WATSONVILLE — Watsonville is the defending Central Coast Section Division I champion, returns the league’s top pitcher, is undefeated in the preseason and has five players hitting over .400.
And yet, the Wildcatz still might not be considered the favorite to win the Monterey Bay League Gabilan division.
Watsonville head coach Scott Wilson said it comes with the territory.
“It’s not a secret that the MBL-Gabilan is one of the top leagues in the entire CCS,” Wilson said. “You look at the teams from top to bottom, everyone in the league has a chance right now.”
That’s not just coach-speak.
Salinas is undefeated. Notre Dame-Salinas’s lone preseason loss was to CCS Open Division semifinalist Santa Teresa. Gilroy’s only preseason defeat was against West Catholic Athletic League power Valley Christian. And defending champ San Benito, which started off the preseason 0-5, is a week removed from knocking off Open Division champ Archbishop Mitty for its first win.
Oh, and don’t forget Monterey, which graduated only three from a roster of 17, and Christopher, which has a pair of all-league first team infielders back from a playoff squad.
No game in the MBL-Gabilan will be an easy one for Watsonville.
Not even with the upgrades to what was an already formidable lineup on last year’s historic section-champion team.
Watsonville graduated a pair of starters in second baseman Liyah Lopez and centerfielder Nicole Wilson — Scott’s daughter — but has been lucky enough to fill those holes with freshman Maliyah Sandin and sophomore Jazmyne Martinez, respectively. Along with those additions, the Wildcatz have also added freshman outfielders Anastacia Alba and Maya Guerrero and freshman pitcher Daisy Ortiz.
Alba and Guerrero have already hit home runs, and Ortiz is considered the next big thing in the circle.
The rich only got richer.
“We lost a couple starters in key positions but we’ve been fortunate to have some capable incoming players that have been able to adapt into our system,” Wilson said.
Junior Juliana Wilson — Scott’s younger daughter — is back behind the plate, and mashing balls over the fence with the bat. Shortstop Savanah Quintana and third baseman Zaira Pena lead a three-player senior class, which also includes outfielder Amaya Gonzales. And pitcher Jessica Rodriguez, who is committed to NCAA Division I UNLV, is anticipated to have another big season after being named the MBL-Gabilan’s Pitcher of the Year and leading the CCS in strikeouts (253) and wins (22) in 2017.
Junior Emily Ornelas is playing first base and CCS Championship hero, sophomore Angelina Heredia, is back in the outfield.
“We have more firepower than we have had in the past but it doesn’t mean anything if we can’t execute,” Wilson said. “We’re going to have to focus. I’ve been trying to really tell the girls about how timely hitting is going to be big for us.”
Judging by the preseason results, the team has been paying attention. Quintana, Wilson, Gonzales, Rodriguez, Guerrero, Ornelas and Alba are all hitting .333 or higher through Watsonville’s 4-0 start.
Two wins have been blowouts, but the Wildcatz have had to grind out victories in the other two. Their 3-0 win over CCS Open Division runner-up St. Francis of Mountain View was a perfect example of their tried-and-true formula for success: pitching, defense and Wilson going yard.
“That’s who we are,” coach Wilson said. “That was probably the best representation of that.”
Wilson, who is committed to NCAA Division I UCF, has only improved from her monster season a year ago. She has eight hits in 13 at-bats. Four of them have been home runs and two have been doubles.
“She’s picked up right where she left off last year,” Wilson said.
Her work at catcher sets the tempo for Watsonville’s stingy defense, which has allowed just one run over its last three games.
Quintana and Pena’s speed and athleticism in the infield also provide a nice security blanket for Rodriguez, who can put up the gaudy strikeout numbers and isn’t afraid to pitch to contact with off-speed tosses.
“Sometimes our defense goes unnoticed or unseen because of [Rodriguez], but we take pride in it,” Wilson said.
Watsonville last year stunned the MBL-Gabilan by finishing second in its first season in the brutal division with an 8-4 record. It wasn’t the only surprise for the Wildcatz.
They also ran the table in the CCS D-I playoffs to capture the program’s — and county’s — first-ever section title, knocking off top-seed Pioneer and All-American pitcher Holly Azevedo, who as a freshman has a 7-0 record for nationally ranked UCLA, along the way.
There might not be a clearcut favorite in the MBL-Gabilan division this season, but Watsonville will not sneak up on anyone as it did last year. Being reigning CCS champs, might even mean they have a target on their backs.
“We’d like to get back there, we’d like to compete for a league championship, too,” Wilson said. “But we can’t win CCS if we don’t make playoffs, and in this league that’s not a guarantee. We still have to handle our business.”
PACIFIC DIVISION
Monte Vista Christian first-year head coach Shelly Chavez has one goal in mind as she steps into the lead role after serving as the assistant last season: build the program into a contender.
“We have the girls,” Chavez said.
A 1988 Aptos graduate who also starred in softball at Cabrillo College, Chavez swapped roles with former head coach Ashley Scally during offseason, and has inherited an athletic group that is missing a quartet of stars from last season.
Sophomores Drew Barragan and Marissa Angulo and juniors Holly Finn and Gianna Vanni are all not playing for various reasons.
M.V.C., which last year finished 13-10-1 overall and 6-6 in league play, is making do with what it does have on a roster of 12.
“We’ve got a small roster, but they’re all 100 percent committed,” Chavez said.
Senior catcher Sarah Kashani spearheads an eight-player senior class, which features multiple multi-sport athletes.
Among them, are Syerra Montes, Mattea Romo and Mariah Gonzalez. Montes and Romo, standouts on the school’s soccer and volleyball teams, respectively, are back on the diamond for the first time since their freshman year, and Gonzalez, who played basketball in the winter, returns to the team for the fourth season.
Juniors Sam Baer and Haley Hollingsworth also return after solid seasons in 2017. Baer is the team’s top pitcher. Hollingsworth plays in the outfield and can also fill in at first base.
“We battle and we compete,” Chavez said. “This team is like a big group of sisters.”
Pajaro Valley and North Monterey County also compete in the MBL-Pacific along with Alisal, Alvarez, North Salinas and Seaside.
The Grizzlies, under head coach Eddie Bugayong, are hunting for their first league win since the 2009 season, and will have to do it without star shortstop Madison Gil, who is now playing at Cabrillo.
The Condors, coached by Aaron Daniels, are fresh off a third-place finish behind Salinas and Alvarez. Salinas moved up to the Gabilan but Alvarez is still around and has looked dangerous through the preseason.
N.M.C., however, should be able to hold its own with three All-MBL-Pacific division First Team selections returning. Senior outfielder Nicole Garcia, senior catcher Michaela Galli and junior infielder Erica Furtado helped the Condors finish 14-8 overall and 8-4 in league action.
