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Four-year seniors in (L-R) Cruz-Fernandez, McGinnis, Hua and Gulbrandsen look to end their Toro careers with a deep NCAA postseason run

Softball

2015 Softball Preview: Focusing on the Process

CARSON -- There will be much to prove for the 2015 Cal State Dominguez Hills softball team and 2nd-year head coach Kim Aggabao after the Toros posted an 8th-place finish in last year's California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings, missing the league's postseason tournament after four-consecutive trips as well as the NCAA postseason tournament after hosting the Super Regional in 2012 and 2013.

Gone from this year's squad is arguably the most lethal offensive threat in the program's history as well as five other seniors who together combined for 21 years of Division II softball experience that included four trips to the CCAA postseason, two to the NCAA West Region tournament and two to the NCAA Super Regional tournament.

Who Aggabao does return this year, however, is a solid core of upperclassmen who have emerged as leaders and who have helped this year's collection of newcomers and returners bond.

Additionally, the team boasts four 4-year seniors of eight total who will provide leadership after experience in both the CCAA and NCAA postseason.
 
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Eight seniors in (L-R) McGinnis, Mitchell, Hua, Mootry, Paiz, Cruz-Fernandez, Cardona and Gulbrandsen will compete for the final year in Cardinal and Gold

"I am excited about this team and the way they have come together," begins Aggabao. "Every year it's a different dynamic no matter how many newcomers you have or seniors you lost, and our upperclassmen have done a very good job of taking ownership and emphasizing team chemistry from the beginning.

"We have a special group of young ladies, who are smart, competitive, passionate and great teammates to each other," she continues.

"They are going to be fun to watch."

Here's a closer look at this year's Cal State Dominguez Hills softball team.

 
IN THE CIRCLE

A pair of experienced upperclasswomen will headline the pitching duties as junior Jamie Duran and senior Alicia Paiz gear up for a competitive season.  The workhorse of the staff, Duran tossed 185.0 innings as a sophomore while making 27 starts in 32 appearances, fanning 56 batters against 47 walks in the process.  The Lake Isabella native struck out a season-high 6 batters against CS Stanislaus (Feb 1) while K-ing at least four batters on four separate occasions.

Paiz, meanwhile, made 13 starts in 20 appearances in her first year as a Toro in 2014, picking up her first win over San Francisco State in which she scattered seven hits (Feb 22), one year after tossing a perfect game while at College of the Canyons en route to leading the Cougars to a Super Region berth as a sophomore.
 
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Three looks to be the magic number for the Toro pitching staff in 2015


A four-year letter-winner for the Huskies who was named MVP as a senior and junior as well as to the defensive all-league team her first two years, true freshman Alyssa Valinches will see time in the circle after four years as a scholar-athlete at Centennial HS.

"Both Jamie and Alicia gained a lot of experience in the circle last year, and they have focused on using that experience to improve and be more consistent," says Aggabao, while freshman "Alyssa will provide depth for us on the mound.

"I like what I saw from her in the fall. She's a competitor."

 
AROUND THE HORN

Despite three of the infield positions being occupied primarily by departed seniors, there will much competition amongst all infield positions this year by experienced returners.  Senior Alexandra Mootry and sophomore Analisa Nicholson will vie for time at first base, with each bringing a solid skill set.

Mootry platooned at first base with 23 starts in 28 appearances, belting her first home run as a Toro vs CS East Bay as part of a two-hit effort (March 28).  A big target at 5'11", she enjoyed three multi-hit games on the year while making just three errors in 180 total chances.

Nicholson, meanwhile, made 32 starts in 39 games played in first year as a Toro and finished 7th in the CCAA in walks, boasting a 2.5:1 walk to strikeout ratio, good for third best on the team.  A left-handed hitter, she also boasted three multi-hit games on the year with the first collegiate home run of her career coming against NW Nazarene (Feb 8).

"It's great to see them work together," says Aggabao.  "They push each other to be better."

