Nail-biting championships, last-minute dunks, the glory of taking the title—those are the moments athletes and sports fans everywhere live for. Despite continuously being asked by breathless sports broadcasters, “How did that feel?” athletes usually struggle to come up with answers that aren’t cliché.
The Lady Bulldogs softball team is still trying to let those feelings sink in. On April 22, the team took the Western State Conference title with two major wins over Ventura at 12-2 and 10-2. Perhaps it’s hard for them to describe how they feel because it’s the first time Hancokck has had the title since 1998.
Hancock came out in the first game against the Pirates with eight Bulldogs racking up hits. According to a press release from Hancock Athletics, six of those eight batters had two hits each: Missy Regalado went two-for-three, along with Gianna Abatti; Paige Cosand, a St. Joseph High School alum, knocked a grand slam in the third inning and finished with seven RBIs that day.
With those final wins in regular season play, Hancock finished out the season 15-3 in conference and 26-13 on the season.
Head coach Scia Maumausolo couldn’t be more proud of this year’s team, calling them a refreshing group of athletes to be around.
“I think it is the most rewarding part of coaching to see the results of their hard work, sacrifice, dedication, and adjusting to adversity,” Maumausolo said.
That adversity came from being without a home field for four months while their stadium was renovated—but the wait was well worth it. The coach said their success was a collective effort of the athletic department helping the team.
“We played at Hagerman, we used the gym, the track, the pool, the shot put ring—we have been all over that campus,” Maumausolo said.
But despite this, the team made adjustments and worked with what they had. Maumausolo said, ironically enough, the team spent less time with softball and more time cross training. They swam, played basketball, and did yoga; it is something the coach said she plans to carry on next year.
“It really helped in the long run; the cross training kept them fresh and excited about playing ball,” she said.
But even away from their field, the teammates were hitting every day. The Bulldog baseball team was gracious in sharing its cages; the softball team used them for two hours every day.
“Everyone was able to hit in those cages at the same time. We spent 70 percent of our season working on offense,” Maumausolo said. “This has been the strongest offense I’ve seen since I have been at Hancock.”
It has definitely been a year of big numbers for the Bulldogs. Season stats show a team batting average of .310 with a .448 slugging percentage and 20 home runs on the season. The team also had speed on its side with a .391 on-base percentage and 103 stolen bases. Center fielder Kristine Ramos broke the team record last year for stolen bases in a season.
Last season’s softball team came painfully close to a play-off berth. But this year, Ramos said they came back with a whole different group of girls determined to reach the title.
“I felt like this team just wouldn’t stop until we got there. We have more passion and love for the game,” Ramos said.
A new face to the Bulldogs and a definitive leader for the pitching staff is Katie Chenault, who had yet another stellar game against Ventura. Chenault struck out 12 batters in five innings that day and finished the game with three RBIs. The hurler finished out her season with a tremendous 355 total strikeouts on the season.
“When Katie came in, I was pleasantly surprised with her work ethic, and being able to witness her talent get better has been great,” Maumausolo said. “She is nice and humble, but when she gets on the mound you can tell she isn’t going to give you an easy ride to first base.”
Chenault said the results of April 22 still haven’t really sunk in.
“I just took it as a normal game even though I knew that if we won, we would be champions,” she said.
A Righetti graduate, Chenault was a major contributor to the Bulldog defense while on the mound. She was named So-Cal Pitcher of the Week three times and recently earned Female Athlete of the Month from the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA). To top it all off, she was named Female Pitcher of the Year along with five of her teammates being named to All-Conference.
The freshman hurler leads the entire CCCAA with strikeouts and is in third for most wins.
With all these accolades and accomplishments floating around, it makes one wonder how Chenault keeps her head on straight. But after speaking with Chenault, it’s clear the numbers and the accomplishments don’t matter as much as her love of the game.
“I like to say that I’m doing well, but I think not talking about it a lot keeps me down because I know I need improvement,” she said.
Chenault said this season went by really fast, but was amazing nonetheless.
“I think pitching in college means something more,” Chenault said. “I told my dad it just feels like there is more drive to try harder and do better.”
Chenault has been pitching since she was 8 years old. She learned the mechanics of pitching from long-time pitching coach John Welch and took pointers from other coaches along the way, but most of her pitching was self-taught with help from her dad.
“Scia has helped my pitching a lot—she changed my wind up and saved my arm. She is very supportive,” Chenault said.
Clocked at 63 mph, Chenault said she approaches batters by going right at them. Despite her humble nature, Chenault loves being in the circle.
“I like being the center of attention in the sense I get to be in charge of dictating the game,” Chenault said. “Even if I had a bad day, my team did excellent behind me; I wouldn’t be anywhere without them.”
Chenault also doubled as a contributing hitter this season, finishing with a .380 batting average and led the team with 33 RBIs.
For Ramos, Chenault, and the rest of the Lady Bulldogs, the fact that the team had not taken a title since 1998 was in their heads—and was a driving force in their determination to win. But with regional playoffs kicking off this week, their work is not done. Both Ramos and Chenault said they are going into playoffs like any other game.
“We will continue to keep the routine and continue to work every day,” Maumausolo said. “This is an amazing group of athletes that have stayed hungry and coachable.”
Staff Writer Kristina Sewell misses playing ball! Contact her at ksewell@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in May 1-8, 2014.