Softball set to slide into 2010

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Feb. 4, 2010) – One year after tying the school record for most wins in a season, while breaking a pair of individual season records, the Tigers return to the diamond enthused in 2010 with a renewed sense of accomplishment. Eleven student-athletes will suit up again this spring, coupled with seven incoming athletes, to make the squad the largest it has been in recent history. Occidental College softball strives to improve on the success the program has regained over the last couple of years.

Eight of the 11 players returning this season were starters last spring and two All-SCIAC recipients will be back on the field for Oxy. Senior Alyssa Escalante is a two-time Second Team All-SCIAC catcher has been the starting back-stop for the Tigers since 2007. Last season she caught all 234.2 innings for the Black and Orange and finished with a .969 fielding percentage (just four errors in 130 chances), picked off five runners and threw out four would-be base stealers. At the plate she batted .266 with 28 hits (4 2B, 5 HR), 17 BB, 26 RBIs, 14 runs. She was recognized by the conference during her freshman year as well.

Also taking the field again in 2010 will be junior shortstop Gabriela Chavez, who was a Second Team All-SCIAC recipient her freshman season. Last year she led the team in batting average (.339), runs (29), which broke a single-season Oxy record, hits (39) and stolen bases (6-for-8). She was second in total bases (45) to Escalante (47) and tied Stephanie Egan and Olympia Powell in doubles with six apiece. Egan hit at a .329 clip and drove in 16 runs while Powell posted a .263 batting average with 31 hits, including two triples, and collected 41 total bases. Egan and Powell were perfect on the base paths at 5-for-5 and 3-for-3, respectively.

Senior first baseman Alyssa Smith hit .289 last season and drew 15 walks while driving in 10 and swiping 5-for-6 stolen base attempts. In more than 300 chances in the field she finished the season with a .984 fielding percentage. In her first season of action, sophomore Tasha Serna-Gallegos drove in 14 runs for Oxy as she played second base.

The strong core of returning players, who have gained collegiate experience and established strong leadership roles, will be joined by an incoming class comprised of transfer Kristin Sullivan, a utility player from Irvine Valley College, who can play on the left side of the infield as well as in centerfield, and seven freshmen.

Also set to make immediate impacts for the Tigers are Brittany Vacura, Ashley Noone and Patricia Phillimeano. Phillimeano will compete for playing time at first base and in the outfield while the freshman pitcher-catcher tandem of Vacura and Noone are set to take the collegiate diamond for the first time.

Taking to the circle again for Oxy is sophomore Shanna Yackel, who notched a single-season Occidental record 170.2 innings of work in 2009. She recorded nine wins and started 31 times. In 34 games she struck out 62 and had a career-high 11 strike out game against Paten University.

“The mixture of returning and incoming players gives us a lot more depth than we have had in the past few years,” said head coach Jodie Cox. “Our pitching staff has grown and the combination of Brittany and Ashley will hopefully contribute to more wins for us.”

Occidental finished 2009 with a 14-23 overall record and a 3-21 SCIAC mark.

“Our goal this year is to make an impact in conference play and we feel we are in a spot with this group of athletes to make that happen.”

Occidental opens season play on Friday, Feb. 5 when they host Hope International University for a double-header beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Bell Field.