The Rams fell in the semifinals of the Division 1 playoffs.
“I am looking forward to having the same year next year, if not better. I want to leave high school in the best way possible; finish strong.” She already knows what will come after her strong finish since she recently committed to Ole Miss.
“She chose five schools that she wanted to check out which were Baylor University, Georgia University, Michigan University, Oregon University and Ole Miss (University of Mississippi),” Guachino said. “We spent last summer taking all of her ‘official’ visits. After the third visit and the other two lined up to go see, she called me while I was at work and said she chose to verbally commit to Ole Miss University! That is where she will be continuing her softball career. #HottyToddy #GoRebels.”
With all that the young athlete has accomplished so far, her mother said having her daughter commit to play at the college level was definitely a highlight. She was selected as the Southwestern League Pitcher of the Year for the 2023 season and appears to be a shoe-in for CIF Southern Section Division 2 top honors. “My mom would have been so proud of her,” Guachino said. “She is just on fire right now. This is God’s plan; this is the plan he has laid out for her.”
Miali said if she was asked for advice from upcoming, aspiring softball stars, “I would tell them to always put the work in. There are two things you can control; one is your attitude and the other is the effort you put in. Also, always believe in God; he has a plan for you, so always trust in him.”
Valley News Sports Editor JP Raineri contributed to this article. He can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.com.
