Local girls chasing historic achievement
WAGS U-12 squad aiming fonational title
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers CATCHING ON- Emily Dinino, a catcher on the Westlake-Agoura Girls Softball U-12 team, looks the ball into her glove during practice.

A group of youngsters from Westlake-Agoura Girls Softball is looking to make history.

Never before has a WAGS team won an Amateur Softball Association district, Southern California state and national championship in the same season.

After capturing the Southern California state title three weeks ago in Lancaster and a district championship before that, the WAGS U12 squad is now twothirds of the way toward rewriting the league's record book.

"If we were the first team to do that, we would go down in history for all time," said catcher/first baseman Caitlyn Morrison, one of six girls on the team who attend Medea Creek Middle School in Oak Park.

"It would be amazing to win all three tournaments, so cool."

The squad will travel to Las Cruces, N.M., early next week to begin play in the national championship. According to head coach Jim DePippo, between 40 and 50 teams are expected to compete in the U-12 division.

Beginning Tuesday, each team will play two games before the double-elimination tournament gets underway.

This particular group of girls has been successful in previous national tournaments.

Two years ago, the WAGS U10 squad won a national title. Eight girls from that team are on this year's U-12 squad, DePippo said. Last year, in Midland, Texas, the U12 team finished second at nationals, and that roster was very similar to this year's group.

With all of their tournament experience together during the past three seasons, DePippo said his team is battletested and focused as it prepares to embark on New Mexico.

"The girls know how to play softball," he said. "They are aggressive on the base paths, can hit and are solid with their fielding."

Winning, of course, brings expectations. Because of their prior success, when a WAGS team shows up at nationals, they are often viewed as the team to beat, DePippo said.

"If you're more of a favorite, if you let your guard down, other teams can beat you," he said. "There is some really good competition out there and some really good teams. We can definitely be beaten if we don't play our best games."

Second baseman Coral Silverberg, an eighth-grader at Malibu High, was part of last year's U-12 runner-up squad in Texas. She said going to nationals is an awesome, yet nerveracking, experience.

"There are so many other players out there that are amazing, just like our players," Silverberg said. "It makes you a little nervous, but I think we're going to do well."

Catcher Emily Dinino, a Westlake resident who grew up playing softball in Thousand Oaks before joining WAGS this year, is about to get her first taste of national competition. While she's a new addition to the team, Dinino said the other girls have welcomed her with open arms.

"I was nervous at first not knowing anyone, and I don't go to school with any of them because I'm home-schooled," Dinino said. "But they are all so nice. I made friends right away.

"There are no problems here. I've been on teams with players who don't want to work hard, but everyone on this team works as hard as they can every day at practice."

The New Mexico tournament concludes Sun., Aug. 5.

Two more make nationals

In addition to the U-12 squad, WAGS is sending two other teams to nationals.

As second-place finishers at the Southern California state tournament, the WAGS U-16 team will be playing in Salem, Ore. This group, managed by Mark Zeolla, is comprised primarily of high school players from Oak Park and Agoura.

The U-10 WAGS team earned a wild-card entry into nationals after winning three games at the Southern California state championship, including knocking off powerhouse Bonita Valley. The girls are managed by Steve Ernst.