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  • O.C. Batbusters coach Mike Stith, center, has a team loaded...

    O.C. Batbusters coach Mike Stith, center, has a team loaded with top players from Orange County high schools. The players are, from left, Alyssa Palomino (Mission Viejo), Taylor McQuillin (Mission Viejo), Alysha Everett (Mission Viejo), Kaylee Carlson (Pacifica), Morganne Flores (Mater Dei) and Andie Formby (Mater Dei).

  • Alysha Everett of the OC Batbusters softball team connects with...

    Alysha Everett of the OC Batbusters softball team connects with the ball during batting practice at the Sports Training Complex in Anaheim.

  • Morganne Flores of the OC Batbusters softball team smacks the...

    Morganne Flores of the OC Batbusters softball team smacks the ball during batting practice at the Sports Training Complex in Anaheim.

  • Morganne Flores of the OC Batbusters softball team smacks the...

    Morganne Flores of the OC Batbusters softball team smacks the ball during batting practice at the Sports Training Complex in Anaheim.

  • Alyssa Palomino of the OC Batbusters softball team swings for...

    Alyssa Palomino of the OC Batbusters softball team swings for the ball during batting practice at the Sports Training Complex in Anaheim.

  • Coach Mike Stith of the OC Batbusters softball team.

    Coach Mike Stith of the OC Batbusters softball team.

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Associate mug of Kenny Connolly, Anaheim reporter.

Date shot: 12/31/2012 . Photo by KATE LUCAS /  ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

ANAHEIM – Over the last four seasons, Kaylee Carlson has built up one of the more impressive resumes in county softball history, and she has done so wearing Pacifica’s pinstriped jerseys.

So during the CIF-SS softball championship weekend in late May, it was a tad strange seeing the Mariners ace stroll around Irvine’s Bill Barber Park donning gear from rival Mission Viejo.

When the Diablos’ star players – Alyssa Palomino and Taylor McQuillin – returned the favor the following night, wearing Pacifica jerseys, it not only begged the question, “Why?”, it also made you wonder, “What if these three actually played on the same team?”

Thanks to the travel-ball circuit, that is a reality.

Palomino, McQuillin and Carlson are three of the core members of the Orange County Batbusters, an 18-and-under travel-ball team based out of Anaheim that is gearing up to play in the Premier Girls Fastpitch National Softball Championships in Huntington Beach.

The Los Alamitos-based So Cal Athletics have won the past four PGF Nationals, but if there is a team that could end that streak, it could be the Batbusters, whose talent-rich lineup is the result of two powerhouse travel-team programs – Batbusters and Team Mizuno – merging last fall.

“This group is very well experienced, they’ve been together a long time, and they know how to play,” said Batbusters coach Mike Stith. “We’ll just see how things play out. You never know at Nationals what’s going to happen.”

Stith estimated that over the course of a year, travel teams can play as many as 120 games, regularly playing seven or eight games in a weekend.

A grind like that makes depth one of the key ingredients to consistent success. In the Batbusters’ case, they happen to be loaded with talent.

Stith’s squad features the Gatorade National Player of the Year (McQuillin), the Register’s two-time Player of the Year (Palomino), and a three-time first-team All-County selection (Carlson).

The trio have become great friends off the field thanks to travel ball. During the high school season, Carlson and McQuillin would regularly text each other, including the phrase, “One goal, two rings.”

It was a reminder of how each of them was trying to win a CIF-SS title. In late May, Carlson led Pacifica to the Division 1 title, while McQuillin and Palomino powered Mission Viejo to the Division 2 crown.

Once the high school season ended, the travel-team season kicked into high gear. Now they all don Batbuster uniforms.

“We’re all like a family,” Carlson said of her relationship with her Batbuster teammates. “Knowing that for me and the other seniors this will be the last time we get to be a part of it is definitely a little sad, but it makes us want it (a national title) that much more.”

Having graduated from Pacifica in June, she is set to begin classes at the University of North Carolina in the fall. But school can wait; all she cares about right now is winning the Nationals with her Batbusters family.

“It would mean everything,” she said.

In addition to having two of the best starting pitchers in the country, the Batbusters also feature Alysha Everett (Mission Viejo), Morganne Flores (Mater Dei) and Andie Formby (Mater Dei).

Much like the Batbusters, the A’s boast a stacked roster with All-County selections – Hayley Copeland (Esperanza), Rachel Sellers (Los Alamitos), Brooke Marquez (Pacifica) and Faith Canfield (Pacifica).

McQuillin says knowing an opponent as well as the Batbusters know the A’s adds an extra layer of excitement.

“Overall, it just makes the game exciting and makes you want to go out there and compete,” she said.

The Nationals also affords players an opportunity for the players to showcase their skills for the top college coaches. Florida coach Tim Walton, who was at Batbusters practice on Wednesday, says any coach who wants to win wouldn’t dare pass up the PGF Nationals.

“I watch the College World Series as much as anyone else does, and I see some of the best names in college softball come from this area in California,” said Walton, who last month led the Gators to their first NCAA title in softball. “This tournament is a vital component to our college success.”

Pool play for the 18U Division of the PGF Nationals begins Sunday morning at the Huntington Beach Sports Complex. The games continue throughout next week, with some of them being played at the Fountain Valley Sports Complex, and Irvine’s Bill Barber Park and Harvard Park. The championship will game will played at the Huntington Beach Sports Complex at 3 p.m. on Aug. 2.

Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com