Sophomores carry Thousand Oaks softball team early on
Lancers expect to challenge Royal and Newbury Park
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com

The Thousand Oaks softball team appears ahead of schedule.

Led by eight sophomore starters, the Lancers entered the week with an 8-2 overall record and a 3-0 mark in the Marmonte League.

Since starting the season 1-2, Thousand Oaks had reeled of seven straight wins, including a come-from-behind victory over Newbury Park last week.

TOHS was scheduled to host the defending Division I CIF-SS champion Royal Highlanders at home Monday afternoon, but because of rain the game was rescheduled until later in the season.

Tuesday's matchup against Moorpark was also moved because of inclement weather. The Lancers are at Agoura today at 3:30 p.m.

Lancer head coach Gary Walin said the recent foul weather isn't ideal for a young team that needs to be on the field together to gel. But so far, he said, the Lancers haven't let the sporadic rainouts affect their play.

"We have a young team and they're still learning," Walin said. "I can see their progress getting better all the time.

"That's why I'm disappointed with the rain situation. Because the more experience these girls have, and the more they can get under their belts, the better they're going to be," Walin said.

Sophomore catcher Marla Mathews has been the Lancers most productive hitter.

Mathews, a first-team allleague selection as a freshman, hit .593 through the first 10 games of the season. She's crushed a league-leading five home runs, has driven in 11 base runners and has scored a team-high 13 runs.

"(Mathews) has been much more disciplined at the plate this year," Walin said. "Last year she swung at a lot of borderline pitches. This year she's accepting the walk. She's not trying to hit the ball out of the ballpark and she's hitting a lot of balls hard. She's improved tremendously."

After roaming center field a year ago, sophomore Samantha Takeshita was moved to shortstop this season. She's made a smooth transition, having committed only one error so far.

Takeshita, a member of the All-State underclassmen team in '05, struggled at the plate during the first few games of the season. Since finding her stroke, Takeshita's been nearly impossible to get out, hitting .452 with 14 hits and seven stolen bases.

"She's a very good all-around player," Walin said. "She can bunt, she can slap, she can swing away, she's very solid defensively and she has excellent speed."

Thousand Oaks' lineup is strong from top to bottom.

In addition to Mathews' and Takeshita's production, Heather Lucanish (.368 BA, eight RBIs), Kaylynn Shuman (.350 BA), Tiffany Messerschmidt (.333 BA, five runs), Carisa Mudgett (.333 BA, 12 RBIs, two home runs), Erin McMorrow (.286 BA) and Kelly Cordeiro (.276 BA) have all hit well.

Sophomore Brittany Reynolds has been the Lancers' ace on the mound. She's posted a 7-2 record and has a 1.67 ERA in 46 innings of work.

"Reynolds is really starting to come on lately," Walin said. "She's starting to get back into her peak pitching form. The more she goes out and pitches, and the more batters she sees, the better she's going to get."

In 15 innings of work combined, pitchers Katie Kauffman and Gracie Pallone have yet to allow a run.

Despite being so young, Walin said he's confident Thousand Oaks can compete with top teams like Royal and Newbury Park for the Marmonte League crown.

"It's exciting to have a young group like this," Walin said. "We're kind of a little bit under the radar. The expectations aren't super high like they are for Royal, with all its seniors, or Newbury Park. But that's not to say we can't sneak up on some people."