National Spotlight: Three NEPA Softball Standouts Selected for 2025 USA Softball All-American Games
By: Justin Bradley | Sportzwire | June 10, 2025 | Photo courtesy Justin Focus Photography / Team Submissions
Three of Northeast Pennsylvania’s top young softball talents are headed to one of the sport’s most prestigious national stages. Sofia Esterline and Ella Helcoski of Valley View, along with Kendall Golden of Lackawanna Trail, have been selected to represent Region 1 in the 2025 USA Softball 12U All-American Games, set for August 7–10 in Oklahoma City, the home of USA Softball.
Only 360 athletes from across the country were chosen for the All-American Games, which unite the nation’s top 12U players. Region 1, representing the Northeast—including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York (including NYC and Newark), Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Rhode Island, and Vermont—will send just 45 total players, split across three teams: Freedom, Stripes, and Stars.
These three NEPA athletes earned their spots through competitive regional tryouts and will proudly wear the Region 1 colors this August:
Sofia Esterline (Valley View / NJ Unity) brings elite versatility and grit to the Region 1 Stripes team. A defensive anchor behind the plate, Esterline is known for her ability to block anything in her zone, control the game as a catcher, and also step into shortstop duties when needed. Offensively, she’s a consistent dual-threat hitter, a tough out who challenges opposing pitchers with discipline and pop at the plate.
Kendall Golden (Lackawanna Trail / PA Chaos) will also compete for Region 1 Stripes, showcasing her talent as a standout pitcher and a problem at the plate. Known for her calm command on the mound, Golden thrives with her two-seam fastball and off-speed changeup, keeping hitters guessing. At the plate, her aggressive bat consistently pressures defenses and produces runs.
Ella Helcoski (Valley View / NJ Batbusters) was selected to the Region 1 Freedom roster. A power-armed pitcher, Helcoski relies on her three-seam, screwball, and rise ball to dominate in the circle. She also swings a dangerous bat as the cleanup hitter for both her junior high and club squads, bringing home-run power and clutch hitting to every lineup she joins.
Their selections are just the latest chapter in the growing softball success coming out of Northeast Pennsylvania. Programs across the region have surged in recent years, with the Valley View Lady Cougars advancing in the PIAA State Tournament and the Mid Valley Spartanettes making a deep run to the state semifinals. That momentum is echoed at the collegiate level, where Mid Valley alum Maranda Runco recently set the career home run record at Villanova University.
As national attention turns to Oklahoma City this August, these three All-American honorees will proudly represent Region 1—and the thriving softball culture of Northeast Pennsylvania.
