Junior second baseman Katrina Oviedo, one of the teams leading returners, looks to help power the Cougars through a new year.
Courtesy: APU Sports Information
Going into its second season as an NCAA team, the Azusa Pacific softball team is looking forward to making an impact in its conference.
The team joined the Pacific West Conference as a Division II NCAA team last season and finished its season with a 23-24 overall record and a 12-18 conference record. The team will not have playoff eligibility in the NCAA until next year, but the squad did play a role in determining the final playoff spots by winning games against teams like Grand Canyon at the end of the season.
The team lost 11 seniors this year, leaving behind a small group of underclassmen and many holes to fill.
“It’s hard to replace 11 girls when that’s even more than a team,” head coach Carrie Webber said. “Nine of those 11 had been with us for four years, so that’s a big loss for us.”
Junior outfielder Sona Babayan said losing that many players made things noticeably different this year.
“You kind of have expectations in the beginning, but we came out strong in the preseason and showed a lot of potential and just meshed really well together and really quickly,” Babayan said.
Webber said the Cougars recruited four freshman and four transfers for the team this season.
“The loss is hard, but it also gives us the opportunity to bring in new talent and really develop the program and take it to bigger heights,” Webber said.
Webber said at the beginning of last season, the Cougars weren’t sure how the level of competition would change in the new division. They quickly found out that the competition was better and more consistent, which led to adjustments for the team. Players also felt they were at a disadvantage because they were unfamiliar with their opponents, but this season they are more prepared.
“Last year we had a lot of one-run games, and this year we’ll win a lot of those one-run games instead of losing them,” Webber said.
Babayan said that the transition to the NCAA is exciting.
“It’ll be challenging, but I think we can do really well against the teams,” Babayan said.
The strongest aspect of the team this year is the hitting, according to Webber. Last season the team collectively batted .269 with 134 RBIs. She pointed to Babayan, junior second baseman Katrina Oviedo and junior center fielder Renae Chappelle as the upperclassmen who should be big contributors to the team this season.
“We’re looking to them to really lead the team on and off the field,” Webber said.
On the pitching side, there are only three pitchers on the team this year, including sophomore Narissa Garcia, a right-handed pitcher who had a 3.65 ERA in six games last year. Webber said sophomore catcher Madison Hernandez should be strong behind the plate.
“[Hernandez] has some experience now, and she’s a sophomore so she understands the competition a little bit better,” Webber said.
Oviedo had 18 RBIs and six doubles last season. She was second on the team with a batting average of .325. She’s been with the team since her freshman year and said even though this season has been different without the seniors, the team is adjusting well.
“We have a really good foundation,” Oviedo said. “Our team is solid.”
Chappelle said her goals are to become a better hitter and leader. Last year, she only had 27 at-bats and three RBIs.
“Personally, I just really want to win,” Chappelle said. “I really want to have a winning season and to be a good leader.”
The team opens the season at 12 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 1 in Claremont against Pomona-Pitzer.
“We’re progressing how we should be at this time of the year, but we’re still pretty raw,” Webber said. “Next week we start our first game and that’ll be interesting to see, but I think we’ll do just fine.”