Pirates return to postseason and will host Bakersfield in Regional series

COSTA MESA -- The "fun" part of the grueling 2024 season can now begin as the Orange Coast College softball team returns to the postseason and will host Bakersfield College in the opening round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs, beginning on Friday at the Pirate Softball Stadium, beginning at 2 p.m.

Game 2 of this best-of-three series will take place on Saturday at 12 p.m. and if a Game 3 is necessary, that will take place after Game 2 on Saturday. 

"This season has been so fun for our players and staff," OCC head coach Jodie Kiaha said. "My expectations were to set culture and let our players learn and grow as much as possible. The team met back in January for our team retreat and set goals for the season. The team has exceeded these goals and are trailblazing for future teams that will play softball at OCC."

With years of blood, sweat and tears, Kiaha has helped transform the OCC softball program into a steady, competitive squad and in 2024, that was taken to a new level thanks to a 25-12 season and a solid 15-6 campaign through the always-tough Orange Empire Conference.

Coast showed the softball world that it wasn't fooling around early in the season with a stunning 2-0 ROAD win over 2023 state finalist and state No. 1-ranked, Mt. San Antonio College, capping off a 16-2 start to the season.

But like any season, dips are bound to occur and for the Pirates shortly after that strong start. Coast lost 9 of its next 11 games before turning the frowns upside down with wins in six of the final seven games played.

Two Pirate sophomores -- outfielder Isabel McElroy and catcher/infielder Natalie Lowthers have been the spark of an OCC lineup that enters this weekend's playoff with a .306 team average and a 5.5 runs-per-game average. Lowthers is hitting a team-best .397 with 46 hits, 27 runs and 21 RBI, while McElroy is close behind with a .381 average and a team-best 31 runs, 48 hits and 10 doubles.

"This year has meant everything to me," Lowthers said. "This team is so special. I've never been on a team before that has the championship mindset quite like this team does. All of the girls enjoy playing together and give 100% all the time which makes every day with them so much fun. There weren't too high of expectations this year ... our main goal has been to have fun and play for each other and that's exactly what we've done."

A pair of freshmen infielders -- Jasmyn Morales and McKenzie Koshi -- have added to the depth of the Pirate lineup. Morales is batting .324 with 33 hits, 15 extra-base hits and a team-best 26 RBI, while Koshi sparks the bottom of the OCC batting order with a .312 average, 29 hits and 24 runs scored. Coast also has 15 home runs throughout the season with Reyna Hernandez leading the way with five.

Sophomore pitcher Angela Whitmer has done the bulk of the heavy lifting for the Pirate pitching staff, going 13-5 with 15 complete games and a 3.25 ERA. In 112 innings of work, she has allowed 111 hits and 73 strikeouts. Freshman teammate Ruby Fidge gives Coast a solid 1-2 punch in the pitcher's circle, going 11-4 with a 2.92 ERA with 41 strikeouts over 98 1/3 innings of work.

In addition to the steady offense and steady pitching for the Pirates, OCC's defense has been spot on as well. Coast is ranked 10th in the state with a .967 fielding average (with 15 double plays) and just staying steady in all three facets will go a long way against a talented Bakersfield squad. "I think keys for us are to keep our routine, stay within ourselves and not try too hard to be outside of the game we know how to play," Kiaha said. "We have the talent, experience and spirit to win."

For the Renegades (25-14), runners-up in the Western State Conference's South Division behind L.A. Mission, their road to Costa Mesa kicked off with a 0-3 thud to the start of their season. But, BC quickly turned it around with a seven-game win streak and the Renegades wrapped up the regular season on a heater ... winners of 7-of-8.

"We know enough about the Bakersfield's team to plan offensive and defensive strategies in hopes to gain some advantage against them," Lowthers said. "Other than that, I think if we continue to play our game and keep things simple we'll have a good chance at moving on to the next round of playoffs."

Freshman Sadie Salas leads the Renegade offense with a .377 average, 49 hits, 33 runs and 13 stolen bases. While not stacked with big boppers (only four home runs all season long), slugger Camille Chavez has three HR to go along with a .325 average, 37 hits and a team-best 33 RBI, just ahead of freshman infielder Brylee Bramhall's total of 30 RBI to go along with a .328 average and 39 hits.

Much like the Pirates, Bakersfield has a pair of pitchers doing the majority of the work. Freshman Savannah Figueroa is 11-3 with 13 complete games and a 1.20 ERA, allowing just 20 earned runs and 127 strikeouts over 116 1/3 innings. Sophomore teammate Ryleigh Harrison is 10-7 with a 3.88 ERA and eight complete games. 

For Lowthers and her 2024 Pirates, it's been a season to remember and she hopes it's a season that continues beyond this weekend. "Win or lose, the friendships I've made playing on this team have had a huge impact on my life," Lowthers said. "I'm so proud of how far we've come this year and a huge thank you goes out to everyone who has made it possible for us. It has been an amazing two years playing for OCC and I couldn't have asked for a better group of girls and a better coaching staff to finish off my last year here."