Marymount Softball After Another Title

How do you top back-to-back 24-win seasons and two straight trips to the CIF-Southern Section finals? That is the challenge in front of the varsity softball team this spring.

The Sailors beat Pasadena La Salle to win the Division 6 championship two years ago and lost to La Salle in last year's final. Marymount has since been moved up to Division 5 and the Sailors sit at No. 8 in this week's CIF-SS Coaches' Top 10 poll despite starting the season 2-4. 

Before the team can begin to think about another section title, however, the first order of business is another Sunshine League crown. The Sailors have won four in a row and have qualified for the playoffs six straight times under head coach Dave Clark, who has already eclipsed the 100-win mark at the school.

Given that Marymount returns nine varsity lettermen and eight starters there is no reason to believe the Sailors can't extend both of those streaks. The last time the team failed to win at least a share of the league title was in 2005-06 when it went 6-6 and finished fourth in the standings. 

Leading the way for the Sailors are their two senior captains: All-CIF shortstop Megan Blank, who earned league MVP honors as a freshman and junior and has already signed a letter of intent with the University of Iowa, and 2009 CIF pitcher of the year Hayley Schultz, headed to Claremont McKenna College to study medicine.  

Another key returner is junior center fielder-pitcher Shannon O'Neill, an All-League First-Team selection as a freshman and sophomore. She had 30 hits, 12 RBIs and scored 23 runs last season.

While the Sailors lost only two players to graduation--first baseman Gina Rogari and catcher Ali Griffiths--they haven't added anyone new to the roster. However, the right-handed Schultz and left-handed O'Neill throwing from the new distance of 43 feet (instead of 40) gives Marymount a solid one-two punch in the circle.  

Rounding out the squad are junior second baseman Sarah Nuslein, sophomore infielder Meagan Rafferty, freshman first baseman-outfielder Michall Singleton, freshman catcher-third baseman Brooke Nuslein, senior third baseman-designated hitter Luisa Decarteret, sophomore outfielder Devon Bankler-Jukes and sophomore outfielder-catcher-third baseman Grace Kuhlenschmidt.

Blank is off to a blistering start at the plate, batting .647 with nine runs, 11 hits, seven RBIs and a 1.059 slugging percentage. Schultz has allowed only 10 hits and two earned runs with 25 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched and O'Neill is batting .438 with seven hits, five runs and four RBIs.  

Marymount began the season at the Palm Springs Invitational, routing Palmdale 14-0 behind Schultz' no-hitter and Blank's home run and six RBIs. The team went 2-2 at that tournament, beating North of Riverside 8-3 and losing to La Salle and La Verne Bonita.

The Sailors lost to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Mission Hills Alemany last week and travel to Manhattan Beach to take on Mira Costa on Thursday before returning home to open league next Tuesday against Ramona Convent at Penmar Park in Venice.