Story and Photo by Emma Kitchell, Staff Writer
The No. 4 ranked Cypress College Softball team is off to a strong start this season, they currently have a 16-3 record and a 2-1 record as they head into Conference Play.
Coach Brad Pickler is the Head Coach for the team and is entering his 38th year of coaching at Cypress College, his main goal is to do well in the Orange Empire Conference and advance to the playoffs.
“Our main goals for this season are like they are for every season, trying to do well in our conference and try to make it to the playoffs,” said Pickler. The team has to be within the top 16 to advance. Pickler mentioned multiple times how important it is for this team to make it in the playoffs.
This squad has only lost three games since starting their season in February. According to Pickler, the team’s biggest strength is the pitching staff, “our pitching staff is throwing strikes.”
The pitching staff has not allowed a team to score more than five runs since the season started. Pickler also mentioned Freshman Pitcher Haley Tucker. Tucker has started in 15 games and currently has 14 wins. Tucker also has a total of 59 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.51.
The work ethic of this team is evident when looking at their record. “They’ve been working hard since August,” Pickler said, “They have good energy and when they have good energy, we usually do well.”
The Chargers currently have a team .285 batting average, .369 on-base percentage, and .359 slugging percentage. There are a few players to keep an eye on as well. Mickayla Galaviz is a sophomore utility player, she currently has 21 hits, 9 RBIs, and a batting average of .356. Nanea Kyle, sophomore center fielder, has 21 hits, 9 RBIs, and a batting average of .356. Carly Parmenter, a freshman outfielder, has 21 hits, 11 RBIs, and a .375 batting average.
Pickler and his team are taking this season one game at a time. With a matchup against Fullerton on Wednesday, March 19. “I look forward to all of them, but we’ve already played Fullerton last week and that’s always a good thing cause they’re our rivals, we beat them twice.”, said Pickler.
To find out more about the Softball Team, including live updates, player statistics, and more, visit the Cypress College Athletics website.
