Giants to launch season Jan. 29 at Diablo Valley; home opener set for Feb. 14
Eds: Attached photo is of Audra Pratt
By Nick Giannandrea
COS Athletics
College of the Sequoias softball coach Cori Janelli has options again.
And that's a welcome change from last season, when the Giants' bench went one player deep and didn't include an experienced second pitcher or backup catcher.
But COS heads into its 2020 season opener -- a Jan. 29 doubleheader at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, starting at 11 a.m. -- with a 15-woman roster featuring three pitchers, two experienced catchers and a collection of players capable of playing multiple positions.
"It's kind of nice to have girls fighting for positions," Janelli said. "I don't know what to do with myself. It definitely takes some stress out of it. We don't have to worry about an injury taking out our season."
The Giants will be out to extend a streak of two consecutive Central Valley Conference titles and three straight trips to the Northern California Regional playoffs.
Janelli welcomes back three players -- outfielder Audra Pratt (Golden West), second baseman/outfielder Callie Vincent (Woodlake) and outfielder Monica Meza (Caruthers) -- off a team that went 28-16 overall, 19-2 in the CVC and reached the NorCal Super Regionals, where COS suffered a pair of 1-0 losses to then state top-ranked San Mateo.
Pratt was a first-team all-CVC selection last season when she hit .312 with nine doubles, four triples, a home run and a team second-best 34 RBIs. She is expected to patrol center field for the Giants this season.
"She was just so solid for us last season," Janelli said. "It's nice to have her back."
Vincent was one of COS' top power sources last season, when she hit .242 with six doubles, a team second-best six homers and 29 RBIs.
Meza was a reserve last season, hitting .136 in 22 at bats.
"The experience those three have is really helpful to all the freshmen we have on our squad this year," Janelli said.
The Giants feature one other sophomore in pitcher Olivia Aguigam (El Diamante), who transferred back to her hometown team after playing in 2019 at Folsom Lake, where she went 4-12 with a 5.79 ERA.
Aguigam is among the pitchers looking to replace Arianna Guzman, who tossed all but four of the 523 innings COS has played over the past two seasons.
"The other two pitchers we have are freshmen, so it's good to have someone that is experienced (at the junior college level) on the mound," Janelli said. "(Aguigam) being able to pass that knowledge on is totally beneficial to all the players."
Janelli and staff -- associate head coach Kim Artiaga and assistants Haileigh Gonzalez and Michelle Bolt -- have brought in 11 freshmen, nine of whom helped their high school teams reach the Central Section playoffs last season.
Headlining that group are Emily Ibarra (Redwood) and Maddison Servadio (Mission Oak).
Ibarra, a shortstop and pitcher, hit .340 with three home runs and 25 RBIs while logging a 1.91 ERA in 29 1/3 innings for the Division II semifinalist Rangers last season. Ibarra helped Redwood capture the D-II title in 2018.
Servadio, who is working at third base and shortstop, hit .484 with 16 doubles, three triples, two homers and 44 RBIs for the D-III quarterfinalist Hawks.
Corner infielder Felicity Morales hit .220 with three homers and 14 RBIs for a Dinuba team that reached the D-III final; second baseman/outfielder Genesis Rodriguez hit .320 with 18 RBIs for D-III semifinalist Selma; and first baseman/pitcher Alexis Garcia delivered a .398 batting average with seven doubles and 24 RBIs while going 16-11 inside the circle with a 3.15 ERA in 161 innings for D-V semifinalist Orange Cove.
COS' freshmen class also includes catcher/third baseman Madelyn Duran (Tulare Western), catcher/utility Vanessa Sandoval (Kerman), and outfielders Yennifer Gaitan (Mission Oak), Kayla Matus (Dinuba), Dominique Hernandez (Farmersville) and Samantha Points (Frazier Mountain-Lebec).
"These girls are a really good group," Janelli said. "They have come together and everyone is on board. They are happy and willing to play wherever the team needs them. And that's a huge obstacle to overcome because some girls only like to play one spot and not move around. But they are willing to do what the team needs to do to be successful."
The 11 freshmen will get battle tested early as the Giants play eight games in the season's first 11 days, including games Jan. 30 against San Joaquin Delta (1 p.m.) and Cabrillo (3 p.m.) in Aptos.
COS plays at San Jose at 3 p.m. Feb. 6, at Ohlone at 1 p.m. Feb. 7, and face Solano (10 a.m.) and Shasta (noon) on Feb. 9 in Fairfield.
"We have some really good talent," Janelli said. "It's hard to gauge exactly how good you are because you don't know until you play, but I think we can play with anyone. For these freshmen, it's a whole new experience. Everything is a little faster. So these first few games are really important for them to get a feel for the game ahead of conference."
The Giants will play nine straight road games overall before their home debut against Sierra (11 a.m.) and Gavilan (3 p.m.) on Feb. 14.
COS also hosts Chabot for a doubleheader at noon and 2 p.m. Feb. 15.
The Giants open defense of their CVC title at 2 p.m. Feb. 27 at home against Merced.