The Cal Poly softball team soared to new heights this year setting several program records. While head coach Jenny Condon was pleased with the progress, she wishes the team were still out there competing.
“I think we had a great season,” Condon said. “We’re disappointed that we’re not still playing but I think the team left everything on the field.”
The Mustangs won their second Big West Conference championship in three years and made a second trip to the NCAA Division I softball tournament. Unlike two years ago, when Cal Poly was dominated and swept out of the regional, this year the Mustangs were able to cause some damage — winning two games and reaching the regional final before ultimately falling to national-seed and regional-host Stanford 4-0 on May 17.
“We came to play every day,” Condon said of her team’s effort. “We were consistent all year long. I couldn’t have asked anything more of my players. It was a good season and it was good to get some postseason wins.”
Condon’s team will lose five seniors off an already small 14-player roster including shortstop Melissa Pura who leaves Cal Poly as possibly the most accomplished player in program history. She leaves as Cal Poly’s career leader for home runs (34), RBI (135) and slugging percentage (.583).
The left side of the infield will be revamped next season as second baseman Stephanie Tam and third baseman Cristen Lee also ended their Cal Poly careers last month.
“Our seniors did so much to help build this program and send us out on a winning note,” Condon said. “It’s given us a big springboard towards next year.”
She admitted that the team looked a little small during their last meeting without the five seniors, leaving just nine players and the coaching staff but Condon is looking forward to the arrival of several key freshmen in the fall.
Included in the recruits is pitcher Rebecca Patton, who struck out 275 hitters in 184 innings of work and posted a 0.42 ERA as a junior at Granada Hills Charter High School.
She was nearly as strong in her sophomore season, where she was named Most Valuable Player of the West Valley League after compiling a 0.71 ERA and 271 strikeouts against just 20 walks.
Condon said that the team would take a hit from the loss of so many key players but she was optimistic that the team would continue to improve.
“We’re definitely going to feel the loss of our five seniors,” Condon admitted. “They’ve contributed so much to this team and this program. But we’ve got some great talent coming in.”
Patton will join a pitching staff that returns Big West Pitcher of the Year Anna Cahn and Helen Pena. Cahn, who led all Big West pitchers with 27 victories, ranked second with 151 strikeouts and third with a 1.71 ERA and a .223 opposing batting average during the regular season, holds program records for wins (28) and innings pitched (252.2) in a single-season.
“We’re going to have a different look next year,” Condon said. “It’s not going to be just Anna and Helen. We’ve got two freshman pitchers coming in and we’re going to have a situation like we did with (senior pitcher and utility player) Jenna Maiden. If we don’t need a pitcher and we let her progress then that’s great.”
While the team will remain relatively small next season compared to many 25-player rosters around the country, Condon said that the atmosphere created by such a tight-knit group helped Cal Poly perform at a higher level.
“Everyone loved showing up to the field every day,” Condon said. “That’s something special and that doesn’t come along very often. So when everyone’s doing it, I love my job. I love coming to work everyday to that kind of attitude and atmosphere.”