Katiyana Mauga was accustomed to playing baseball with the boys growing up in San Diego. Her parents, Matthew and Kanan,i encouraged her to begin playing softball as she grew up.
“They thought the boys would get bigger and stronger, but I said they wouldn’t,” Mauga said. “I loved baseball, but I switched over to softball [in high school].”
She was a four-year letterman at Mira Mesa High School and preluded her illustrious time at Arizona with quite the high school career. Mauga was first team all-state and conference during her junior and senior seasons, and tied the San Diego District Division II record with 41 home runs during her career.