SANTA CLARA, Calif. – After a 2020 season that was cut short, Santa Clara softball returns to action with a pair of games against Stanford. The teams will play in Palo Alto Sunday at 1 p.m. and again Tuesday in Santa Clara at 4 p.m.

"It's a commonly used phrase, 'play each game like it's your last, because you never know when it might actually be'", Santa Clara head coach Gina Carbonatto said. "We all feel that and are excited to carry that mentality into this season. We are excited about taking advantage of all our opportunities, whatever they may be, and we won't be sure of what they are until they are put in front of us. I'm passionate about the growth of this group of players and program. We have important steps to take this year to put ourselves in position to build on the momentum we started with last year and take it into the future."

THE BRONCOS
Santa Clara hit .285 as a team a season ago with a .355 on-base percentage. The Broncos smacked 30 doubles, two triples, and three home runs while scoring 102 runs.

"I'm extremely proud of the players for their genuine care of each other, this program, the University and our community," Carbonatto said. "We are a very united team that thru adversity has shown a ton of heart and perseverance. As a team, I'm impressed at how well we took advantage of our learning phase of the game during the fall on Zoom. Going into our first game of 2021, there are some facets of the game that this team is better prepared for than any team I've ever coached. And in other facets I believe we will grow throughout pre-season and use these nonconference games to get ourselves in a great position to compete at a high level in our WCC play."

Ashley Trierweiler, who was named Preseason All-West Coast Conference, led the team with a .409 batting average and eight stolen bases in as many attempts. She also added five doubles, nine RBIs, and 20 runs scored. Emma Bickford batted .304 with a team best eight doubles and 21 RBIS. She hit a home run and scored 13 runs.

Regan Dias was having a terrific season at the plate and in the circle before going down with an injury. In the batter's box, Dias hit .350 with two doubles, a home run, three RBIs, and three runs scored in seven games. In the circle, she tossed 20 innings over four games, including two starts. Dias had two complete games and one shutout while posting a 1.05 ERA and a 3-0 record.

"I'm confident the connections between our returners and rookies will result in success for the team this year," Carbonatto said. "We have a large group of talented rookies that will have many opportunities to perform. I cannot wait for them to get in the Bronco red and white and play the game they love. We've waited a long time for this moment, I trust they will enjoy the ride!"

THE CARDINAL
Stanford was 22-4 in 2020 and hit .325 as a team with a .398 OBP and a .491 slugging percentage.

Taylor Gindlesperger led the team with a .402 average and 24 RBIS while tying for the team lead with 26 runs scored. Teaghan Cowles hit .390 with a team best 15 stolen bases in 16 tries and also scored 26 runs. Emily Schultz (.373), Kristina Inouye (.343), and Kaitlyn Lim (.338) all batted over .300.

In the circle, the Cardinal posted a 1.51 team ERA, led by a 0.85 mark from Tatum Boyd in 57 1/3 innings. Boyd went 7-0 with three complete games and a shutout. Alana Vawter was 9-1 with a 1.48 ERA and four shutouts while fanning 52 in 61 1/3 innings. Maddy Dwyer tossed 29 innings with a 1.93 ERA.

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