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Pacifica softball coach Tony Arduino directs a team with a plethora of talent and a track record of success. But the Mariners’ postseason aspirations have remained unfilled the past two springs, so he decided to make an important change.
The fourth-year coach ramped up the schedule.
Pacifica, coming off consecutive trips to the CIF-SS Division 1 quarterfinals, decided to end its absence in the Michelle Carew Classic and reentered arguably the toughest tournament in California.
Arduino didn’t stop there. He requested to play the top teams in the Savanna Showcase, which begins Saturday. The Mariners also played last weekend in a preseason tournament hosted by Premier Girls Fastpitch (PGF) and it shared the title with Orange Lutheran.
“I hope it helps prepare us for the grind of the Division 1 playoffs,” Arduino said of the schedule. “You have to be perfect in the Division 1 playoffs. We’ve learned that the last two years.”
“We will be more seasoned this year with our strength of schedule,” the coach added. “We are going to lose some games and it will be good for us. (You) learn more about your team in a loss sometimes.”
Pacifica posted a combined record of 46-9 the past two seasons but lost in the quarterfinals both years to Roosevelt. Last spring, the Mariners fell 7-6 to the Mustangs, who went on to capture the Division 1 title. The year before, it was a 5-2 loss in nine innings.
The Mariners are powered by a core group of juniors who have been together since their freshmen season. The group consists of UCLA-committed shortstop Kaniya Bragg, ace pitcher Brynne Nally, catcher Delaina Ma’ae, Cal-committed center fielder Kayli Counts and first baseman Annika Sogsti.
Senior second baseman Alysa Del Val recently committed to Oregon State.
But a key for the Mariners will be their leadership and how they respond to the adversity the tougher schedule is expected to bring. Arduino said the team will lean on its core juniors to be the leaders, starting Saturday against Esperanza and St. Anthony.
“We need to push to be better if we want to reach our goals,” Arduino said. “This fall, they did that. Now, we got to do it all season.”
NOTES
Saint Francis of Mountain View, Los Alamitos, Murrieta Mesa and Norco are the top four seeds for the Carew Classic, which starts Mach 29. Pacifica is seeded fifth, followed by Huntington Beach and Orange Lutheran. …
Huntington Beach will play in the Dave Kops Tournament of Champions, March 9-11 in Bullhead City, Ariz., for the first time under veteran coach Jeff Forsberg. ..
The Sunset League will shift to one seven-team league this season because Laguna Beach is not fielding a varsity team. The top four teams will earn automatic playoff berths. …
The CIF-SS finals will be played May 19-20 at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine and the Orange County all-star game is set for May 24.
ORANGE COUNTY PRESEASON TOP 10
1. Pacifica: The Mariners return the majority of their top players from a team that went 26-5 last season and made a second consecutive trip to the CIF-SS Division 1 quarterfinals. They’re hungry to take the next step with a core led by juniors Kaniya Bragg and Brynne Nally.
2. Orange Lutheran: The Lancers feature a dynamic duo in speedster Kai Minor and ace Brianne Weiss, a junior committed to Notre Dame. If the supporting cast emerges, look for the Lancers to again be in the mix in Division 1.
Orange Lutheran pitcher Brianne Weiss delivers a pitch against Villa Park in the second round of the CIF-SS Division1 softball playoff in Santa Ana on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
3. Los Alamitos: The Griffins return several strong hitters from their CIF Division 1 runner-up team and added defensive standout Kalie Matsuno from Cerritos to play shortstop. The question is whether an ace emerges in the circle or does Coach Rob Weil go with pitcher by committee?
4. Huntington Beach: The reigning Surf League champion has arguably the top pitcher in Orange County in Zoe Prystajko, a junior committed to Stanford. The key for the Oilers will be finding offense to help Boise State commit Sophia Knight. The addition of Marina transfer Analiah Lummus could help.
5. Mission Viejo: The reigning CIF Division 2 champion moves up to Division 1 with several several key players, including 2022 Orange County player of the year Sofia Elliott. The challenge for the Diablos will be producing enough offense to complement Elliott.
6. Esperanza: The Aztecs could be the team to beat in the Crestview League as long as they produce in the circle. It could be a committee of pitchers with Mia Sanchez and Samantha Korte and Charley Duran. The team looks strong offensively with Florida commit Taylor Shumaker and others.
Taylor Shumaker (21) of Esperanza celebrates after Sabrina Seaton (25) of Esperanza scored on a Mater Dei error on the throw to first base during the first round of the CIF-SS Division 1 softball playoffs at Fountain Valley Sports Park in Fountain Valley on Thursday, May 5, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
7. Villa Park: The Spartans begin the post-Sydney Somerndike era with some promise. Sophomore Auddrey Lira assumes the ace position after flashing plenty of potential as a freshman. The team also returns several other contributors but have questions to answer on offense.
8. JSerra: The Lions should continue their rise under Coach Katie Stith. The team returns seven starters, including junior ace Eva Hurtado. JSerra added infielder Brielle Normandin, a transfer from San Clemente who didn’t play last season. The senior is committed to Coastal Carolina.
9. Mater Dei: Coach Nicole Thomas takes the reins for the Monarchs, replacing Sean Brashear. The squad will be led by Pacific-committed pitcher Justice Alcaraz, and Thomas is excited to see which players step up to help the senior.
10. Marina: The Vikings aim to bounce back after a challenging 10-15 season. They have three talented freshmen on their roster and the return of a healthy Anaya Togia. The freshmen are twins Mia and Avi Valbuena and catcher Gabby DiBenedetto. Makayla Mathis is also a player to watch.
Also considered (listed alphabetically): Aliso Niguel, Canyon, Capistrano Valley, El Toro, Santa Margarita.