2008 Softball Season in Review:  Turning the Corner
By Kyle Trembley

On April 19^th, 2008 Cal State San Marcos Softball officially arrived.  Granted, the squad had already been ranked as high as #20 in the nation, earning numerous big wins in the process.  This, however, was different.  CSUSM was hosting California Baptist – the #1 ranked team in the nation with a 46-4 record, a team batting average over .350 and an ERA under 1.50.  As far as college softball goes, that’s about as “invincible” as a team can get.

But the Cougars were undeterred, and despite featuring just one senior, CSUSM stayed remarkably composed.  Led by ace pitcher Melissa Lerno, who threw nine innings of two-hit shutout ball, the Cougars and the Lancers took a scoreless tie into extra innings.  Finally in the ninth, freshman shortstop Shanti Poston chopped a bases-loaded loaded single through the infield, and Karen Morizi crossed the plate with the winning run. 

It was the highlight of the 2008 season, as well as the short history of softball at Cal State San Marcos.  It was also a win that, if you had asked her before the season, first-year head coach Kelly Warren could have only dreamed of.

Kelly Warren was one of the best players in the long and storied history of UCLA softball.  A two-time All-American second baseman, Warren (then Kelly Howard) graduated holding the school’s career records for hits, runs and doubles.  She immediately moved into coaching, first as an assistant for UCLA in 1997, and eventually as the Associate Head Softball Coach at San Diego State, a position she held from 2000 to 2006.

On that staff, Warren worked with Jennifer Milo, a fellow Aztec assistant coach.  In 2006, Milo accepted the head coach position at the newly-created Cal State San Marcos program.  A very accomplished softball player herself, Milo recruited a talented but (predictably) very young group of student-athletes to form CSUSM’s inaugural softball team.  Playing their home games at nearby Mission Hills High School, the squad showed flashes of brilliance, but injuries and inexperience led to a 10-31 record on the season.

When Milo accepted the Associate Athletics Director position at CSUSM following the season, Warren topped the University’s list of potential replacements.  For Warren , the job represented a perfect opportunity.

“I was at a point in my career where I knew I wanted to be a head coach,” said Warren.  “I really enjoy working with collegiate athletes.”

Warren entered her first head coaching job with the expectation of it being a learning experience, and hoping to improve the team’s record, even if only by one game.

But when the season started, it quickly became apparent that CSUSM’s record would improve by a lot more than that.  The team gelled immediately, with gifted returning athletes like Lerno and second baseman Erica Coelho developing into outstanding players, and new recruits like Shanti Poston, Lauren Nelson, and Brenna Sandberg shoring up the lineup and pitching staff.  CSUSM finished the regular season 27-17, earning its first ever trip to the Regional Playoffs.

Though the Cougars fell on day one of the playoffs - albeit only after giving Cal Baptist all it could handle in a tightly-played 2-0 rematch - the season as a whole was nothing short of a breakthrough for CSUSM softball.  Going into the year, there was little doubt that the program was eventually going to be very good – but to improve by 17 wins in a single season is exceptional, and the question is not why the turnaround happened, but why it happened so soon.

The obvious answer is that this team is just really good.  Cougar softball has the talent to compete with anyone in the NAIA, as proven in the games against Cal Baptist and other highly-ranked opponents.  It starts with Lerno, who after her junior season has established herself as one of the top pitchers in the nation.  Her stat line speaks for itself:  11-6, 1.05 ERA, 106.1 innings pitched, 11 complete games, 4 shutouts, 101 strikeouts, 35 walks.  She struck out 13 hitters against Dominican U., and threw a no-hitter against Avila.  But beyond that, Lerno embraced her role as a team leader this season, and committed to bettering all aspects of her game.

“Mel was continuously working on improving her mental game,” commented Coach Warren.  “I’ve never seen an athlete, let alone a pitcher, take so much information and immediately be able to apply it.”

Lerno set the tone for what turned out to be a dominant pitching staff.  Freshman Brenna Sandberg stepped right in and did an excellent, consistent job all season.  While not overpowering like Lerno, Sandberg is a true ‘pitcher,’ mixing her pitches and understanding how to get hitters out.  “She has control and confidence; she mixes speeds and spins the ball well,” noted Coach Warren.  “She’s only scratched the surface of what she’s capable of accomplishing in her collegiate softball career.”

Sandberg finished the season with a 9-7 record and 2.18 ERA in 102.2 innings pitched.  Fellow freshman Ashley Salvino also made her mark in limited action, tossing a no-hitter against Bethany, and finishing the year with a 1.04 ERA in 53.2 innings pitched.  Chanel Rose contributed as well, going 3-2, including a shutout against Northwest Christian.

The emergence and poise of the three freshmen helped Lerno, who last season had to carry the staff.  As a team in 2008, the Cougars sported a very low 1.76 ERA – down nearly three full runs from a season ago.

Of course, pitching is only half the story, and the Cougar lineup was much improved as well.  While the field at Mission Hills High is laughably tough on hitters - not a single home run was hit there all season – CSUSM still managed to post decent hitting numbers. 

Erica Coelho led the way, and was one of the pillars of CSUSM’s lineup.  She started all 44 games, playing solid defense at second base and providing a major top-of-the-lineup presence.  Coelho, a sophomore, hit .315 on the year, slugging a team-leading .465 and tying for the team lead with 18 RBI.  Perhaps most impressively, Coelho struck out just three times all season.  At the Sun West Tournament, she crushed two home runs against the University of St. Thomas, indicating that her numbers would be even gaudier if she played in a hitter-friendly home park. 

