High school softball: Viewmont's Tyteca was at her best when it mattered most

Tyteca has played a lot of sports, but softball is her passion. She also enjoys pheasant hunting. She will pitch to her older sister, Shasta, next season in practice, as the elder Tyteca is already an Aggie. Her mom expects her skills will get even better, but doesn't expect her personality to change.

"She goes out and pitches," Lori said as she watched Shelbi pitch a softball game for an accelerated team. "She likes to pitch because she doesn't have to talk."

Randall said the team benefited from her skill but also from her no-nonsense attitude.

"She is bound and determined to find a way to win," she said. "Both Spanish Fork games, she played summer ball with a lot of those girls and she wasn't going to take a loss ... This year she just really stepped it up."

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MS. SOFTBALL

Shelbi Tyteca, Viewmont

An honor student headed to USU, Shelbi Tyteca broke a state record for strikeouts in a single game with 23 against Syracuse in 11 innings. She also amassed a .361 BA, .681 slugging percentage and smashed five home runs en route to a second-place finish in the 5A State Softball Tournament.