2014 Softball Preview: A Call to Arms

All-Region slugger Brittany Brenner (L) and All-American slugger Adriana Sanchez will look to lead the offensive charge in 2014

CARSON -- There will be a few question marks as the 2014 season nears for the Cal State Dominguez Hills softball program after the Toros hosted consecutive NCAA West Super Regionals, only to fall to a pair of perennial California Collegiate Athletic Association powers in UC San Diego in 2012 and Humboldt State last year.

Not only did the Toros lose two all-world pitchers in four-year seniors Stephanie Jimenez and Lauren Harper -- who combined for a pair of All-America awards, four All-Region honors, a Region Pitcher of the Year nod and three All-CCAA accolades -- they also bade farewell to five other seniors with two more being the four-year variety in addition to the pitching duo, as well as the program's winningest head coach in Jim Maier.

What the 2014 team does have, however, is a CCAA veteran in first-year head coach Kim Aggabao -- who competed at UC San Diego for four years -- as well as two-time All-American slugger Adriana Sanchez, who was amongst the top two in all offensive categories in the CCAA last year while setting the CSUDH single-season record with 20 home runs.

Add All-Region senior Brittany Brenner to the mix, and head coach Aggabao likes the pieces of the puzzle she has, as well as the standard she and the team hold themselves to.

"Our team has very high expectations of itself, and we hold ourselves to high standards," begins Aggabao of the squad she's begun to mold into the team she thought she would have when she was hired in September. "We have what it takes to accomplish some great things this season, but it's important for us to take it one game at a time.

"They are an energetic, hard-working group of young women who are passionate about what they do, and if we focus on getting better every day, we will be where we are supposed to be at the end of the year."

Here's a closer look at who will help the Toros get there this year.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP

Adriana Sanchez re-defined the lead-off position in a prolific 2013 campaign that saw her enjoy one of the most offensive years in Toro history. The San Fernando Valley native earned 2nd-team Daktronics All-American and 2nd-team NFCA All-America honors in a banner debut year for the Toros after picking up a pair of 1st-team All-Region nods and a 2nd-team All-CCAA honor. She set the school single-season records for at-bats, BA, SLG%, hits, and home runs, and needs 9 home runs entering 2014 to set the CSUDH career mark.

Sanchez also led the CCAA in hits, and finished 2nd in the league in BA, runs, RBI, total bases and home runs and enjoyed 26 multi-hit and 17 multi-RBI efforts, with a 5-hit, 6-RBI effort coming against Simon Fraser (Feb 8).

"I love talking hitting with her, what she's feeling, seeing, pitch selection, you name it," Aggabao begins of her top hitter, and one of the best in the league. "She has a very good understanding of the game and ranks very high among the hitters I have been able to coach."

Five other seniors return for their final go as a Toro, including four who will conclude their fourth year in Cardinal and Gold.

Brittany Brenner anchors that group after being named a Daktronics 2nd-team All-Region and honorable mention All-CCAA selection after starting 59 of 60 games played. The Rancho Cucamonga native enjoyed 12 multi-hit and seven multi-RBI efforts, including a 6-hit performance vs. Simon Fraser to set the CSUDH record for most hits in a game (Feb 8).

Brenner, who will complete her fourth and final year as a Toro in 2014, finished 3rd on the team in at bats and also finished in the top five on the team in multiple hitting categories, including 5th in SLG% at .458.

One of the most enjoyable Toros to ever don the Cardinal and Gold, four-year senior Veronica Vazquez saw action in 57 games last season, all at 2nd base. The Carson native enjoyed 6 multi-hit efforts, including a pair of games with 3 hits, as well as 4 multi-RBI performances, with one 3-RBI effort. She also scored 16 runs and tallied 44 hits, including her lone bomb of the year coming against Western New Mexico (Feb 8).

"Brittany is a fireball and I love the energy she brings on the field," begins Aggabao. "She can catch, play infield, and really swings the bat well. She'll be fun to watch."

Vazquez, meanwhile, has "worked extremely hard to get back on the field and looks like she's never missed a beat. I am very excited about what she is able to bring to the team."

