Joe de Ocampo

The Hornets will have a successful season due to the return of good players as well as better team chemistry.

Some returners, such as last season’s freshmen of the year Devin Caldwell and junior third-base player Emily McCormick, who was the No. 3 hitter for the team; will take leadership roles to bring the team forward.

Seeing the team practicing, I see the bonds between the players are strong, which is shown by the lines of communication with each other and the coaches.

The Hornets ended last season with a 12-8 record in the Pacific Coast Softball Conference and a 20-24 record overall. With the relationship among team members being stronger than it was last season, I say their chances of besting records are high.

Returning players such as McCormick and Alyssa Nakken, who batted .290 last season with 24 runs, exhibit strong promise. Head coach Kathy Strahan said sophomore outfielder Shannon Kaufman, who was last season’s No. 2 batter with a batting average of .317, is another player to watch make some critical plays.

Overall, the Hornets have a chance of exceeding the wins established last season, and will be more successful in the conference because the strength of the returning players and the camaraderie the team exhibits.

Joe de Ocampo can be reached at [email protected].

Jillian Kweller

Sacramento State softball is ranked third out of six teams in the Coastal Division of the Pacific Coast Softball Conference. Not too shabby, but there is obvious room for improvement.

The team lost its top pitcher Megan Schaefer last season, so it’ll be interesting to see which other pitchers step up to the plate.

There is senior Shelby Voelz and freshman Caitlin Brooks who had 12 no-hitters, 20 shutouts and 390 strikeouts her last year of high school ball.

Sacramento has an ongoing rivalry with conference matchup Loyola Marymount University. Since Loyola Marymount has noticeably higher batting averages and on-base percentages, it is not likely for Sac State to be considered a threat based solely off statistics.

The Hornets need more batting practice to keep up with outfielder Danielle Smith, LMU’s top hitter of 76 hits, compared with outfielder Shannon Kaufman, Sac State’s top hitter of 45. This does not make the upcoming season look too promising.

Sac State still has third baseman Emily McCormick who proved she can do damage on the field and at bat, leading the team in slugging percentage, RBI, home runs, total bases and successful stolen bases.

Although Sac State is not at the top of the list statistically, the freshmen should be valuable this season.

Look out for freshmen infielders Riley Price and Kaitlyn Taylor. Price had a .535 on-base percentage and .681 slugging percentage her senior year of high school and Taylor finished high school ball with an outstanding .829 slugging percentage.

With these new women coming into play, San State softball should be big contenders in the PCSC.

Jillian Kweller can be reached at [email protected].

Ryan Kuhn

Starting her second decade as head coach of the Sacramento State softball team, Kathy Strahan will have to coach one of her youngest teams ever.

The Hornets have only four seniors who include catcher Marissa Navarro and pitcher Shelby Voelz but experience might not be needed, as it is the underclassmen that might shine through.

The 2012 team will showcase a pair of sophomores in second baseman Devin Caldwell and pitcher Taylor Stroud. Caldwell led the team in batting average, hitting .328 with 14 RBIs, and on the mound, Stroud led the team in appearances, complete games, shut outs, strikeouts and innings pitched.

Along with the power bat of Emily McCormick, who led the Hornets in home runs and RBIs, the team will welcome in seven freshmen including Caitlin Brooks, who was the top high school pitcher in California in 2010. Even though her junior stats were out of this world finishing with a 0.11 ERA and 390 strikeouts, one year later she would sit out her senior season because of a broken foot.

If Brooks can stay healthy, Sac State’s pitching staff might sneak up on some schools but they will have tough competition with Loyola Marymount University and University of San Diego. Both the Lions and the Toreros had a better ERA and batting average.

My prediction for this season is the Hornets will improve their win total by six games finishing 26-18 (14-6) and have a clear shot to play for a division championship.

Ryan Kuhn can be reached at [email protected].