Wildcats Poised for Back-to-Back Championships, According to Coaches
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CALIFORNIA – The reigning CCAA softball regular-season and tournament champion Chico State Wildcats have been tabbed to again stand supreme in 2019, as voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches.
The Wildcats received unanimous selection to the top spot in the 2019 CCAA Softball Preseason Coaches Poll, earning 100 points and 10 first place votes.
Last year was a good one for the Chico State softball team. So good, in fact, that numerous school records were broken – 55 victories, a 29-game winning streak and 64 home runs propelled the Wildcats to the NCAA Championship Finals for the first time since 2002.
However, the 2019 Wildcats will be without the services of back-to-back CCAA Pitcher of the Year and second-team All-American Haley Gilham, as well as All-CCAA selections Karli Skowrup and Cyrena Taylor. Despite the losses due to matriculation, Chico State also returns an experienced core that includes a trio of All-CCAA first-teamers in Wendy Cardinali at shortstop, and outfield duo Kristin Worley and Ari Marsh. Second team pics from last season Naomi Monahan and Amanda Flores will also be back for the Wildcats.
But just because Chico State (55-5, 37-3 CCAA) is the prohibitive favorite, the No. 2 team in the voting is expected to battle neck-and-neck. Receiving the second-highest possible tally is UC San Diego (36-19, 27-13 CCAA), coming in at 91 points.
The Tritons ace and Freshman of the Year from a season ago, Robyn Wampler is on course to build from a dynamic first season in the circle where she threw a conference-best 214 strikeouts, rating 16th in the country. She’ll be joined on the diamond by classmate and fellow CCAA first-team selection Sherriah Harrington, who led the CCAA in batting average a season ago (.410), third baseman Maddy Lewis, now entering her senior campaign, and sophomore catcher and second-team pick Bobbi Aguirre. But the Tritons are sure to miss the bat and steady glove of 2018 CCAA Most Valuable Player Kelsi Maday.
Third place in the poll belongs to Stanislaus State with 75 points, followed by Cal State San Bernardino (65), Sonoma State (61) and Cal State Monterey Bay (49). With the CCAA Tournament field expanding to six teams in 2019, should the votes hold true, the Wildcats, Otters, Warriors, Coyotes, Seawolves and host Otters will converge on Seaside in May.
Looking to battle for a berth in the postseason field and nipping at the heels of Cal State Monterey Bay’s vote total is San Francisco State, just three points out of the Top 6. The Gators are followed by a tie for eighth with Cal State East Bay and Humboldt State each accumulating 38 votes. Cal State Dominguez Hills (28) and Cal State San Marcos (14) round out the preseason prognostications.
All 11 squads hit the diamond this weekend with nine teams participating in the 10th annual Desert Stinger hosted by Montana State University-Billings at Majestic Park in Las Vegas. Cal State East Bay starts the season on Saturday against Holy Names and Cal State San Marcos travels to Biola to open the 2019 slate.
After completing a 40-game conference schedule, the top six CCAA squads convene in Seaside at The Otter Sports Complex on May 2-5 for the 2019 CCAA Softball Championship Tournament, the first postseason softball event held on a CCAA campus – and outside of Stockton – since 2008. Three games will be contested on the first three days of the tournament bracket with the championship finals slated for Sunday.
| 2019 CCAA Softball Preseason Coaches’ Poll |
| Pl. |
Team |
Points (1st place votes) |
| 1. |
Chico State |
100 (10) |
| 2. |
UC San Diego |
91 (1) |
| 3. |
Stanislaus State |
75 |
| 4. |
Cal State San Bernardino |
65 |
| 5. |
Sonoma State |
61 |
| 6. |
Cal State Monterey Bay |
49 |
| 7. |
San Francisco State |
46 |
| T-8. |
Cal State East Bay |
38 |
| T-8 |
Humboldt State |
38 |
| 10. |
Cal State Dominguez Hills |
28 |
| 11. |
Cal State San Marcos |
14 |