The Long Beach City College softball team made history last season, not just through its success on the field, but with the bonds that carried them there.\u00a0 The Vikings secured their first first conference championship since 2002, catapulted by a 36-4 record that placed them at No. 4 in the entire state. SCC Coach of the Year Megan Martinez considered last season to be a major accomplishment for the program.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat experience gave our players confidence in one another and reinforced the importance of trust, communication, and accountability as a group,\u201d Martinez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Martinez is most proud of how her squad came together and collectively earned the championship. She said building on that success will require maintaining team culture and ensuring that responsibilities permeate throughout the program.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re emphasizing leadership at every level, supporting one another through challenges, and committing to the daily work it takes to grow together,\u201d Martinez said.<\/p>\n
As the Vikings push for another title and go toe-to-toe with California\u2019s best, Martinez believes all aspirations hinge on team chemistry. She expects her squad to stay consistent with preparation, while competing together and develop impactful relationships both on and off the field.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Vikings return several contributors from last season\u2019s historic squad. Leading the pack is sophomore third baseman Michelle Cervantes. She\u2019s known as the team\u2019s most impactful offensive player, as she mashed .336 last season with 22 RBIs, earning her first-team all-conference honors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The San Diego native has only gotten better this past offseason, and Martinez expects Cervantes to continue to be a \u201cbig bat\u201d for LBCC this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWatch for run production and timely hitting to support the heart of the lineup,\u201d Martinez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Behind the plate, LBCC will be anchored by catcher Zara Mineo. A fellow sophomore, she hit a remarkable .368 last year while providing steady hits and opening up scoring opportunities. Mineo was also recognized all-conference, and Martinez is excited for her growth as a middle-lineup and offensive threat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is an emerging hitter,\u201d Martinez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the outfield, the Vikings return Sienna Rievley and Alesa Gonzalez, alongside Long Beach natives Mikaela Pacheco and Lela Hyphy Asi. Haleigh Jacobs is another name to watch in the infield, as she\u2019ll primarily serve at second base.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThese players earned honorable mention All-SCC and bring depth to the lineup and fielding,\u201d Martinez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While these players serve as the core returners on offense, Martinez is also excited about two infielders starting with the program this season. Nata Leomiti, a graduate of St. Anthony, takes over at first base, while Madison Fao, a San Pedro native, will play shortstop. Martinez commends these freshmen for their hitting, strength and elite defensive play.\u00a0<\/p>\n
LBCC\u2019s rotation also welcomes an influx of new talent. The Vikings\u2019 only returning starter from last season is Adalise Valenzuela, who went 9-0 with a 0.96 ERA. She\u2019ll be the frontman of a pitching staff of primarily freshmen. These include Lauren Cervantes, Ella Haugo \u2013 who also spends time at first base \u2013 and Noelie Guerrero \u2013 who also plays in the outfield.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This squad has gotten off to an 11-4 start this season with a 7-2 home record. But conference play has proven to be more difficult with the Vikings sitting at 4-4, already having double the amount of losses compared to last season\u2019s 22-2 mark.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Martinez is confident that her team\u2019s unity, strength and dedication will continue to translate on the baseball field.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we stay connected, focused, and committed to each other, we believe the results will take care of themselves,\u201d Martinez said.<\/p>\n
Projected Starting Lineup<\/p>\n
C \u2013 Zara Mineo (So.) \/ Madison Ramon (So.) \/ Itzel Diaz (So.)<\/p>\n
1B \u2013 Nata Leomiti (So.) \/ Ella Haugo (Fr.) \/ Mikaela Pacheco (So.)<\/p>\n
2B \u2013 Haleigh Jacobs (So.) \/ Alesa Gonzalez (So.)\u00a0<\/p>\n
SS \u2013 Madison Fao (Fr.)\u00a0<\/p>\n
3B \u2013 Michelle Cervantes (So.)<\/p>\n
LF \u2013 Sienna Rievley (OF) \/ Isabella Galan (So.) \/ Mikaela Pacheco (So.)\u00a0<\/p>\n
CF \u2013 Alesa Gonzalez (So.) \/ Itzel Diaz (So.)<\/p>\n
RF \u2013 \u00a0 Lela Asi (So.)<\/p>\n
P \u2013 Adalise Valenzuela (So.) \/ Lauren Cervantes (Fr.) \/\u00a0 Ella Haugo (Fr.) \/ Noelie Guerrero (Fr)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Long Beach City College softball team made history last season, not just through its success on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":211913,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[131,133,132],"class_list":["post-211912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=211912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211912\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/211913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=211912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=211912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=211912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}