SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara softball opens its season at the Grand Canyon kick off in Phoenix, Ariz. this week. The Broncos play Fri., Feb. 6 at 10 a.m. vs. Northern Colorado and at 12:30 p.m. vs. Tulsa, Sat., Feb. 7 at 10 a.m. vs. Tulsa and at 12:30 p.m. vs. Northern Colorado, and Sun., Feb. 8 at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. vs. Grand Canyon.
"The team is pumped to play some ball," said Santa Clara head coach Lisa Mize. "After a month of practice they are ready to get started. We want to be a competitive and consistent team in this opening week. We will be playing around with different lineups and seeing what works best for us as a team. If we go out and compete hard every game, don't beat ourselves, and approach every game with a winning attitude then I will be pleased with our performances."
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. She was named to the All-WCC Preseason team by the league's coaches. 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.
Northern Colorado went 20-33 in 2014 and 11-7 in the Big Sky. They were 5-19 in neutral site games. They were outscored on the season 307-275.
The Bears hit .283 (398-1407) as a team with an OBP of .362 and a slugging percentage of .455. They hit 53 home runs, six triples, and 71 doubles. On the mound they had a 5.03 ERA with 139 strikeouts and 110 walks in 332.2 innings.
Mikayla Duffy led the Bears in hitting last season with a .387 (63-163) average and added a .436 OBP and team-high .644 slugging percentage. She scored 28 runs and drove in 48 while hitting nine homers and 15 doubles. Erica Dick hit .333 (54-162) with a team-high 36 walks for a .460 OBP and added a .574 slugging percentage. She scored 51 runs and drove in 39 while leading the team with 10 home runs and added ine doubles. Morgan Yuhas hit .331 (44-133) with 37 runs scored, 26 RBI, six doubles, two triples, and five homers.
Jayme Reddacliff is the top returner on the mound. Last season she appeared in 29 games and made 10 starts while tossing 67.2 innings. She struck out 27 against six walks and posted a 5.48 ERA. Duffy also threw 32.0 innings in 12 games and five starts. She struck out 14 with 15 walks and had an ERA of 6.56.
Grand Canyon went 27-21 last season and 12-3 in the WAC. They were 9-2 at home but lost two games to Santa Clara on the Mission campus. They outscored their opponents 246-210.
The Lopes hit .294 (411-1396) with 20 home runs, nine triples, and 74 doubles. On the mound they had a 4.00 ERA with 151 strikeouts and 120 walks in 320.0 innings.
Nicole Newbury is the top returning hitter from last season. She hit .356 (42-118) with 20 runs scored, 18 RBI, eight doubles, one triple, and one home run. Kelsey Barak hit .348 (57-164) with 37 runs scored, 41 RBI, 13 doubles, and seven home runs. Kayla Henry hit .331 (52-157) with 33 runs scored, 16 RBI, three doubles, and three triples.
Stephanie Pesqueira threw the bulk of the innings last year for Grand Canyon. She appeared in 30 games with 26 starts and 16 complete games. She threw two shutouts and picked up one save in 163.0 innings. Pesqueira struck out 88 against 53 walks.
Tulsa was 53-9 last season and 19-4 in Conference USA. They were 16-0 in neutral site games. They outscored their opponents 368-122.
The Golden Hurricanes hit .325 (553-1702) with a .404 OBP and a .504 slugging percentage. They hit 59 homers, 21 triples, and 86 doubles. On the mound they had a 1.53 ERA with 479 strikeouts and 165 walks in 417.0 innings.
Erica Sampson is the top returning offensive player after hitting .324 (61-188) a season ago. She scored 59 runs with 30 RBI, three home runs, five triples, and seven doubles. Catherine Horner hit .324 (61-188) with 45 RBI, 51 runs scored, 13 home runs, and 11 doubles. Julie Kernen batted .318 (49-154) with 41 RBI, 24 runs scored, seven home runs, and 17 doubles.
Both Bailey Erwin and Caitlin Still return on the mound. Erwin was 13-3 with a 1.45 ERA in 31 appearances and 11 starts. She threw eight complete games with two shutouts and four saves. Erwin struck out 62 against 19 walks in 106.0 innings. Sill threw 95.2 innings with an 11-4 record and a 2.49 ERA. She appeared in 22 games with 17 starts and threw five complete games with two shutouts. Sill struck out 63 against 44 walks.
