SANTA CLARA, Calif. – With the first year of West Coast Conference action in the rearview mirror, Santa Clara softball is set to kick off the 2015 season in its beautiful third-year ballpark. The season opens Feb. 6 in Phoenix, Ariz. at the Grand Canyon Kick Off vs. Northern Colorado and Tulsa. The Broncos host three tournaments with the home opener vs. Seattle on Feb. 20. The season wraps-up vs. BYU on May 2 with Senior Day.
"We are excited about the 2015 schedule and the competition we will face," said Santa Clara head coach Lisa Mize. "I think we certainly have some match ups that will challenge us and prepare us well for WCC play. Overall it's a schedule with good balance and I am excited to see this team get after it."
WCC plays begins April 2 vs. LMU. The next weekend Santa Clara travels to Saint Mary's for the start of a seven game road trip. A mid week game with Cal on April 14 highlights the trip. They return home for the final two weeks of the season vs. Pacific and BYU.
The Broncos lost two of their biggest bats from last year in Stephanie Fisher and Kelly Scribner. They also lost Krista Jensen who started 36 games and appeared in 41,Rochelle Rivera who started 35 games and appeared in 42, and Jessica Turner who made 11 starts and made 23 appearances on the mound.
Senior catcher Breezy Bernard is the top offensive returner for Santa Clara. Bernard hit .310 (36-116) with six doubles and six RBI. She scored six runs while starting 36 games and appearing in 41 total. Geenamarie Bonilla also returns after hitting .266 (29-109) as a freshman while leading the team with 25 RBI. Bonilla added five doubles, a triple, and 10 runs scored.
On the mound junior Ciara Gonzales returns after leading the team in wins (5), appearances (38), starts (22), complete games (12), shutouts (2), innings pitched (161.2), and strikeouts (36). Also returning is senior Brianna Rios who started seven games and appeared in 19. Rios tossed 41.1 innings with 23 strikeouts.
"The team is focused on getting better daily and we talk about this a lot," said Mize. "We also have the mindset of going out and competing hard. If we continue to have productive practices between now and Feb. 6th, we will be ready for the start of the season."
Santa Clara will also welcome six freshmen into the mix: Ellie Fisher, McCall James, Kelli Tatum, Micaela Vierra, Justine Garner, and Elizabeth Ray.
"Our coaching staff is very excited about the potential of this group and the athleticism they will bring to Santa Clara," said Mize. "Each player brings a different element of play to our program and all of them will play a large part in contributing to our success on the field. We are looking forward to them being a part of our Bronco family. They have done a fabulous job of adjusting to the college level of play. They still have things to improve upon but overall they have done a good job."
With improvements still being made to the Softball Field, Mize and the Broncos are excited to be able to use the newest parts of the stadium.
"We are fired up about the improvements to the stadium! We cannot wait to sit in our dugouts, hit in our batting cages, and play ball at this awesome stadium," said Mize.
With the season fast approaching the players and coaches are excited to show progress the team continues to make!
