May 17, 2023
From the Outside to Championship Contender, SB Improves Again
By Francisco Claudio
Success comes from the accumulation of all the previous experiences that will in return help reach your goals.
Every step, be it small, counts in your favor and will pay off in this journey.
Westcliff's softball team has gradually improved every year and in their second year in the Cal Pac Conference made it to the 2023 Championship game against No.1 Embry-Riddle.
Head Coach Vanessa Kellems spoke on the goals the team had before the season started: "Our goals were to make it into the top three of our conference and make it to championship day. We worked on winning the tournament but understand it takes baby steps as it's only our second year."
If you look at the Warriors' 2021-22 season and where they are now, they looked like a different team.
The Warriors finished the 2021-22 season with an overall record of 22-31 and a conference record of 19-13.
That earned them the third seed in the conference tournament where they were then eliminated in the quarterfinals against Simpson University.
This 2023 season, Westcliff also finished as the third seed but with an overall record of 32-20 and a conference record of 19-9.
The Warriors improved in so many facets of the game from their individual play and as a team.
In 2021-22, they scored 190 runs and had a .271 BA, .349 OBP, .354 SP, and six HRs.
This year the Warriors scored 260 runs and had a .311 BA, .374 OBP, .405 SP, and 10 HRs.
They're always improving and taking steps towards the overall goal of winning a conference championship and then getting to regionals and beyond.
"We plan to continue to grow as a team and a program in hopes to win the Cal Pac season conference and the post-season tournament," said Kellems. "Our goal in the coming season is to continue onto regionals and superior regionals."
This season will be one to remember because there were so many great individual performances from the leaders of this team and even from newcomers that continue to show lots of promise every time they step on the field.
"I would like to recognize super senior Nina Hendriks for her leadership and pitching abilities," said Kellems. "Diamond Lewis for her hot glove and bat, making a huge impact on the team.
Haley Garcia for coming in as a freshman and starting every game in the center and the No. 2 spot."
The culture has been established in this team as they head into the offseason and prepare to welcome in new recruits that look forward to being part of a championship-caliber program.
"I would tell them about the team culture we are striving to build, which will help build our team into champions," said Kellems on potential new recruits. "Even as a second-year program, we are on the right track and are looking for athletes with superior character and commitment to the team's goals."
Kellems knows that her team was close this year and that they will be back again next year.
"Our vision for the team is to keep causing mayhem and continue to shock teams," said Kellems. "I learned the team has a lot of grit and the capabilities to dig deep to fight back against opponents. I would say our resilience and energy to stay up really sets us apart."