The softball team (20-6 overall, 10-4 Peninsula Athletic League) moved on to the second round of the Central Coast Section playoffs. Following a 7-3 win against Everett Alvarez (17-9-1 overall, 12-2 Mission League) in the first round of the CCS playoffs, the Dons defeated Gilroy High School (14-12 overall, 6-6 Gabilan League) 7-4 on May 20.
Although the team has an upperclassmen majority, freshmen shortstop Megan Grant and catcher Olivia DiNardo have the highest batting averages on the team.
“Because of the addition of two extremely great freshmen players, our team has improved greatly,” said junior left-fielder Elisa Jee. “Because of our closer bond as a whole, we’ve learned to communicate better which only further extended our ability to play competitively.”
The Dons have forged strong relationships with their teammates through spending time together outside of practice and doing bonding activities, such as getting food together and attending a Stanford softball game.
“We decided pretty early on that our goal as a team was to have a lot of energy on the field and to also make sure that we are making it fun for each other as well,” said senior pitcher and first base player Cassidy Trizuto. “We accomplished that by always picking each other up and cheering each other on, even if we weren’t having the best day. A lot of the times the energy on the field corresponded with how much we were enjoying the game, so when the energy picked up it became a lot more fun and exciting.”
Compared to last year, senior pitcher Holly Fletcher said the Dons have better chemistry and a greater bond on and off the field, which greatly contributed to their success as a team.
“We have two standout freshman this year, without them I’m not sure we would be doing as well, as they don’t hold themselves as young players,” she said. “With them, [and] an addition of the players came up from JV last year, we have had a really good year.”
Over the course of the Dons season, they faced their rival Hillsdale twice, winning both games. The first game against the Knights was intense, with both teams tied at 2-2 for most of the game. Ultimately, the Dons pulled ahead with a spectacular home run in the ninth inning. The second rivalry game was particularly memorable for lots of players on the team, due to the huge numbers in the audience and the fact that the game was senior night.
“We have two standout freshman this year, without them I’m not sure we would be doing as well, as they don’t hold themselves as young players”
“Our second [rivalry] game is always our biggest game, and we won 9-3. The big game is Aragon’s and Hillsdale’s senior night, and we play at the softball field located in the middle of [the two schools],” Jee said. “It’s such a big event because a lot of families and players from the San Mateo Youth Girls softball organization come, so usually we have 200 to 300 people attend each year.”
Another memorable game was against the Saint Francis Lancers, earlier in the season on March 13. With the Lancers seeded number one in CCS rankings, the Dons fought an uphill battle. In the fifth inning, the Dons were losing eight to nothing, but fought back to make the score more even.
“We were down eight to nothing, and came all the way back and lost 9-8,” said coach Roger Miller. “Even though it was a loss, it just showed we could compete with one of the top teams in the area.”
Wrapping up the season, some prospective college players are looking to play softball in the future. Fletcher will be playing Division 1 in college next year at the University of South Dakota. Grant verbally committed to the University of California, Los Angeles in eighth grade to play Division 1 as well.
The softball team also played San Mateo High School (17-5 overall, 10-4 PAL) on May 21 but this game was past the Outlook’s print deadline.
