South Coast Softball Race Expected To Be Ultra Competitive
If the non-conference start of the 2024 season is any indication, the South Coast Conference softball title race could be the most competitive in several seasons. In today's release of the 3CFCA State Top 20 Rankings, the conference featured four teams among California's elite and nearly make up half of the top 10 in the SoCal Region thus far.
While state #6-ranked Mt. San Antonio (6-4 record) is a 6-time defending conference champion, #11 El Camino (6-3) has already made some noise in knocking off 3C2A defending state champ and current #2-rated Cypress, 4-2, on Feb. 16.
The Warriors lost two close games to open the year, but have won six of its last seven. ECC has been paced by the pitching of Madilyn Radeke, who has a conference-leading 0.30 ERA and is 3-0 in the circle. She tossed a 6-hit shutout v. #12 Fullerton, limited Cypress to just one earned run and six hits in outpitching the 3CFCA State Pitcher of the Week Kaitlin Reynolds, and shut down the heavy hitting of #10-ranked Orange Coast with four relief innings of 2-hit ball in the team's 7-6 loss.
Mt. SAC (6-4) won five in a row to open the season, but ran into trouble against top-rated teams, splitting a doubleheader v. #7 West Valley, then being shut out by Orange Coast and twice by Cypress on Feb. 17. The Mounties picked up nice wins over Santiago Canyon and Fullerton in a difficult schedule. The Mounties have both the returning SCC Pitcher of the Year in Aleyna Urbina (2-3, but a 0.61 ERA) and SCC Co-Player of the Year in shortstop Janis Espinoza.
At #14, Long Beach City (6-4) looked great in blanking both Orange Coast and Citrus, but after starting the year on a 6-game win streak have since lost four in a row, including a rematch defeat v. Orange Coast and losses to Cypress, Fullerton, and San Diego Mesa. Third baseman Alejandra Mota, an All-SCC Second Team selection last year, is batting .476 with 12 RBI.
Alejandra Mota
Cerritos (5-3), last year's second place SCC finisher, is ranked #17 and has high-level wins v. Cuesta and Santiago Canyon. Rightfielder Jazmine Macias is batting .400 and leads the SCC with nine stolen bases.
One of the biggest surprises is the turnaround by Compton after a winless campaign in 2023. Compton is a remarkable 8-1 to start the year, winning eight consecutive contests. Compton's turnaround has been impressive under second-year head coach Victoria Castillo. First baseman Selena Velez is batting a team-best .500 with eight RBI.
Under a new head coach in Audriana Gutierrez, Pasadena City (3-3) has won three of its last four and has has been swinging the bat well. First baseman Monica Gutierrez, who hit a grand slam with two outs in the seventh to pull out a Lancers win at Antelope Valley, is the early SCC leader in RBI with 13 in just six games while batting .421.
LA Harbor is 2-2 in the early going and third baseman Evelyn Iniquez already has nine hits (.643).
Finally, East Los Angeles (3-5) has always given conference foes battles and rightfielder Arianna Urias is a top hitter with a .481 clip and eight RBI.
Unfortunately, Rio Hondo College was unable to field a team for the first time since joining the SCC leaving the conference at eight teams.
The 21-game, SCC schedule begins this week.
SOUTH COAST CONFERENCE SOFTBALL 2024 STATISTICAL LEADERS