There must be something in the water over at Heritage Academy athletics that is leading to a huge winning streak.
Just three days after the boy’s baseball team won its fourth chip, the Heritage Academy Maricopa girls’ softball team just won its fourth straight CAA Division II state championship. The Lady Heroes defeated Heritage Academy Mesa 12-2 in a dominant finale at the Arizona State University’s Farrington Stadium last week.
The victory capped off a perfect 16-0 season for the softball Heroes, a testament to years of development, dedication and the tight-knit culture built under head coach Derek Zappa.
“This was probably one of our tightest games as a team,” Zappa said today. “Our girls played their hearts out. It’s been amazing watching them grow, not just as athletes but as people. Our seniors have been with us since our first championship.”
The seniors especially, said Zappa, leave behind a legacy of excellence. He noted that many of them have been with the program since middle school, helping to establish a pipeline for student-athletes to compete at the next level.
At the heart of the Heroes’ success was junior Jordyn Taylor, who led the team with a staggering .654 batting average, nine home runs and 42 RBIs. Her .695 on-base percentage and 1.519 slugging percentage made her a nightmare for opposing pitchers.
Payton Duncan, a senior standout, posted a .667 batting average while scoring a team-best 41 runs, according to high school sport stat website MaxPreps.
Maya Zappa also rose to the occasion in the championship game, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple and several key putouts. She was named Player of the Game.
“Maya is a junior, and she’s only getting better,” Coach Zappa said. “She’s one of those players who leads by example.”
Coach Zappa credits the program’s consistency not to a secret strategy, but to culture and commitment.
“It’s really about the environment we try to build,” he said. “Once the girls buy in, they take ownership. Whether they play club with me or elsewhere, their dedication is what drives them. We want them to take these lessons beyond the field, into life, college, wherever they go next.”
With three titles behind them and a fresh one just earned, eyes naturally turn toward a possible fifth straight next season. Zappa remains measured.
“Anything’s possible,” he said. “But we take it one year at a time.”
