Softball hopes to finish strong
By Gabe Taylor
A disappointing season has left the softball team with a conference worst 6-45 overall record and only one win in conference play.
Their lone conference win came in the second game of a double header against San Diego on Saturday, bumping Santa Clara's record to 1-15 in the Pacific Coast Softball Conference.
"It was a team effort, a total team win," said head coach Lisa Mize, who is in her second year as the Broncos' head coach.
The win halted a 23-game losing streak for Santa Clara that included 10 shutouts.
Last year was a similar story record-wise, as Santa Clara posted a record of 9-51 overall, but picked up five wins in conference.
However, even with Saturday's win, the Broncos were unable to hold off San Diego the following day, falling 3-2 in the first game and then being shutout 5-0 in the fourth and final game of the series.
Mize said she is proud of the team for staying focused despite the struggles this season.
"Even though the record is such, the team has stayed together," said Mize. "I think that's a hard thing to do."
When asked what the most important games of the season were, Mize simply replied, "Obviously the six wins."
The team leader in Mize's mind has been senior Noelani Ho'opi'i, who has been injured for the past four weeks due to a fractured ring finger sustained during practice.
But good news is coming, as doctors have cleared Ho'opi'i to play this coming weekend in the final series of the season.
"I can't wait to be able to play again," said Ho'opi'i, an All-PCSC Honorable Mention last season.
With a batting average of .218, the senior infielder has driven in 9 runs in 78 at bats this season.
Last season, Ho'opi'i led the Broncos in all major offensive categories, including a batting average of .292, 21 runs, 45 hits, 7 doubles, 19 walks, a slugging percentage of .416 and an on-base percentage of .401.
Ho'opi'i was tied for the lead in runs batted in with 20 and home runs with 4. She also led the PCSC in starts and games played last year.
Leading Santa Clara in stats this season is Briana Knight, who is batting .285 with 20 runs batted in and 4 home runs.
Throughout the season, pitching has been a constant struggle for the Broncos. The starting pitchers for Santa Clara have a combined 7.89 earned run average. Opponents have held the Broncos to 1.76 runs per game.
Mize credits the hardships to the team's mental game.
"Physically, we have all the skills. Mentally, we need to work on our mental game," said Mize.
Changing home fields also forced the team to adapt mid-season in hopes of getting back on the right track.
Before settling into West Valley College, the Broncos played at a public park closer to campus.
Ho'opi'i said the transition has been exciting.
"It's been nice knowing that we have an actual softball field that's not just a public park," said Ho'opi'i, joking that the team no longer has to pick up and move the outfield fence at the end of each game.
The senior said the dedication of the fans to move to a new playing field almost 12 miles away from campus was a pleasant surprise.
"Even though we're not playing near campus, we've still been able to get a lot of fans to come out here," Ho'opi'i said.
Although Santa Clara's record lacks a double-digit number on the win side, the team still has a brief amount of time to shake off the rust.
Mize hopes that this coming weekend will bring the Broncos four more wins when they play Sacramento State.
"We're anxious for Noelani to get back on the field against Sac," said Mize.
The team will look to Ho'opi'i to provide the spark for the Broncos, as she will be back from her injury and ready for action against Sacramento State this weekend in her last series in Santa Clara red and white.
Contact Gabe Taylor at gtaylor@scu.edu.
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