SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara softball opens the 2018 season Friday at the Capital City Kickoff in Sacramento. On Friday, the Broncos face UC Santa Barbara at 10 a.m. and host Sacramento State at 3 p.m. Saturday features a game at 8:30 a.m. vs. the Gauchos and one at 1 p.m. against Cal. The Broncos and Bears conclude the weekend at noon on Sunday.
Santa Clara returns Preseason All-WCC pick Ellie Fisher who was named 2017 First Team All-WCC after hitting .376, good for fourth in the conference. Fisher also led the league with 23 steals and started all 49 games for the Broncos. She scored a team-leading 29 runs with three doubles, two triples, and seven RBIs.
Kelsie Barnard knocked in 18 runs a year ago, the most among returners, and hit .271 with six doubles. Morgan Modesto smacked 10 doubles in 2017 and added a home run to go with 12 RBIs.
In the circle, the Broncos welcome back Micaela Vierra who led the team with a 3.88 ERA and five wins. Vierra tossed a team-leading 97 1/3 innings and had four complete games. Aubree Kim led the team in appearances (28), starts (17), complete games (5), and strikeouts (51) while pitching 87 1/3 innings. McCall James saw action in 22 games and started 11 while going the distance four times. She threw 76 2/3 innings on the year.
Santa Clara is in the first year under head coach Lisa Dodd who was hired on June 27. Dodd spent the last five years at UNLV where she led the Rebels to 121 wins.
Under her tutelage, they had nine All-Mountain West First Team selections, including the 2014 MW Player of the Year Garie Blando. The Rebels also had six NFCA All-West Region members in Dodd's five-year tenure.
VIDEO | Hear from softball senior outfielder Ellie Fisher and head coach Lisa Dodd in this clip! Watch the full season preview video here ▶️ https://t.co/SUTFLiUQ6t #StampedeTogether #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/kK1xTE2GRW
— Santa Clara Broncos (@SCUBroncos) February 7, 2018
GAMEDAY INFORMATION |
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| Live Stats | Feb. 9 vs. UC Santa Barbara |
| Feb. 9 at Sacramento State | |
| Feb. 10 vs. UC Santa Barbara | |
| Feb. 10 vs. Cal | |
| Feb. 11 vs. Cal | |
Tickets: Season or single-game tickets are available. Click here to purchase online or contact the ticket office in Leavey Center weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. at (408) 554-4660 or BroncoTickets@scu.edu. Group discounts are also available through our ticket office sales and service consultants. Gates to the Santa Clara Softball Stadium, as well as its ticket booth, are open one hour prior to the start of the game.
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