Marmonte League spring outlook: Softball

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers HAVING A BLAST—Westlake High softball players, from left, freshman Courtney Bragg, senior Christine Magee and junior Caylin Campbell celebrate a preseason victory over Oak Park. There's a youth movement taking place on the softball fields of the Marmonte League.

So many high-quality players graduated after last season that now, throughout the league, underclassmen are being counted on to produce winning results at the varsity level.

Royal is carrying seven freshmen on its roster; Westlake has six and Moorpark lists five.

Thousand Oaks, a 25-game winner a year ago, lists seven freshmen and sophomores on its roster. Over at Agoura, the ace pitcher, starting catcher and up-and-coming third baseman are all ninth-graders.

And don't forget about section finalist and defending league champion Simi Valley, where sophomore Sophia Perez may soon establish herself as the league's premier pitcher—if she hasn't already.

"Our league lost a lot of Division I players—girls from my squad, Simi Valley, Westlake; there were a lot of great seniors around the league," said Thousand Oaks head coach Gary Walin, the league's longest-tenured coach.

"But we've been infused with a lot of good, young freshmen and sophomores. There are some really good, young pitchers, too."

Teams that can develop their youngsters and substantially reduce on-field growing pains will have an inside shot at the wide open Marmonte title, said Agoura head coach Chance Redmond.

"Because of all the new lineups and new pitchers, the team that plays the most error-free softball is going to win," Redmond said.

"There are four or five teams that are very, very close together. That's what's going to push teams to the top—not making mistakes."

Simi Valley, whose lone loss last year was to Valencia in the CIF-Southern Section Division I title tilt, remains the team to beat according to several Marmonte coaches. SVHS was ranked fifth in the latest CIF-SS Division I coaches' poll.

The Pioneers' strength is their pitching staff, where head coach Russ Michael can summon to duty any one of four standout starters at any time.

"We don't have a No. 1 pitcher on this team," Michael said. "We just have four aces."

Simi Valley junior Amanda Oliveto and Perez, the sophomore, expect to carry the bulk of the pitching workload during league play. Kellie-jo Killingsworth and Jenn Soria will see time in the circle, too.

Thousand Oaks, a postseason semifinalist in 2008 and ranked 10th in the Division I coaches' poll, returns only two starters— junior shortstop Jenna Bandy and sophomore third baseman Paris Shipp. Both players made position changes during the offseason.

Before she makes her way to Yale for college, senior Jackie Manzer serves as the Lancers' ace from the circle. Manzer, a power pitcher, struck out 55 batters in her first 28 innings of the season.

Senior co-captain Torey Best has bounced back from a shoulder injury and moves from the outfield to first base for TOHS. Megan Kauffman, the other senior co-captain, plays left field.

Freshman right fielder Kanani Datan was the Lancers' hottest hitter during preseason play. Sophomore outfielder/pitcher Taylor Yamek, a transfer from La Reina, is being counted on to supply pop in the middle of the T.O. lineup.

Agoura appears poised to join the Marmonte's elite.

A fourth-place finisher in league last season, the Chargers field an experienced lineup that makes opposing pitchers work overtime for outs.

Junior right fielder Stefany Valentino is the table setter atop the Agoura batting order. Junior center fielder Shannon Kaufman and junior shortstop Julie Lewis are also tough outs at the plate.

"Lewis is a stud," Redmond said. "She has a stick and a glove. She always comes to play."

Freshman third baseman Jamie DePippo has all the skills to succeed, the coach said. Freshman Samantha Stark gets the starting nod at catcher.

Left-handed hurler Stephanie Lord, another talented Agoura freshman, serves as the team's top pitcher. She's also a solid hitter.

Lord "has a very good screwball, a very good curveball, and, to keep people off-balance, she also has a very good changeup," Redmond said.

Pitching woes and injuries didn't make the preseason easy for Newbury Park, which lost its first five games. The immediate future, however, looks brighter for the Panthers.

Junior pitcher Robyn Hammond is the key for NPHS.

Hammond was shut down last season because of a shoulder injury. If Hammond can stay healthy—a lingering elbow ailment makes that a big if—she can be a dominant force.

Panther sophomore shortstop Nicole Checkie has accepted the ultimate challenge from her coach. Checkie, a first-team all-league selection in '08, has moved from center field to the middle infield.

Here's the catch: Checkie is a left-hander playing shortstop, something almost unheard of in softball, or baseball for that matter.

"She handles the ball really well, and I wanted to make sure she touched the ball more than she did last year," Newbury Park head coach Darrin Carr said of Checkie, the team's leadoff hitter.

"She's an integral part for our team, and she's adjusting to the role more and more every day."

Senior first baseman Sarah-bea McConihay is being counted on as a big bat for the Panthers.

Westlake fields a formidable lineup that features junior second baseman Caylin Campbell at the top of the order, followed by left fielder Kylie McNutt, center fielder Amanda Collins, right fielder Melissa Preish, catcher Rebecca Esquivel and first baseman Kaitlyn Pippin.

"We have a lot of speed," Westlake head coach Lynn Baum said. "And they're all aggressive with the bat. They don't stand there and watch the ball. Our girls go up there to hit."

Senior Christine Magee is the Warriors' top hurler. Sophomore Rebecca Ho is the No. 2 starter.

Calabasas is another squad that can swing the sticks, but the Coyotes are having trouble slowing down opposing offenses— Westlake beat CHS 15-1 in the teams' league opener.

Senior captain Lisa Zeitlin is a solid defender at shortstop and hits leadoff for the Coyotes.

Third baseman Brianna Gamm, catcher Ali Steinman, second baseman Lauren Oda and first baseman Alex Norman are the run producers for CHS.

Oda may be the Coyotes' best all-around athlete, and her glove work at second has been outstanding thus far.

"We can scratch offensively to get a couple of runs," Coyote head coach Barbara Hofer said.

"But our pitching must be able to keeps teams off-balance, and our defense must come up with all the routine plays and a couple of great plays."

Although they're both extremely young squads, Royal and Moorpark should factor into the title hunt.

Freshman Nancy Bowling is an outstanding young pitcher for Royal. She allowed one earned run in her first four appearances.

Moorpark's top hitters during the preseason include senior Monica Custodio and sophomore Kierstyn Kohls.

The Musketeers need their biggest bat, senior shortstop Tori Flores, to return to form following an offseason jet-skiing accident.

League play for all eight teams began Tuesday afternoon.