Along with Coelho, other returning hitters made big contributions as well.  Senior Leilani Madrigal provided veteran leadership, and a .280 batting average while playing good defense in left field.  Elizabeth Bush, last year’s lone CSUSM All-Region selection, scored 19 runs and held down the leadoff spot for much of the season.  Holly Russell scored 16 runs and drove in 12 while making 31 starts.  Lindsey Preovolos, Aly Brown, Tasha Stokes, and Malarie Barnard all provided depth and support off the bench.  And Melissa Lerno was a key to the Cougar offense, starting at first base when she wasn’t on the mound and tallying a .304 average with 15 RBI and a home run.

The freshmen proved to be huge.  New addition Mimi Krutein provided a lot of pop, hitting .340 while playing positions all over the field.  She earned the Coaches’ Award not just for prowess on the field, but for her loud and ever-present encouragement of teammates from the dugout.  Shanti Poston was a cornerstone of the Cougar defense, starting every game at shortstop, and tallying 14 RBI at the plate as well.  Lauren Nelson joined her on the left side of the diamond, starting 31 games at third base, scoring 14 runs and driving in 12.  First baseman Marly Barth served as one of the team’s main power hitters, tallying 6 doubles and tying for the team lead with 18 RBI.  Lise Leibl, Nicolette Nassif, and Karen Morizi provided speed, putting pressure on opposing defenses and getting on base any way possible.  Leibl hit a cool .311 on the year, earning a lot of playing time as the season progressed; Nassif led the team with 7 steals, and Morizi scored 13 runs despite making just 10 starts.  Catcher Kimi Villalpando earned playing time late in the year thanks to her solid defense, and infielder Kelcy Lewis provided depth from the bench.  “I was extremely comfortable knowing that if anyone in the infield went down,” remarked Warren, “that Kelcy would step up and not miss a beat.”

In total, CSUSM outscored its opponents by 61 runs on the season, with Lerno and Coelho earning spots on the All-Region team. 

But while the high talent level obviously played a big role, the team’s success would not have been so overwhelming if not for the players’ personalities and commitment to the team.

“The willingness of the athletes to work together and listen was so important,” said Coach Warren.  “They began to believe more and more as the season went on.”

The seed for that confidence was planted in the team’s very first pair of games.  Facing #19 Biola University, the Cougars played them toe-to-toe, taking a tight 6-4 loss in game one before pulling off a 2-1 upset in game two. 

“Nobody expected us to be competitive with them,” noted Warren. 

With their confidence growing, the Cougars were able to not only play the top teams close, but dominate the weaker teams.  At the Sun West Tournament, CSUSM posted a perfect 6-0 record, outscoring its opponents 42-10.  The Cougars went on to knock the University of San Diego, an NCAA D1-A school, with Sandberg on the mound; and of course pull the big upset of Cal Baptist.

As the season went on, it became apparent that CSUSM was in the hunt for a playoff spot.  Just four teams in Region II make the Regional Playoffs, and generally all four come from the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC).  The Cougars, however, asserted their dominance over the GSAC schools on the bubble, going 4-0 against Azusa Pacific and 3-1 against Hope International.  A season-ending sweep of Hope International on April 22^nd sealed the deal on CSUSM’s first ever playoff bid.

So the success of CSUSM can really be attributed to the convergence of talent, a positive attitude, and confidence – to go along with an excellent performance from the Cougar coaching staff.  Warren, along with assistant coaches Jamie Burton and Tanya Ledesma, facilitated the team’s newfound winning culture, and kept everyone smiling.  Warren also instilled a sense of on-field aggressiveness in the team, often forcing the issue by calling for unconventional suicide squeezes and hit-and-runs.

“If you want to score a lot of runs, you have to take chances,” commented Warren.

Case-in-point:  April 12^th against Concordia.  Having already lost game one of this important double-header, CSUSM took the plate in the seventh inning of game two tied 2-2.  Leilani Madrigal led off with a huge double, meaning CSUSM had three outs to get her from second to home to win the game.  Warren called for a bunt, but it was popped out for out number one.  The next batter, Holly Russell, lined a single to left to advance Madrigal to third.  With the team’s best hitter, Erica Coelho, at the plate, and with one bunt having already failed, Concordia assumed Coelho would be swinging away and kept its corner infielders back.  But Warren noticed, and didn’t hesitate in making the call for a do-or-die suicide squeeze.  Coelho laid down a perfect bunt, and Madrigal slid into home with the game-winning run.

It was plays like that which came to define this season for CSUSM.  It’s also important to note that despite the massive improvement in play from last season, this was still a very young team.  The squad featured 11 freshmen (nearly half the roster), with Madrigal as its only senior; meaning that the vast majority of this team will have a year to grow and come back even stronger in 2009.  And Madrigal will be a part of that team as well:  she’s accepted a position as a graduate assistant.

Warren and her staff have already parlayed 2008’s success into a few recruiting coups.  With so many returning athletes, the staff was free to focus on quality over quantity, and has secured three impact players for next year’s team.  Ashley Estepa, a utility player from Westview High, has a well-rounded game and will battle for a starting spot at numerous positions.  Sierra Ashman, a flame throwing lefty and five-tool outfielder, has committed to CSUSM after an injury knocked her off the radar of many NCAA D1 schools.  And Alyssa Dronenberg, who hit .500 with plenty of power this year at Helix High, will provide a huge middle-of-the-order bat for the Cougars.  “If anyone can hit it over the fence at Mission Hills, it’s Alyssa,” chuckled Warren.

Entering next year, then, perhaps the biggest challenge for Warren and her staff is keeping everyone in the same mindset as this season.  CSUSM will very likely enter the season ranked in the top-25, but Warren is already taking precautions against setting the team’s sights too high.

“I’m trying not to put too much pressure on the team,” she says.  “I want to create the same atmosphere and aggressiveness we had this year.  But it’s hard not to have real expectations of success.”