A pair of seniors in fourth-year senior Rachel Gulbrandsen and second-year senior Carly Mitchell will compete for second base.  Primarily used as a pinch-runner in her career thus far, Gulbrandsen made eight starts in 22 games as a junior, with her first-career start coming against CS Stanislaus (Feb 1).

Mitchell appeared in 35 games with three starts last year, with her first start an opportunistic one after driving home a pair of runs in a win over Holy Names (Feb 2).

"Both cover a lot ground on defense, so we will see who can provide the most consistency at the plate," Aggabao says as a matter-of-fact.

Shortstop will be battle between senior Priscilla Cardona and true freshman Ivy Campbell.  Cardona saw just four games off the bench last year while scoring four runs, while Campbell earned four letters at Hemet HS en route to leading her team to a pair of league titles, and the CIF title as a junior.

"Ivy is just a freshman, but we saw a lot of good things from her in the fall and she really has stepped her game up," begins Aggabao, while "Priscilla is one of the hardest workers out there. She competes and it's great to see."

Sophomore Jazmyne Cortinas has locked down the hot corner after immersing herself in Aggabao's system as a redshirt last year, while freshman Alexis Viramontes also looks to provide depth at that position.

A transfer from Division I Utah Valley University, Cortinas started 41 games for the Wolverines, belting four home runs with 7 RBI as a freshman.  Situated behind the dish, the Bellflower native notched five multi-hit games and caught five would-be base stealers with her cannon arm.  Viramontes, meanwhile, was named MVP and an all-city honorable mention as a senior at St. Francis College Preparatory HS, also earning 1st-team all-league honors as a sophomore.

 
ROAMING THE OUTFIELD

Experience will be the operative word for this year's outfield, headlined by senior Alyssa Cruz-Fernandez, junior Jasmine Ruiz and sophomore Madison Murphy, all returners.

Murphy enjoyed a banner freshman campaign, finishing 19th in doubles, 20th in triples, 26th in hits and 29th in home runs in the CCAA and second on the team in BA, RBI, doubles and hits, and 4th in runs.  The Riverside native boasted 13 multi-hit efforts and 6 multi-RBI games, including three 3-hit and two 3-RBI contests.  She also put together a 7-game hit streak and slugged her first home run against San Francisco State (Feb 1).

A fourth-year senior, Cruz-Fernandez saw action in 27 games last year, all starts.  She belted her lone extra-base hit at CS San Bernardino (March 3), and made just one error in 42 chances in the outfield.  Ruiz, meanwhile, started 31 games in 36 played, boasting career best efforts in hits, home runs and RBI.  She went yard for the first time against Sonoma State (March 14) and enjoyed 6 multi-hit and 4 multi-RBI games, including a 3-hit effort vs CS Monterey Bay (April 18) and a 4-RBI game against Holy Names (Feb 2).

"Our returners all bring a lot of experience in the outfield, are great defenders and really take control out there," says Aggabao.

Two freshmen in Kara Balagey and Viramontes also will see time in the outfield, with Balagey earning 1st-team all-league honors at Bear Creek HS.

 
THE SHOT CALLERS

A pair of solid four-year seniors in Stephanie Hua and Kaci McGinnis will see the majority of time behind the plate this season.  Hua emerged as an offensive force last year, belting 5 home runs and driving in 21.  The Torrance native finished 17th in the CCAA in walks and 20th in home runs while enjoying 5 multi-hit and 5 multi-RBI contests, with a season-high 3-hit game at CS San Bernardino (March 3) and a 4-RBI contest against CS San Marcos (Feb 2).  Hua also was stellar on defense, boasting a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage while handling all 84 chances.

The other fixture behind the plate, McGinnis made 37 starts in 43 games played as a junior, boasting career bests in hits, doubles and home runs.  The Orange native went yard for the first time in her college career and made it count, belting a grand salami vs NW Nazarene (Feb 7), also driving in a season-high 4 RBI twice, against NWNU and Holy Names five days earlier.  Behind the plate, McGinnis handled all but one ball in 51 chances.

Sophomore Cortinas also may see time after her experience at Utah Valley University.

