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Record Athlete of the Week: Kimball's Elysia Duarte

shannon mia belt, the record
·4 min read
Elysia Duarte, third baseman for Kimball softball poses for a team photo shoot during the 2022-23 season
Elysia Duarte, third baseman for Kimball softball poses for a team photo shoot during the 2022-23 season

The votes are in and Elysia Duarte of Kimball softball is the Record/Recordnet.com Athlete of the Week for the week of April 23-29. In an online poll that closed on Friday, Duarte received over 45% of the votes cast for a total of 1,823 votes.

Duarte has played a vital role in the Jaguars’ offense this season. The junior third basemen lead her team with one of the hottest bats in the Valley Oak League and a batting average of 0.500. Against Kimball’s crosstown rival East Union on April 25, Duarte couldn’t miss at the home plate. She finished the game with a home run, a triple, and two doubles to beat the Lancers 7-2.

Her offensive contribution continued next week against Sierra and Manteca. Duarte ended the two-game stretch with three runs, three hits, and three RBIs helping Kimball beat the Timberwolves and the Buffaloes. If Duarte can keep her offensive explosion up, the Jaguars will surely be a threat in the postseason.

Here’s a look at the past winners:

  • Feb. 4: Janay Holmes, Weston Ranch girls basketball and Leo Ponce, St. Mary's boys soccer

  • Feb. 11: Cameron Silva, Manteca girls soccer and Mario Williams Jr., Venture Academy boys basketball

  • Feb. 18: Bryan Cuellar, Venture Academy boys soccer and Briseis Serrano, Lincoln wrestling

  • Feb. 25: Taydem Khamjoi, Chavez wrestling and Eli Terpsma, Ripon Christian boys basketball

  • March 4: Jordan Lee, St. Mary's girls basketball and Elijah Mobley, Weston Ranch boys basketball

  • March 18: Sophia Coronado, Kimball softball and Joel Van Groningen, Ripon Christian boys volleyball

  • March 25: Parker Burks, Franklin baseball

  • April 1: Andrew Wright, Lodi baseball

  • April 8: Beau Daluz, Linden baseball

  • April 15: Kenedi Brooks, Lodi softball

  • April 22: Nina Lagorio, Linden softball

Editor's Note: Anyone can nominate an athlete of the week for every sport. Nominate next week’s ballot through email. Readers can email nominations to sports reporter Shannon Belt at sbelt@recordnet.com. Please include the player's stats and a photo if possible.

Elysia Duarte, junior third basemen for Kimball softball poses for a photo after Tuesday game against East Union at Northgate Park in Manteca.
Elysia Duarte, junior third basemen for Kimball softball poses for a photo after Tuesday game against East Union at Northgate Park in Manteca.

Original story: It’s time to vote for The Record/Recordnet.com Athlete of the Week for the week of April 23-29.

Readers can vote for their favorite San Joaquin, Calaveras, and Amador counties athletes who have shined the previous week. Voting can be done at the newspaper’s website, recordnet.com.

Polls close on Friday.

Here are the candidates for April 23-29 (athletes listed in alphabetical order):

  • Ardi Buhari, boy’s tennis, Lincoln: As just a freshman, Buhari won the Tri-City Athletic Singles Tennis Championship on April 28. His championship win boosted his singles record to a perfect 14-0. He is regarded as the Trojans rising star on the court this season.

  • Mason DiGulio-Matz, track and field, Lincoln: DiGuilio-Matz brought home gold for Lincoln on April 25 in a meet against Tracy. The senior won both the 100 meters and the long jump events setting a personal record in both events. He ran the 100 meters in 11.07 seconds and took first in the long jump with 21'10 inches.

  • Elysia Duarte, softball, Kimball: Duarte has the Jaguars' hottest bat as of late leading them to victories over East Union and Sierra. Against the Lancers on April 25, the junior third basemen went four for four finishing with a home run, a triple, and two doubles. She reeled in three runs and three RBIs to beat East Union 7-2.

  • Brooklyn Goeckeritz, swimming and diving, Ripon: During the 2023 CIF Sac Joaquin Section Diving Championships on April 28-29, Goeckeritz punched her ticket to the state meet. She placed third in the 1m dives with a final score of 426. She was the only diver from Ripon to place during the meet.

  • Jaylin Plaster, softball, Linden: Plaster lead the Lions to victory with her key offensive contributions against Mountain House on April 24. The junior got things started in the first inning with a double that put Linden on the board. From there she added two more hits, two runs, and another RBI. With Plaster leading the charge Linden won 10-6.

  • Rolen Reyes, baseball, St. Mary’s: In St. Mary’s dominating 12-1 win over Tokay on April 28, Reyes played a big role. Offensively, the junior couldn’t miss at home plate. He ended the game with three RBIs, two hits, and two runs on four plate appearances. He also added two stolen bases in the Rams' win.

Athlete of the Week nominations are based on information available to The Record about all high school varsity players from San Joaquin, Calaveras and Amador counties. Nominations must be received for consideration by Monday morning following that week's games.

Anyone can nominate an athlete of the week for every sport. Nominate next week’s ballot via email. Readers can email nominations to sports reporter Shannon Belt at sbelt@recordnet.com. Please include the player's stats and a photo if possible.

Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. She can be reached at sbelt@recordnet.com or on Twitter @ShannonBelt3. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Record Athlete of the Week: Kimball's Elysia Duarte