With South Hills freshman pitcher Natalie Lugo already committed to Florida and one of the best pitchers to arrive on the area scene in years with this much potential, it got me wondering who are the ten best area pitchers of all time (Tribune area). I’m going to take a stab at this, here goes … Pictured below is former St. Lucy’s pitcher Danielle O’Toole, who checks in at No. 9.

1. Christy Tucker, Charter Oak — Won two championships. She led the Chargers to the 1990 4A championship as a freshman and won another title as a senior in Division II in 1993 while also earning D-II player of the year honors after recording 28 wins, which ranks amongst best all time for a single season. Um, family also owns Tucker Tire in Covina, my favorite place.
2. Rhonda Wheatley, Workman — Was named Division 2A co-player of the year in 1983 after leading the Lobos to a 1-0 victory over South Hills in the 2A final. She is the mother of former Tribune player of the year Courtney Gano, and Wheatley was among the NCAA’s best while setting all sorts of records at Cal Poly Pomona.
3. Mary Letourneau, Covina — Led Colts to 3A title in 1989 and was named player of the year. Widely considered among best ever.
4. Monica Messmer — Incredibly, she threw five consecutive no-hitters, which is one shy of the all-time CIF record. She was named co-player of the year with Wheatley in 1983, losing the 2A final in dramatic fashion, 1-0.
5. Jamee Juarez, Wilson — She went 19-3 with a 0.17 ERA and 251 strikeouts in 2002 for the Wildcats and went on to star at Ohio State.
6. Stacy Vogliardo, South Hills — Led Huskies to 1997 Division IV title in 2-1 victory over St. Paul and was named the D-IV player of the year and made the LA Times’ first team.
7. April Valdez, Wilson — Named 2000 Division III player of the year after leading the Wildcats to the title, winning 8-0 over Pacifica.
8. Erica Spano, San Dimas — She led the Saints to the Division IV title in 2001, winning 3-2 over Lompoc. She was named the Division IV player of the year.
9. Danielle O’Toole — The St. Lucy’s pitcher was the best I’ve seen over the last decade. She was named to the All-Area team three times during her stint with the Regents from 2009-12, earning all-CIF honors her senior year. O’toole is turning heads now at San Diego State.
10. Diana Lynn-Patterson — She’s the only back-to-back area player of the year over the last decade, earning the award in 2008 and ’09.