Overshadowed by the Jimenez/Harper duo the past three seasons, senior pitcher Karen Peterson will be given a chance to show what she's made of after making 11 appearances last year and earning her lone win of the year against Cal State East Bay, tossing 3.1 innings of work with just one run allowed.

The final fourth-year senior, Elizabeth Jimenez will look to earn a starting spot after seeing action in 17 games as junior, with eight starts. The Norwalk native enjoyed her best game of the season vs. Chico State, smacking a pair of hits with a run scored and 10 putouts (Feb 16).

"Karen will be one of our leaders in the circle," says Aggabao. "I like the way she competes and that she wants the ball." Jimenez, meanwhile, "is tough as nails and is such a pleasure to work with day in and day out.

"She plays a very good third base and can swing the bat, too."

Third-year outfielder Catherine Brown is the final senior on the squad, but definitely not the least. A slapper, the San Diego native started 43 of 55 games played while enjoying seven multi-hit games, including a 2-run, 3-hit effort against Hawai'i Hilo (April 6), finishing third on the team with a .403 on-base percentage.

"Catherine will provide depth for us in the outfield, and can play all outfield positions," glows Aggabao. "She can really run down a ball out there and has a lot of tools offensively to help us, too.

"I'm excited about the leadership and experience our senior class provides. We will look to them to provide that leadership throughout the year."

IN THE CIRCLE

Returning Toros in senior Karen Peterson and sophomore Jamie Duran will be counted upon to take over the pitching duties after the graduations of both Stephanie Jimenez and Lauren Harper, who concluded their respective four-year runs with consecutive trips to the NCAA Super Regional that included the 2012 campaign coming within one victory of advancing to the College World Series for the first time in program history.

Peterson made 11 appearances last year for a total of 12.1 innings pitched, allowing 12 hits and no earned runs on the year for a perfect 0.00 ERA. In fact, Peterson allowed just one extra base hit and picked up her lone win at CS East Bay on April 12, scattering 6 hits in 3.1 innings of work in the 5-3 win.

Southpaw Duran, meanwhile, made one appearance last year in the circle, tossing a perfect inning of work with two strikeouts against Colorado Mines on February 9, while appearing in 48 total contests last year with 19 starts, the majority coming in left field.

"There's no question we are a different team than last year after Stephanie Jimenez and Lauren Harper achieved amazing things as Toros," begins Aggabao, as a matter-of-fact. "But I'm excited for the opportunities that pitchers Jamie Duran and Karen Peterson will have on the mound for us this season as both move the ball well and mix speeds to keep hitters off balance."

POSITION PLAYERS

Depth is the operative word for this year's squad, with the entire roster capable of earning a starting spot.

With Sanchez and Jimenez locking down the left side of the infield, the right side of the infield should continue to see stiff competition throughout the season as returners Vazquez and Rachel Gulbrandsen, and newcomers Carly Mitchell and Priscilla Cardona vie for time at second base, and the opportunity to throw to first base where transfer Alexandra Mootry and freshman Analisa Nicholson will hold their own competition for playing time.

In the outfield, look for returners in senior Brown, junior Alyssa Cruz-Fernandez and sophomore Jasmine Ruiz to roam the green grass in front of the 200 foot fence, with junior newcomer Lauren Hanna and freshmen newcomers Madison Murphy and Amanda Vallejo pushing the trio throughout the year.

Cruz-Fernandez saw action in 55 games with 38 starts last season, belting her lone home run of the year against UC San Diego in mid-March, while Ruiz appeared in 31 games with 15 starts, smacking her first collegiate hit and RBI vs Montana State Billings (Feb 10) before enjoying her best game of the season vs CS East Bay, scoring twice with two hits including a double and RBI (April 13).

Behind the dish, coach Aggabao enjoys having a choice between three quality catchers, with any being more than capable of starting.

In addition to Brenner, juniors Kaci McGinnis and Stephanie Hua give Aggabao three solid defenders who potentially have a lot of power.

