Coyotes softball in rebuilding mode

HEATHER O'QUINN/The Acorn TAKING A RIP--Cassie Marks of the Calabasas Coyotes swings away during last week's game against Newbury Park. It's been a rebuilding year for the Coyotes who have won only one game.

The Calabasas softball team won a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) championship three years ago under head coach Barbara Hofer, but the Coyotes are in a rebuilding mode this season as the team moved into the ultra-tough Marmonte League.

After a 9-0 loss vs. Newbury Park last week, Calabasas, still coached by Hofer, fell to 1-10 in league and 1-15 overall. The Coyotes did beat Moorpark, a league foe, 2-1 early in the league season, but lost vs. the Musketeers, 1-0, in a return matchup recently.

"It’s been a learning experience," Hofer said. "We’re coming into, obviously, a very high caliber league with five teams in the Top 20 in Southern California. So we’re coming into a whole different level of softball, coming from the Frontier League."

Calabasas is a relatively inexperienced team that lacks depth.

"We have one or two seniors starting and we’re going with only one pitcher," said Hofer. "So it’s a pretty young team."

Kelli Moriguchi, a junior right-handed pitcher, has helped to make the Coyotes competitive in most games. "Kelli is doing a heck of a job," Hofer said. "She’s only been pitching for two years, but she’s been keeping us in the games."

Offensively, Calabasas has struggled, according to Hofer. Defensively, she said, the Coyotes have learned a lot.

"It’s also a whole different caliber of pitching that we’re facing," Hofer said. "We’ve had a tough hitting year. So we’re taking our lumps. But we’ll get there."

Against Newbury Park, sophomore center fielder Lindsay Haig had two hits, including a double to left-center field in the bottom of the first inning and a single to right field in the third. Samantia Marder, a freshman catcher, singled following Haig in the third, but the Coyotes left both runners on base.

In the bottom of the sixth, Calabasas again put runners on first and second, when junior left fielder Cassie Radd walked and junior shortstop Rachel Segal bounced a single past third (Segal had replaced sophomore shortstop Tara Hale who was hurt on a throw to second base earlier). But again the Coyotes left two runners on base.

"Today we hit the ball pretty well," Hofer said. "We made a lot of good contact and we had a lot of people on base, which is nice to see."

The head coach said her team has faced much adversity in the field.

"We’ve had a lot of work defensively," Hofer said.

"We’ve had to face tons of different situations with base runners, and we’ve had to come up with big plays here and there. People have been hitting the ball hard at them, at times, so they’re coming away with a lot of experience."

Does the Coyote coach think her team will be more competitive next season, with most of its players back and one year of Marmonte League softball under its collective belt? "Absolutely," Hofer said. "We know what we’re up against and we know what we have to do to raise our level of play. We’re hoping to get a little pitching help for Kelli (Moriguchi), hopefully someone from the freshmen ranks."

Members of the Coyote team not already mentioned include seniors Corey Eisner and Kelli Stockton, juniors Courtney Berman and Allison Ando, sophomore Paige Seegan and freshman Cassie Marks.

"These kids know what they’re up against," Hofer said. "They know they have to work hard just to stay in these games. The girls are working hard and trying to stay positive. We’re looking to be a little bit more competitive next year and maybe surprise some people."