New season will begin for the Falcons softball team, During the 2016 season, Head Coach Kodee Murray led her team to a 31-14 record, a second place finished in the South Coast Conference and a number 5 seed for the post season.
They swept their first round playoff series against Southwestern, which advanced them to a Super Regional. Playing against Cypress College, the Falcons won the first game, but were defeated in the next two, effectively ending their season.
They had one player named All-State, while three others received All-Southern California recognition, the team also posted a .353 batting average and hit 36 home runs.
During Murray’s tenure, 52 of her players have received scholarships to play at the next level, which includes six players from the 2016 team.
Returning infielder Kylee Brown said, “Last season was pretty good, we were a very bonded team we had a lot of power, our defense was a really sold unit.
Brown will be making the switch from first base to second base this season.
she added, “This season we need to come together more, we have a lot more power, and a lot more communication on the field, once we start playing on the middle of the season we’re gonna be solid and nobody will stop us.”
Murray returns this year with a very solid new Falcon softball team, thinking of last year and her goals for this year she said, “Last year we ended in the super regional, the goal is always in to win the state, to do as well or better than we did last year I would say that would-be the goal.”
She went on, “We have six returners this year, we had a couple of transfer students that are a little older when they came in, we really got good balance, we got a little bit of speed, we got some power with our bats, we got three strong pitchers.”
Kinesiology major, Kimberly Olivas, returned to the Falcons softball team, this season she will be playing the same position as last year, outfielder.
She said, ” [What] I look forward to with this year’s team is making it to conferment’s champs, and hopefully getting to hang up banners up there, which we didn’t accomplished last year. This year we have more consistency at play, which is much better than last year.”
Sophomore pitcher Kristen Voller said, “We have the ability to make it all the way to finals, as soon as we come together a little bit more we’re definitely going to show it out there on the field.”
This years team is openly confident in their abilities to not only repeat the success of last season, but surpass it.
Returning outfielder Ashley Melendez said ,”Last year the team was unstoppable this year will be the same, when we [let the] playing do the talking.”
The Cerritos Falcons softball team will play the first home game of the season Tuesday Jan. 31 against Los Angeles Valley.