McGinnis made 42 starts in 46 games played last year, tallying 8 multi-hit and 3 multi-RBI efforts, with 3 hits twice and 3 RBI once en route to finishing 25th in the CCAA in doubles. The Orange native boasted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage behind the plate and smacked 35 hits with seven doubles, good for a .311 slugging percentage.

Hua, meanwhile, saw action in 20 games with 17 starts and enjoyed 3 multi-RBI and 2 multi-hit efforts en route to posting the 2nd-best BA (.319), slugging percentage (.532) and OB% (.411) on the squad. She also belted two home runs on the year, including a 3-run shot vs CSUSB (Mar 2) as part of a 7-run blowout to defeat the Coyotes, 10-0.

"We have three quality catchers. All three can start at any time," she begins. "They will make it tough on us coaches to decide who starts, but it's a good problem to have.

"It has been good to see them all push each other to get better."

NEW FACES

With eight new faces donning Cardinal and Gold for the first time this year, the major goal during the fall was meshing the newcomers with the returners, and getting everyone on the same page. And get them on the same page coach Aggabao did, which included a welcome dinner, trips to the LA Food Bank and a trio of fall scrimmages to help solidify the camaraderie that sometimes eludes teams with a lot of newcomers.

"This year's incoming class is great. Our assistant coach Katie Garcia did a wonderful job recruiting and bringing in these quality student-athletes," begins Aggabao.

"I am really proud of our players for taking accountability to come together as a team, and I have seen a lot of growth from when we first started in September.

"Our team understands that every player, no matter what year they are or how many years on the team they have, has a responsibility to be a great teammate and do what is right."

Two newcomers in particular in junior transfer Alexandra Mootry and freshman Madison Murphy enjoyed a very good fall season, and "are poised to make an impact right away for us."

AS GOOD AS THEY GET

Speaking of Garcia, the fourth-year assistant coach who earned her Master's in Education from CSUDH in May 2013, has been a tremendous asset in the transitioning of new head coach Kim Aggabao.

Having completed her own four-year run as Toro outfielder who earned four All-CCAA selections before helping two of former head coach Jim Maier's squads to CCAA and NCAA postseason play, including consecutive years of hosting NCAA Super Regionals, Garcia knows what it takes to be a Toro, and what it takes to win.

"My transition to Dominguez Hills has gone smoothly, and I attribute a lot of that to Katie," begins Aggabao.

"She does so much behind the scenes work that she doesn't get credit for. If it weren't for her, we would be way behind schedule.

"Our chemistry as a staff has been wonderful. I feel like we've been coaching together for several years."

THE INTANGIBLES

Coming in to lead a new team in a new town, Aggabao has grabbed the proverbial bull by its horns, and taken charge of her team from the get-go.

"I love the way we compete." says Aggabao with a smile, "We have a lot of great tools in all areas. Our focus this year is to stay in the present and not get ahead of ourselves.

"We have worked very hard on taking it one game at a time and one pitch at a time, and while it's obviously a lot easier said than done, I like what I have seen from the team in this area so far."

FINAL THOUGHTS

With the season just a few days away, coach Aggabao has trouble containing her noticeable excitement.

Business-like, but with a perpetual smile on her face, she realizes the potential this team has and knows the goals and rewards it can attain with continued hard work.

Led by Sanchez and Brenner, who have the potential to repeat as All-CCAA selections, Aggabao notes that others including Vazquez, McGinnis, Hua and Duran have shined during the fall season, and could lead the charge for other Toros attaining post-season honors.

Regardless of any awards earned, however, Aggabao appreciates the work her team has put in thus far, and knows it's only the beginning.

"It's an exciting time for Toros softball," she says optimistically. "The team has been working hard in preparation for the upcoming season."

Recently revealed to finish 6th in a CCAA preseason poll surveyed amongst the league's head coaches, that does little to dissuade Aggabao from keeping her optimism at a high level.

"We have a great schedule," she concludes. "We play in a very tough conference, and we are looking forward to the challenges ahead of us."

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2014 Softball Preview: A Call to Arms