Williams signs with defending NAIA national champion Southern Oregon

West Valley softball standout Cayla Williams had a dominating 2020 season, despite it being shortened by the pandemic. She'll now head north to play for Southern Oregon University. (Matt Folsom, West Valley College Athletics)
West Valley softball standout Cayla Williams had a dominating 2020 season, despite it being shortened by the pandemic. She'll now head north to play for Southern Oregon University. (Matt Folsom, West Valley College Athletics)
December 17, 2020

SARATOGA - In her one year in Saratoga, Cayla Williams established herself as one of the most versatile players in West Valley College softball history. Williams capitalized on her sensational single CCCAA season this week by signing a National Letter of Intent with Southern Oregon University, the defending NAIA national champions.

Williams, in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, dominated in the circle and at the plate for coach Vicky Piatt's Vikings. The 5-11 rightie from San Jose's Santa Teresa High School, was 6-2 with 61 strikouts in 58 innings pitched, good for 7.36 KP7. When she wasn't pitching, Piatt kept her bat in the lineup as the designated player. She led WVC with a .592 AVG, a .667 OBP, a .837 SLG, and 29 hits in 49 AB's. She tied Zoe Mendez with a team-high three homers and was second behind Mendez with 11 RBI. 

She was named the California Community College Fastpitch Coaches Association State Player on the Week the first week of February after kicking off the season by going 2-0 in the circle with 19 K's and only three earned runs in 12 innings of work AND going 9-11 at the plate with six RBI, two doubles and one HR.

Her versatility was on display during a 10-strikeout, three-hit 8-0 win at Porterville on Feb. 1, in which she was 4-4 with a two-run double and two runs scored. In a 10-2 five-inning win over Lassen on Mar. 7, Williams struck out nine and was 3-3 with a solo HR and two runs scored.

Coach Piatt spoke of her wide array skills. "Cayla has been one of the strongest offensive and defensive players to come through the WVC softball program. While her time on the softball field at WVC was cut short due to Covid, she still managed to raise the bar as an athlete in our softball program."  

"Despite the many obstacles student-athletes faced this last year, Cayla has managed to stay on track and stick to her plan with a solid graduation date set in the Spring of 2021 with her AA in Kinesiology," Piatt said. "She is someone who set some big goals as a student-athlete and will be able to continue working towards these goals at Southern Oregon University. We are looking forward to watching Cayla continue to grow at SOU and beyond!" 

Southern Oregon is located in Ashland and is a member of the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC). The Raiders captured the program's first national title with an 8-3 win over perenial powerhouse Oklahoma City University on May 29, 2019. SOU finished 52-8 in 2019 under head coach Jessica Pistole, who has taken the Raiders to three consecutive NAIA World Series since taking over the program in 2014. SOU was 23-3, 9-0 in the CCC, when the 2020 season was stopped on March 18. 

(Matt Folsom, West Valley College Athletics)