"Kaci and Stephanie both work extremely well with our pitching staff," says Aggabao.  "They call a good game and are just solid back there.

"You will also see Jazmyne Cortinas back there, as she has a great arm and overall is solid defensively."

 
THE INTANGIBLES

With the Toros opening the season on Sunday at Cal State San Marcos after being picked by the CCAA coaches to finish 8th in the annual preseason poll, Aggabao, her coaching staff and players realize there's lots of work to be done.  But despite needing to replace six seniors who finished their eligibility last year and also made up a good portion of the offense, Aggabao feels the returning players will more than make up the runs at the plate on a regular basis, as well as expand on their power strokes.

"We have a lot of capable hitters throughout the lineup, and I think we will improve in our consistency," she explains.

"Seniors Stephanie Hua, Kaci McGinnis and Alexandra Mootry, along with sophomore Jazmyne Cortinas, will provide a lot of the power for us at the plate, and we will score runs this year."

Additionally, Aggabao retooled with four freshmen recruits, whom she envisions all making significant contributions on the diamond this year with their play, team-first mentallity and work ethic.
 
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This year's freshman class (L-R): Viramontes, Valinches, Campbell, Balagey

"Our four freshman are capable of making an impact right away," she says with a smile.  "They are all hard workers and have stepped up their play to compete at the collegiate level. But more importantly, they fit in nicely into what our program is about."

"They have very bright futures and I'm excited to see them out there."

With that said, however, Aggabao also realizes that getting back to the proverbial mountaintop won't happen overnight, but rather that it is a journey which begins every day, with every drill, every at-bat, and every fielding exercise.

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"It's great to have dreams and aspirations and we remind ourselves of what we want to accomplish," she begins.  "But really, we are focused on the process.

"We are trying to get better every day, and are focused on giving 100% that day.

"We know that if we do this, we will be prepared to compete at a high level throughout the season."

 
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Players Mentioned

Priscilla Cardona

#9 Priscilla Cardona

INF
5' 1"
Senior
R/R
Jazmyne Cortinas

#4 Jazmyne Cortinas

C/3B
5' 4"
Sophomore
R/R
Alyssa Cruz-Fernandez

#10 Alyssa Cruz-Fernandez

OF
5' 3"
Senior
R/R
Jamie Duran

#6 Jamie Duran

P
5' 7"
Junior
L/L
Rachel Gulbrandsen

#7 Rachel Gulbrandsen

INF
5' 0"
Senior
R/R
Stephanie Hua

#2 Stephanie Hua

C
5' 2"
Senior
R/R
Kaci McGinnis

#16 Kaci McGinnis

C
5' 1"
Senior
R/R
Carly Mitchell

#11 Carly Mitchell

INF
5' 2"
Senior
R/R
Alexandra Mootry

#8 Alexandra Mootry

1B
5' 11"
Senior
R/R
Madison Murphy

#17 Madison Murphy

OF
5' 4"
Sophomore
L/R

Players Mentioned

Priscilla Cardona

#9 Priscilla Cardona

5' 1"
Senior
R/R
INF
Jazmyne Cortinas

#4 Jazmyne Cortinas

5' 4"
Sophomore
R/R
C/3B
Alyssa Cruz-Fernandez

#10 Alyssa Cruz-Fernandez

5' 3"
Senior
R/R
OF
Jamie Duran

#6 Jamie Duran

5' 7"
Junior
L/L
P
Rachel Gulbrandsen

#7 Rachel Gulbrandsen

5' 0"
Senior
R/R
INF
Stephanie Hua

#2 Stephanie Hua

5' 2"
Senior
R/R
C
Kaci McGinnis

#16 Kaci McGinnis

5' 1"
Senior
R/R
C
Carly Mitchell

#11 Carly Mitchell

5' 2"
Senior
R/R
INF
Alexandra Mootry

#8 Alexandra Mootry

5' 11"
Senior
R/R
1B
Madison Murphy

#17 Madison Murphy

5' 4"
Sophomore
L/R
OF