There’s no such thing as a rebuilding year for the Sacramento State Hornets softball team.

Coach Kathy Strahan enters her sixteenth season with the Hornets, and hopes to improve on the team’s 20-33 record from last season.

A common goal for the Hornets is to capture a Pacific Coast Softball Conference championship.

“Winning conference is our only goal for the season,” Strahan said.

Coming off a second-place finish in last year’s conference standings, the Hornets hope to knock off defending champion Loyola Marymount.

In a preseason poll released earlier this month, voted on by the conference coaches, the Hornets were chosen to be runner-up again to the Lions of Loyola.

Of the remaining four schools in the conference, all of which had losing records last season, only Santa Clara University received a first place vote.

The Hornets have 13 returning players from last year’s squad, including seven all-conference players.

“Experience will weigh heavily for us this year,” Strahan said.

Amy Tompkins, senior shortstop, is coming off of a season where she started all of the teams 53 games and ranked fifth in the PCSC with a batting average over .400.

Terri Ann Caoagan also returns. She appeared in 18 of the teams games last year and had a .973 fielding percentage at first and third base.

With more than half of the team returning for this season, Caoagan said leadership will be the key to success.

The Hornets welcome five new players to this year’s roster, including Ashlee Adkins, Izmena Cabrera and Megan Schaefer.

“The returning class has done a good job of showing the new players the ropes,” Strahan said.

Already having two years of collegiate softball under her belt at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, Cabrera hopes to add her experience to the already stacked line up.

“I hope to bring consistency and a positive attitude to the team, and I want to help achieve the only goal the team has?to win conference,” Cabrera said.

As the season opener inches closer, Strahan was pleased with the progress the team had over the fall season.

Fall Ball serves the purpose of getting returning players back into their groove and help newcomers become familiar with the program.

“These first few weeks serve to tie-up a few loose ends before we start playing,” Caoagan said.

With a little over two full months before the team’s scheduled conference opener, the Hornets will face stiff competition in their five tournament appearances.

The Hornets will play a number of teams from premier conferences, including UC Berkeley, Ohio State, University of Oklahoma and Boston College.

Strahan hopes the team improves on its out of conference play this year, as the team finished with a 9-25 non-conference record last season.

In March the team hosts the annual Capital Classic tournament, with five colleges from all over the country competing.

The Sacramento Softball Complex, where the tournament is held, will be the home field for the Hornets as they play Princeton University, Colorado State and Ohio State.

Started in 1993, the Capital Classic has allowed the Hornets to play against tough teams without leaving the Sacramento area.

“We don’t need to travel far for tough competition,” Strahan said.

After 24 years of coaching, Strahan said it takes a lot for any team to have success.

“You need a lot of things to work for you?team chemistry and having the team stay healthy are just a few,” Strahan said. “And sometimes you just need the stars to align just right.”

The team’s first game is a doubleheader against San Jose State on Feb. 12 at Shea Stadium on the Sac State campus.

Jose Martinez can be reached at [email protected]