Last year was a tough season for varsity softball in the extremely competitive South Coast League.
This season, they will compete in the Sea View League against Trabuco, San Clemente, El Toro, Beckman, and Newport Harbor.
In addition to a new league, the softball team has a new head coach, Jeremey Wooten. Coach Wooten was the varsity baseball head coach for a decade and played college baseball.
“With our new coach confident in us, I think that makes us a lot more confident,” said Reese Vaughn (12), who plays third base and is committed to playing Division 2 softball at Vanguard University.
This year, softball has high hopes, fresh energy, and drive due to ten freshmen making the team.
“We are pretty confident this season with a new coach and new players; we’re looking forward to a great season,” said Galilea Pedraza (12), who plays center field and is committed to playing Division 2 softball at American International College.
The team started pre-season with a 4-2 win against Foothill High School that will hopefully be one of many victories to come.
Since last semester, they have been putting in the work on and off the field to prepare for the season.
“We started in the weight room for a couple of months so we were able to get stronger and push ourselves in practice,” said Emily Wooten (12), who plays middle infield and is committed to play Division 2 softball at California State University San Marcos.
In addition to the weight room, they practice four days a week to improve their game and grow as a team.
“We’ve been doing a lot of hitting, fielding, basics, and situations so when we get in the game we are not worried about hard situations coming up,” said Vaughn.
The team strives to make a comeback from last season by focusing on pre-season to ensure they are on top for the league.
“Our team goal for this season is to get to CIF and improve the program as a whole. To make it as welcoming as it can be so that we set an example for future players,” said Pedraza.
In addition to team goals, some players also have individual goals for the season.
“I don’t want to strike out; that’s my biggest goal. With the motivation our team has, I think I have a better chance at not striking out,” said Gianna Ioja (12), who plays middle infield and is committed to playing Division 1 softball at UC San Diego.
For a team to be successful, it must have good chemistry. By creating strong relationships off the field, they will play better together on the field.
“I feel like we have done a good job at harboring a good environment with [the freshmen] and welcoming them into the team,” said Wooten.
This is an exciting season for softball as the team is motivated, positive, and hardworking. If they continue in this direction, these girls are more than capable of going all the way.
When the season starts, try your best to go to their home games to support these Stallions. The team’s first home league game is on April 1 against El Toro at 4:30 PM.
