By Wes McCurtis
CYPRESS, CA – Cypress College softball remains the only undefeated team in the CCCAA after a convincing 10-2 (5-inning) victory at home over No. 7 Santiago Canyon College on Friday afternoon. The top-ranked Chargers are now 30-0 overall and 15-0 in Orange Empire Conference play this season.
"Honestly I'm in shock. I never thought we'd be 30-0 but I knew that we'd be good. I love this team and I'm so proud. I haven't had this much fun in a long time and this is what softball is supposed to be," said sophomore infielder Alexis Zavala. "We always come out here and never let down. We want to improve in every aspect of the game. From the starters to the bench, no matter what, everyone puts in the effort and I think that is what makes us the better team."
The leadership of the Chargers' sophomore core is evident both on and off the field, but it has been the emergence of freshman talent that has elevated this team to the next level. Freshman pitcher Destiny Vasquez (17-0) has proven to be one of the top pitchers in the state, ranking 3rd in wins (17) and ERA (1.14). Freshman shortstop Sydney McCollum leads the team in hits (49), RBI (38), AVG (.471), SLG (.712), and stolen bases (21).
Head coach Brad Pickler is no stranger to managing a team with a target on its back. In 2008 the Chargers won their first 36 games before suffering their first loss of the season. However, Cypress went on to finish 3rd in the State Championship Tournament that year. "Nobody's ever done it so I guess that's kind of a goal but it's not the end of the world. We just want to win the last game," said Coach Pickler regarding the opportunity of an undefeated season. "We're just doing it one game at a time. I didn't know we would be this good. Nobody goes undefeated. If we do we do, if we don't we don't."
Cypress softball will resume action with a non-conference doubleheader this Saturday at Palomar College. Games times are 12:00/2:00 p.m.
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