Auburn Mountainview’s Tessa Trippy competes in MLB softball series
Published 5:23 pm Thursday, July 30, 2026
Not many kids have the opportunity to be recruited and scouted at a high level, but Auburn Mountainview High School’s Tessa Trippy was selected to be one of 32 softball players to play in Major League Baseball’s Breakthrough Series in Compton, California from July 28-30.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity to be here, especially since it is the top 32,” Trippy said in a July 29 phone interview.
Trippy had played at an Elite Development Invitational last season, but was selected to the invitation-only breakthrough team for the event in California. The participants, ages 13-17, represented 14 states, according to mlb.com.
“I am just very grateful to be here and be a part of this and to be able to play with so many great athletes,” Trippy said.
At the Breakout Series Trippy got to work with some notable names in the fastpitch world. The most recognizable of those names is Jennie Finch, a current MLB Ambassador, two time Olympic medalist and former USA softball National Team member, Finch famously pitched against Albert Pujols and struck out the soon-to-be Hall of Famer during the 2004 All Star game.
“It’s so cool being able to talk to them and learn from those people because not many people have that opportunity,” Trippy said.
Lauren Chamberlin and Natasha Watley, MLB ambassador and former USA National Team members, also were coaches for the three-day event as games were played through July 30 in Southern California.
Trippy hopes that playing at events like this will increase her chance to end up at one of her dream schools. Her top three choices right now, are University of Washington, Louisiana State University and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). But since she is going into her junior year, she is not able to hear back from colleges yet.
In her sophomore season, Auburn Mountainview went 16-7 and was a game short of the Class 3A state tournament, losing to Enumclaw in the final game of the district tournament. Trippy, a first-team infielder on the 2026 all-North Puget Sound League team, will no doubt play a large role in the Lions quest to get back to the state tournament for the second time in three years.
