Johanna Grauer is not only the most dominant pitcher in the NCS, she is one of the top pitchers in the nation. Grauer earned the Prep2Prep North Coast Section Player of the Year award.

Grauer led Amador Valley-Pleasanton to a NCS Division I championship. The UCLA-bound senior pitched the Dons to a 2-1 win over EBAL rival Granada with 11 strikeouts. The Dons finished the year 27-0 and are the nation's top-ranked team.

"She's a special kind of kid and competitor," said Amador Valley second-year head coach Teresa Borchard. "She rises to whatever occasion. The best part of her is her humble nature. Pitchers can sometime be princesses, but she's always respectful, accountable and works as hard or harder than everyone. Her teammates love playing behind her and vice versa."

Grauer was 27-0 in 2014 with a 0.51 earned run average and struck out 290 hitters and opponents hit just .097 against her. She never allowed more than three runs in any of her 27 starts and tossed 14 shutouts. Her 27 wins were third best in the state and she was sixth in California in strikeouts.

Offensively, Grauer was 8-for-11 with six runs batted in during the playoffs and was 22-for-40 over her last 11 games. She batted third and leds the Dons with a .429 average.

Grauer has all the pitches; she throws in the 63-64 mph range but keeps hitters off balance with a great rise complemented by a curve and screwball. A senior captain, she was also the California State Junior of the Year and Sophomore of the Year.

The 5-foot-8 Grauer also bats third and led the team with a .429 average, which speaks to her determination, Amador coach Teresa Borchard said. "She doesn't even bat on her club team. This year she wanted to be a bigger contributor offensively so she worked all offseason on it. Look what she's doing now."

"We've had many tight games this year, and it's only fitting that the championship game would take this shape," Borchard said of her team’s one-run win in the title game. "In the end, it's the combination of hard work, athleticism and mental toughness that produces a perfect season like this one."

BAY COUNTIES LEAGUE-East Division
Player of the Year: Haley Wiley, Head-Royce
Senior of the Year: Clare Dunnegan, Redwood Christian
Junior of the Year: Lena Milton, College Prep
Sophomore of the Year: Jamie McPherson, Redwood Christian

BAY COUNTIES LEAGUE-General Division
Player of the Year: Stephanie Michalak, Fremont Christian
Senior of the Year: Selian Wang, Oakland Military Institute
Junior of the Year: Serina Hersom, Oakland Military Institute
Sophomore of the Year: Madison Coffey, Fremont Christian

BAY VALLEY ATHLETIC LEAGUE
Player of the Year: Kaylee James, Heritage
Senior of the Year: Jasmina Cross, Heritage
Junior of the Year: Kortney Jones, Liberty
Sophomore of the Year: Michaela Foisy, Liberty

DIABLO FOOTHILL ATHLETIC LEAGUE
Player of the Year: Kylee Perez, Alhambra
Senior of the Year: Hailey Sparacino, Alhambra
Junior of the Year: Courtney Kelly, Alhambra
Sophomore of the Year: Kaitlyn Johnson, Acalanes

DIABLO VALLEY ATHLETIC LEAGUE
Player of the Year: Kelsey Randall, Concord
Senior of the Year: Octavia Bond, Northgate
Junior of the Year: Payton Buccellato, Northgate
Sophomore of the Year: Sophie Damianakes, College Park

EAST BAY ATHLETIC LEAGUE
Player of the Year: Johanna Grauer, Amador Valley
Senior of the Year: Tabitha Heinz, Granada
Junior of the Year: Taylor Blair, Carondelet
Sophomore of the Year: Sierra Blair, Carondelet

HUMBOLDT-DEL NORTE BIG 5 LEAGUE
Player of the Year: Hailey Dolcini, Fortuna
Senior of the Year: Courtney Christensen, Fortuna
Junior of the Year: Lauren Stone, Eureka
Sophomore of the Year: Victoria Meyer, Fortuna

HUMBOLDT-DEL NORTE LITTLE 7 LEAGUE
Player of the Year: Megan Earley, Ferndale
Senior of the Year: Taryn Demille, Ferndale
Junior of the Year: Ashli Sines, Ferndale
Sophomore of the Year: Taylor Miranda, Ferndale

MARIN COUNTY ATHLETIC LEAGUE
Player of the Year: Aria Pogni, Tamalpais
Senior of the Year: Paige McIntosh, San Marin
Junior of the Year: Nicole Bell, Justin-Siena
Sophomore of the Year: Olivia Dallara, San Rafael

MISSION VALLEY ATHLETIC LEAGUE
Player of the Year: Tayler Peters, James Logan
Senior of the Year: Breana Pearsall, Moreau Catholic
Junior of the Year: Dahlen Dennis, Irvington
Sophomore of the Year: Erin Hogan, Moreau Catholic

NORTH BAY LEAGUE
Player of the Year: Brittney Veler, Maria Carrillo
Senior of the Year: Angelica Terrel, Windsor
Junior of the Year: Alexus Hale, Casa Grande
Sophomore of the Year: Hannah Chew, Maria Carrillo

NORTH CENTRAL I LEAGUE
Player of the Year: Destiny Pagan, Kelseyville
Senior of the Year: Jazmin Orozco, Cloverdale
Junior of the Year: Shelbie Harris, Lower Lake
Sophomore of the Year: Teanne Edens, Cloverdale

NORTH CENTRAL II LEAGUE
Player of the Year: Krystal Castillo, Calistoga
Senior of the Year: Danielle Martin, Calistoga
Junior of the Year: Jenna Franquelin, Calistoga
Sophomore of the Year: Joyce Aquino, Calistoga

SONOMA COUNTY LEAGUE
Player of the Year: Joelle Krist, Petaluma
Senior of the Year: Amber Rose, Sonoma Valley
Junior of the Year: Brie Gerhardt, Petaluma
Sophomore of the Year: Rosalina McClelland, Analy

TRI-COUNTY ATHLETIC LEAGUE
Player of the Year: Moesha Samuels, Richmond
Senior of the Year: Cynthia Duenas, Pinole Valley
Junior of the Year: Rae Garcia, St. Mary's
Sophomore of the Year: Anekaila Crevani, St. Joseph Notre Dame

WEST ALAMEDA COUNTY CONFERENCE
Player of the Year: Samantha Williams, Encinal
Senior of the Year: Eliana Mello, Tennyson
Junior of the Year: Katrya Traylor, San Lorenzo
Sophomore of the Year: Dyemond Dye, San Leandro

NOTE: We would like to thank our readers for all of the nominations you sent in for the season-ending NCS softball awards. It is a daunting task to narrow down our selections to just the top few as we recognize there are lots of great players who make contributions on the diamond that are not necessarily well-documented but mean a great deal to the success of their teams. We salute all of the players that have made this a wonderful season of NCS softball.