Just a week after getting word she’d landed the job of Allan Hancock College’s new head softball coach, Scia
Maumausolo arrived in town with a fresh vision for rebuilding the program from the ground up.
If what she learned from playing travel ball here still holds true, she won’t have to look far for it to come into focus.
“I’d love to get out to the community, to the rec programs, and get some great, talented softball players to stay in the city and keep them right there at Hancock,” Maumausolo said. “I want to have their family and friends have great access to come watch them play often and keep that talent right there in Santa Maria, because I understand there’s a lot.”
Maumausolo should know talent when she sees it. The San Diego native was a three-time Division-I All American at Cal-State Northridge, where she made a name for herself as one of the top sluggers in the nation.
With Maumausolo as the team’s catcher and driving force, the Lady Matadors won three consecutive Western Athletic Conference titles from 1993 to 1995. In 1994, they made it all the way to the Women’s College World Series, losing to Arizona in the final.
The following year, Maumausolo became the first person in conference history to win the statistical Triple Crown, leading the conference in home runs, runs batted in, and batting average. She was also named the WAC player of the year that season.
She finished her college career holding a slew of school and WAC records, including the conference record for most career home runs (46). She was inducted into the Cal-State Northridge Hall of Fame in 2001.
“I got some nice accolades there, and I had a phenomenal time doing it,” Maumausolo said of her college experience.
After graduation, she became an assistant coach at Northridge and played professional ball during the summers. She lasted six years in the Women’s Pro Softball League—later renamed the National Pro Fastpitch League—with the Virginia Roadsters and the Florida Wahoos. She won a league championship as a member of the Wahoos in 2000.
“It was a good balance for me to get out and go play and do what I was trying to teach at the time,” Maumausolo said. “Then I’d come back and share experiences with the girls and coach. It was fun.”
With an eye on a future head-coaching job, she moved on to New Mexico Highlands University, where she helped out with the softball program and finished her master’s degree. She continued her assistant coaching experience at Palomar College in San Marcos and then Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, where she helped lead the Mounties to a California Community College championship in 2009.
Hired at Hancock to replace Angeli Guerrero, she’s the school’s first-ever full-time faculty member to coach softball.
Hancock Athletic Director Kim Ensing said she has no doubt that Maumausolo will foster a program that will enable the school’s softball players to move on to the university level.
“From everything I’ve heard and learned from being here a year in Santa Maria, the Central Coast is a hotbed of softball talent,” Ensing said. “If she has the vision to create a platform for the local community to have an outstanding softball program, I am absolutely on the same page as her.”
While being a great player doesn’t always translate to being a great coach, Ensing said, it became evident during the hiring process that Maumausolo was just what the program needed.
“It’s not all about wins and losses, but she’s obviously demonstrated success in the sport of softball,” Ensing said. “The entire department [feels] very confident in Scia and [is] very happy and excited to have her as a part of our staff.”
The Bulldogs, who begin their next season in January, have room to improve. Last season, the team finished 10-14 in the
conference and 16-27 overall.
Along with a revamped system, the team will boast more experience in 2010. Four players from last year’s Western State All-Conference team are likely to return: first-team All-Conference selection Selina Gonzalez, second-team selection Leanna Corral, and conference honorable mentions Jessica Garcia and Alyssa Ray.
Gonzalez said she wasn’t expecting the coaching switch, but hopes it will be the spark to bring the team together.
“We need to make a name for ourselves at Hancock,” Gonzalez said. “You don’t hear much about softball, and that’s what we want to change.”
Promising “big changes,” Maumausolo has already spoken to the returning sophomores and let them know she’ll be implementing a fall schedule and competitive fall training, both firsts at the school. Next, Maumausolo begins the recruiting process—watching local games and developing relationships with high-school and recreation-league coaches.
“I’m extremely excited about the challenges that lie ahead, yet I know that it’s going to be all worth it,” Maumausolo said. “I’m excited to meet everybody in the community, and hopefully we can build a program that not only the college, but the community can be really proud of and come out and support the athletes from Santa Maria.”
Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas is a softie. Contact him at jthomas@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Aug 20-27, 2009.