A STAR EMERGES VALENCIA SOPHOMORE SPARKLES ON SOFTBALL FIELD.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne  Staff Writer

Alyssa Ishibashi isn't afraid of challenges.

Ishibashi, a sophomore shortstop for Valencia High, has been playing 18- under Gold travel softball - the highest level of club competition before college - since she was 14.

She says there's a big advantage to playing ``up,'' against older girls because by the time she's a junior, when college recruiters really begin to evaluate prospective players, nothing will be intimidating.

``I still have a lot of time, but it's good to play up because you get great experience and ... you get to show the colleges how much you've improved each year,'' she said. ``I know they look at you early, but it's good for me now because there's not as much pressure and I can just play and focus on my game.''

Ishibashi plays for the 18-under Gold Valley Breeze of Van Nuys. The Breeze finished ninth at Gold Nationals last year in Marietta, Ga. Last weekend, the team qualified for this year's national tournament Aug. 8-15 in Salinas by winning a 60-team qualifier.

Qualifying early will make for a more enjoyable summer than last year when the Breeze didn't qualify until the last possible weekend. As a result, Ishibashi and the Breeze can relax and focus on college exposure instead of scheduling last-minute travel plans to tournaments up and down the West Coast.

``It's going to be a lot different than last year,'' Ishibashi said. ``We waited until the last minute. Now we're just going to play a bunch of friendlies and tournaments until it's time for nationals.''

One of the biggest tournaments for college recruiters begins Wednesday in Colorado. More than 200 teams are expected to participate, and just about every college program in the country will be there, culling the fields for prospective players.

Because Ishibashi is just a sophomore, she is not permitted by NCAA rules to talk to college coaches in attendance, but a solid performance will certainly put the talented underclassman on their radar screens.

Ishibashi said she's already received a handful of recruiting letters from programs such as UCLA, Texas, North Carolina and Colorado.

--Heating up: Ishibashi's teammate at Valencia, sophomore pitcher Jordan Taylor is quickly becoming one of the hottest college pitching prospects of the 2007 high school class.

Taylor, who plays for the 18-under Gold Gordon's Panthers, has received recruiting letters from UCLA, Stanford and Michigan, this year's NCAA champion.

This week, Taylor was named a finalist for state sophomore Player of the Year by Cal-Hi Sports. Donna Kerr, a pitcher from Patrick Henry High in San Diego, wound up winning the award.

--Elite status: Former Saugus High outfielder Nicole Giordano was named to the United States Women's Elite team that will represent the U.S. at the Canada Cup in British Columbia beginning July 2 and the Intercontinental Cup in Madrid, Spain July 20-24.

Former Canyon High slugger Crystal Bustos, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, is taking the year off from the Women's National team to play professionally with the Akron Racers.

Ramona Shelburne, [phone]

ramona.shelburne(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Valencia shortstop Alyssa Ishibashi, center, is a rising star for the Vikings.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer