Is this the year?

Coyotes, ranked No. 3 in CIF poll, seek first playoff berth since 2001




THIS ROOKIE CAN RAKE IT—Chloe Abrams, a freshman outfielder/designated hitter, hits the ball at practice with the Calabasas High softball team, ranked No. 3 in the CIF-Southern Section Division 4 poll. Photos by BOBBY CURTIS/Acorn Newspapers

THIS ROOKIE CAN RAKE IT—Chloe Abrams, a freshman outfielder/designated hitter, hits the ball at practice with the Calabasas High softball team, ranked No. 3 in the CIF-Southern Section Division 4 poll. Photos by BOBBY CURTIS/Acorn Newspapers

Calabasas High’s softball team can win a CIF-Southern Section Division 4 championship.

The Coyotes must first qualify for the playoffs—and that’s not as simple as it sounds.

Calabasas’ 10-game trek through the Marmonte League labyrinth begins after spring break, on April 10 at Westlake. Only the top-three teams earn automatic postseason berths.

HELLO, COLUMBUS—Calabasas senior pitcher Jessica Ross fields a ground ball at practice earlier this week. Ross signed a scholarship to play softball for Ohio State. Ross is one of the best pitchers in the area.

HELLO, COLUMBUS—Calabasas senior pitcher Jessica Ross fields a ground ball at practice earlier this week. Ross signed a scholarship to play softball for Ohio State. Ross is one of the best pitchers in the area.

On top of everything, the Coyotes face an uphill climb against history.

Calabasas, which last made the playoffs in 2001 in the Frontier League, has never made the postseason in the Marmonte.

The Coyotes, who won five of their first seven games and are ranked No. 3 in this week’s Division 4 poll, will fight history: Bring on Agoura, Newbury Park, Oaks Christian, Westlake and Thousand Oaks.

“We’re just going to play hard every single game,” Calabasas head coach Barbara Hofer said. “At this point, we know we can play with these teams.”

Calabasas features arguably the most talented pitcher-catcher battery in the area.

Jessica Ross, a senior pitcher who signed a scholarship with Ohio State, stays composed in the circle. Julia Gubner, a junior catcher, has already smashed three home runs. Gubner is also calling pitches on a full-time basis for the first time in her prep career.

The dynamic stars started playing together on a WAGS U-10 squad. Their chemistry is off the Richter scale.

Ross said being ranked by CIF is a big step forward for the team.

“It feels really good,” the pitcher said. “We’ve worked really hard, and now we’re really starting to make improvements in our game.”

Making the playoffs is the top priority, but Ross also wants to defeat one team.

“We’ve never beat Agoura since I’ve been here,” said Ross, now in her fourth year on the varsity squad. “We finally have a shot to do that this year.”

Ross is a strikeout machine who isn’t afraid to challenge the best hitters in the nation.

“This is her year to lead this team,” the skipper said of Ross. “There will be times when she’ll have to put the team on her back.”

Gubner, who wants to play softball in the Ivy League after high school, is an honors student with a 4.5 grade-point average. The third batter in the lineup belted two home runs against Oak Park and another against Canyon.

The league’s talented pitchers don’t intimidate the Coyotes.

“We have to get accustomed to their speed, but we’re a hitting team, for sure,” Gubner said. “We’ve been hitting really well.”

Gubner enjoys golfing and painting. Her brother Alex, a defensive lineman for Chaminade’s football team, signed a full scholarship to play football for the University of Montana.

There are three Nicoles in the starting infield: Nicole Naidrich at third base, Nicole Ross at shortstop and Nicole Hillman at second base.

Naidrich is a fourth-year varsity veteran. A shortstop the past three seasons, she is now occupying the hot corner, a position she’s locked down since T-ball.

Naidrich is completely committed to her teammates, whom she calls “my besties.”

“You create a bond that’s unbreakable,” she said.

Naidrich, an honors student with a 3.5 GPA, wants to study business in college and go into sports management. Her dream is to work for the New York Yankees.

Hillman, a junior, is a grinder who hustles on the diamond.

Ross, Jessica’s younger sister, started playing shortstop for Calabasas in the fall. She patrolled third base last season.

Calabasas didn’t graduate any players from last year but gained four newcomers.

Chloe Abrams is the only freshman on the roster.

Abrams, who roams the outfield, is also the team’s leadoff hitter. She hits for average and power.

“She just doesn’t get intimidated,” the coach said of Abrams.

Lulu Sanchez, a senior outfielder; Bella Echols, a sophomore pitcher/infielder; and Abby Nudell, a sophomore infielder, are the other varsity newcomers.

Morgan Jennings, a junior starter at first base, has recovered nicely from offseason hip surgery. The cleanup hitter notched All- Marmonte second team honors in 2017.

Kaitlin Rasborn, a junior, is a defensive ace in center field.

“She’s an outstanding center fielder,” Hofer said of Rasborn. “I’d put her up with anyone in the league. She’s an extremely hard worker who wants to get better on every aspect of her game every day.”

Rasborn, an honors student, is the opinion editor for the Calabasas Courier student newspaper.

Emily Lavin, a junior right fielder, is a consistent left-handed hitter with a strong arm.

Mia Medrano and Anais Larson are seniors who share playing time in left field.

Peter Dryer is a longtime assistant coach.

Calabasas captured a CIF championship in 2000. Can this team recapture the magic from the turn of the century?

“If we can get into the playoffs, we can do something,” Hofer said. “I know we can.”

The Coyotes in a nutshell

Head coach
• Barbara Hofer (19th season)
Players to watch
• Jessica Ross, senior, RHP
• Julia Gubner, junior, C
• Nicole Naidrich, senior, 3B
• Kaitlin Rasborn, junior, CF
• Morgan Jennings, junior, 1B
• Nicole Hillman, junior, 2B
• Nicole Ross, sophomore, SS
• Emily Lavin, junior, RF
• Mia Medrano, senior, LF
• Anais Larson, senior, LF
Varsity newcomers
• Lulu Sanchez, senior, OF
• Bella Echols, sophomore, P/IF
• Abby Nudell, sophomore, IF
Rookie on the radar
• Chloe Abrams, freshman, OF/DH
Marmonte League opener
• Calabasas at Westlake, 3:30 p.m. April 10