Mater Dei Catholic’s Ayanna Shaw ready to return, make another playoff run

For most of the 2022 softball season, Mater Dei Catholic High School struggled at — or near — the .500 level.

Star player Ayanna Shaw was as frustrated as her teammates in trying to find a good groove.

After a 7-5 non-league loss to Del Norte, the Crusaders called a players-only meeting. They felt they were far better than a break-even team.

What happened next saved the season.

When the players met, Mater Dei Catholic was 11-9 overall. The Crusaders won the next two games, but lost the next two.

Sitting at 13-11, it was the last time Mater Dei Catholic lost a game.

To conclude the regular season, the Crusaders won games against Eastlake (20-1) and Bonita Vista (2-1).

Seeded No. 1, Mater Dei Catholic polished off No. 9 Santana (8-2), No. 5 Steele Canyon (6-2) and No. 3 Mt. Camel (8-4) in the CIF San Diego Section Division I playoffs.

Second-seeded Cathedral Catholic was next and, despite committing seven errors, Mater Dei Catholic outlasted the Dons 13-12 in the championship game.

“Once we started to play better, I knew we could go all the way,’’ said Shaw, a 5-foot-8 outfielder who is hitting .356 with two home runs and 13 RBIs this season despite missing the last five games with a concussion courtesy of a late-season beaning. “We hit the ground running after that team meeting.’’

The Crusaders didn’t settle for a San Diego Section title.

There was a 5-3 win at No. 2-seeded Del Norte to open the Southern California Regional Division II playoffs, followed by a 2-0 win in 10 innings over No. 6 Rancho Santa Margarita Tesoro, earning a berth in the finals against No. 1 Torrance.

“No one thought we could win another title,’’ Shaw said.

Torrance held a 9-6 lead and was just three outs from victory.

However, No. 7-seeded Mater Dei Catholic scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the game and force extra innings.

The Crusaders scored six runs in the eighth for a 15-9 win, claiming the SoCal championship.

“Everything folded out in our favor, but it sure was a rocky start,’’ said Shaw, who finished that magical season with a .524 batting average with three homers and 46 RBIs and was a first-team All-CIF selection.

“That day was the day after my birthday, too. It was a great day.’’

Recovering from the concussion, Shaw estimated she might start playing in games again next week, missing the two league games this week against Eastlake and Otay Ranch.

“Sitting at home in the dark with headaches, this has been no fun,’’ Shaw said.

“I’ve had a concussion before, but this one has given me a chance to see the game from a different angle.

“Maybe this has been good for me.’’

Shaw already knows her next stop, having committed to play next season at Oregon.

“I like Mother Nature, so Oregon was the perfect choice,’’ she said. “And their softball facility is great.

“After last year, I just wanted to have fun with my friends one last time this season.

“To be able to win two titles in the same year is rare and no one took
that for granted.’’

Shaw’s mother Tamara Simpson, a Helix graduate who played softball at Oklahoma State and San Diego State, is given credit for her daughter’s softball accomplishments.

Once Shaw got started playing, she was all in, trying to learn how to master a game of failure with an ability to forget the good days and, more importantly, the bad days.

“Bad days will happen,’’ said Shaw, a lifelong San Diegan. “You have to know how to let games go.

“Sometimes, especially if you’re not ready for the grind, softball can really test you.’’

The Crusaders are 12-8 overall heading into Metro Mesa League play this year — a four-team league that includes Otay Ranch (13-5), Bonita Vista (11-10-1) and Eastlake (3-6-2).

The Crusaders withstood the test last spring, but were inches away from not winning either championship.

“Everyone felt we couldn’t win those titles because we’d been through so much,’’ Shaw said. “We tied the SoCal finals with two outs in the seventh.

“That’s how things went after our meeting after the first Del Norte
game.’’

Monahan is a freelance writer.