Now approaching the peak of the girls’ softball season, Luis Ventura, head coach, explains the great, steady start the girls’ are having currently. “Very strong, we are off to a three-two start,” On the performance last year, Ventura states, “We had a rough season last year, we only won two games.” Those teams performed well when it came to, “Pitching for sure, good hitting, and solid defense behind their pitching,” Ventura states.
The reason the girls’ are performing well all lies behind the methods of Ventura’s training for the girls’. “We start with daily defensive drills, then warm our pitchers up, then do some hitting off of our pitchers, and finish with me feeding soft toss along with some conditioning at the end of practice,” states Ventura. Some strong points the girls’ hold this year are pitching, and hitting this year.
Winning aside, the greatest thing about coaching softball to Ventura is, “Just seeing the girls’ improve on a day to day, game to game basis.”
Some difficult teams the girls’ will face are great all-around teams. According to Ventura, “The three best teams would be Independence, Highland, Bakersfield Christian and even Frontier.” These teams are usually, “Great all around teams, they have great pitching, hitting and defense,” Ventura states. All of these games are must watch games.
First Baseman, Emma Elizarraraz, senior, agrees that their toughest opponents will be the ones from last year. Elizarraraz claims, “They are all super competitive and really give their opponents a run for their money.” Elizzarraraz believes Highland will be the toughest team they will face later this year as they are only generally spoken good about.
Elizarraraz mentions the impact Ventura has had on the girls’. “Like coaches in the past he has helped set a good competitive mindset for the team,” claims Elizarraraz. Ventura actively pushes the girls’ in practice and drilling, ultimately strengthening the team’s mindset.
Mariah Castaneda, senior, believes last year was a big upset for the team as they did not win many games. “Last season it was hard to keep our heads up after many upsets from our league.” Practice is a big part of improving for harder and tougher opponents. Ventura has been doing a good job of, “Fixing the little things and breaking us down to the basics,” Castaneda believes. Castaneda, though, argues Bakersfield Christian will be a very difficult opponent this season. “Bakersfield Christian puts up a tough defense and strong offense,” according to Casaneda. Ultimately, Highland and Bakersfield Christian seem like they will be highly anticipated games due to the teams fierce competitiveness and skill.