Alderwood Little Leaguer competing in softball home run derby comes from family of accomplished athletes

With a number of family members finding success in the sports world, the name Tuiasosopo has become synonymous with athletic achievement in the Pacific Northwest. Now another member of the clan looks to break out and get noticed in her sport of choice — and to do it on a national stage.

Lanea Gabriel, the 10-year-old granddaughter of family patriarch Manu Tuiasosopo, has earned a spot in the 2025 Little League Softball Home Run Derby Championship set for Thursday, Aug. 21, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. 

Gabriel, who plays U-12 softball in Lynnwood’s Alderwood Little League program, is one of eight competitors who will be swinging for the fences in a derby that is being held in conjunction with this year’s Little League Baseball World Series. The derby will be aired on a tape-delayed basis on ESPN on Friday, Aug. 22.

Gabriel has been playing on the fields of the Alderwood Boys & Girls Club since picking up a bat for the Little League’s four-to-six-year-old’s T-ball program. She plays third base, first base and pitcher for her U-12 team, but said she likes hitting the most — and has a simple approach for her power-hitting success.

“You just have to see the ball and hit it,” Gabriel said.

Gabriel hit 30 home runs in a local derby held at the Alderwood field in April, catching the attention of Little League International officials. She was invited to participate in the regional round of the national derby, held during the Major League Baseball All-Star festivities last month in Atlanta. There, Gabriel slugged 22 home runs over two rounds and punched her ticket to the LL derby championship in Williamsport.

“I was nervous for her at regionals,” said Lanea’s father Anthony Gabriel, who was a standout athlete himself when he played linebacker at Stanford from 1998-2001. “We did some preparation, but my thought was, ‘Is she going to go out there and do what she normally will do?’ And she did a good job. I was impressed.”

It was Anthony Gabriel who first noticed that Lanea may have a knack for hitting the long ball.

“She’s got two older brothers and when I compared where they were at with their fine motor skills at the same age, she just seemed to be more advanced,” he said. “So we signed her up for T-ball. Then she got into playing actual softball. We were like, ‘She seemed pretty good – maybe we need to challenge her in Little League.’”

Considering the pedigree passed down to her, perhaps it isn’t a surprise that Lanea can excel on an athletic field. In addition to dad’s history in football, mom Leslie Gabriel (one of five siblings born to Manu and Tina Tuiasosopo) played volleyball at the University of Washington, then spent two decades as a UW assistant volleyball coach before being named the Husky’s head volleyball coach in 2023.

Lanea’s uncles, Marques and Zack, both played football at the UW before being drafted into the NFL. Another uncle, Matt, played Major League Baseball with Seattle, Detroit and Atlanta while aunt Ashley played softball at the UW and helped the Huskies win a national championship in 2009.

And the Tuiasosopo family’s athletic prowess all began with grandfather Manu and his football success at UCLA, then in the NFL with Seattle and San Francisco. He earned a Super Bowl ring with the 49ers in 1985.

There just may be some magic in that Tuiasosopo blood as Lanea admits it hasn’t been that difficult to perfect her home run hitting swing. “I feel like it just came naturally,” she said.

So has the upcoming LL derby championship and setting goals for the event been a distraction for the 10-year-old this summer? “I haven’t really thought about that,” she said, adding that other interests such as baking and art have kept her occupied.

The eight softball home run derby contestants (all 12- or 13-year-olds except for Lanea) hail from throughout the country, including one from Gig Harbor. They will each have 90 seconds to hit as many balls over the fence set at 130-feet from the plate. The top four home run hitters will match up in bracket competition (no.1 vs. no.4, no.2 vs. no.3) in a 90-second semifinal round. The winners meet in a championship round that is extended to 120 seconds, with a 30-second timeout at the hitter’s discretion.

While Lanea hasn’t been mentally preoccupied with the upcoming derby, it has been a big conversation within the Tuiasosopo extended family. While mom Leslie won’t be able to make the trip to Williamsport next week (as the 2025 UW volleyball season is already underway), Lanea will still have plenty of Tuiasosopo support with her, including the head of the clan.

“As soon as the results from the regionals were finalized, (Manu) was checking out flights and saying, ‘Hey, do you mind if we go with you?’” Anthony said.