2020 Ventura College Softball Team News
The Ventura College Athletic Department is pleased to report that they list 83 student athletes from 2019-20 who are slated to transfer to four-year institutions in the fall, as of August 31. Of those transfers, 60 plan on continuing their athletic careers at their new school, most of them with an athletic scholarship. The transferring student athletes will attend 58 different schools in 26 states around the country.
After a strong run in the Western State Conference North Division in 2019, the Pirate softball team was poised for another run at the title in 2020, before the coronavirus. VC, which was due to open WSC play on March 10 before rain postponed the conference opener, ended the season with an 11-8 record in solid position in what looked to be a four-team race in the division.
The California Community College Fastpitch Coaches Association has released its 2020 Academic All-State Team for classwork completed during the 2018-19 academic year. Pirates Jessica Mendoza and Cassidy Craig are both listed among the 202 honorees from around the state.
The California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Board of Directors voted unanimously on Thursday that the remainder of the 2020 spring sports season will be canceled, the spring season of competition for approximately 9,500 student-athletes will be restored and face-to-face recruiting and recruiting-related travel is being prohibited immediately but will be re-evaluated next month. Ventura College is a participant in the CCCAA, and the college has moved to all online instruction for the remainder of the spring semester.
In accordance with a directive from the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA), Ventura College has indefinitely postponed all spring sports, including nontradtional seasons, due to concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak. The move was voted upon by the CCCAA Board of Directors on Thursday afternoon.
The Pirate softball team dropped a home game Friday, falling to visiting El Camino 6-2. VC (11-8) was limited to four hits on the day, including a double by Jessica Mendoza. Kat Tafoya and Mendoza each had a run batted in for Ventura, who saw a seven-game winning streak come to an end. Tafoya took the loss in the pitcher's circle, allowing 10 hits while striking out six batters.
The Ventura College softball team scored one in the first and two in the third and made it hold up in their 6-3 victory over Los Angeles Valley College Saturday morning in Valley Glen. Jessica Mendoza pitched four innings, giving up a pair of runs in picking up the win while Kat Tafoya pitched the final three frames with seven strikeouts for the save. Cassidy Craig, Jessica Mendoza and Abby Strong all had three hits in the 14-hit attack fo rthe Pirates (11-7), who posted their seventh straight triumph.
The Pirate softball team opened the offensive floodgates Tuesday afternoon, racing past visiting Bakersfield 17-8 in a 6-inning run-rule game at the VC Softball Complex. The Pirates scored 15 runs over the final three innings of the victory with 23 hits on the day. Aleska Page was 5-5 with a triple and three runs batted in while Courtney Terrazas hit 4-5 at the plate with a double and a triple, knocking in one run. Kat Tafoya scattered 10 hits in the game in the pitcher's circle while striking out seven batters to pick up the win.
The Ventura College softball team got an unexpected treat Tuesday. Due to a water main break on LA Mission's home field, the Pirates' game with the Eagles was moved to the VC Softball Complex. The friendly confines never seemed friendlier as Ventura cruised to a 14-0 victory over LAMC. Kat Taofya pitched the shutout, extending her scoreless innings streak to 13.1, yielding just one hit with seven strikeouts. Courtney Terrazas was 3-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles and four runs batted in.
The VC softball team completed an undefeated weekend at the Mt. San Jacinto Tournament Sunday with a shutout and a forfeit. The Pirates (8-7) defeated College of the Desert -0 in five innings before claiming a forfeit victory over Mt. San Jacinto when the Eagles did not have enough players to field a team to start the game. Lauren Saenz was 2-3 at the plate, including a triple, with a run scored and four runs batted in while Abby Strong also had two hits, two RBI and two runs scored. Kat Tafoya pitched five shutout innings to pick up the win.
The Ventura College softball team recorded a pair of victories on the first day of the Mt. San Jacinto Tournament in Menifee on Saturday. VC (6-7) defeated LA Valley 7-3 in the first game o fthe day before besting San Bernardino Valley 8-2 in six innings in the nightcap. Celeste Pacheco had four hits on the day, including two doubles, with two runs batted in and two runs scored. Jessica Mendoza had three hits, including a triple, and Cassidy Craig also recorded three hits, including a home run.
The Pirate softball team dropped a wild game at Antelope Valley, 10-8, on Thursday afternoon. VC had a lead of four runs, and two three-run margins, only to see the Marauders come back each time, ultimately taking the game. Celeste Pacheco had a pair of hits with two runs batted in and Courtney Terrazas was 2-2 with two walks, an RBI and two runs scored. Isabel Gallegos also recorded a pair of hits, including a triple, with an RBI and two runs scored.
The VC softball team lost a heartbreaking 2-1 decision in the first game of a double-header at College of the Canyons on Tuesday before falling in the nightcap, 14-2 in five innings. Sophomore Cassidy Craig had two hits on the day with one run scored and a run batted in and Aleska Page also had a pair of hits. Jessica Mendoza pitched a a solid game in the opener, taking the hard-luck loss and produced a pair of hits with a run scored in the nightcap for Ventura (4-6).
VC sophomore Jessica Mendoza had a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning Friday afternoon as the Pirates defeated visiting Southwestern College 3-2 at the VC Softball Complex. After allowing two runs in the top of the first inning, Kat Tafoya settled down to pitch six scoreless innings against the Jaguars, giving up five hits while striking out four in the game. Cassidy Craig was 2-2 at th eplate with a double, two sacrifices and a run batted in for VC (4-4).
The VC softball team dropped both ends of a double-header Tuesday at the VC Softball Complex, falling 14-1 and 6-2 to visiting Santiago Canyon College. Celeste Pacheco and Cassidy Craig each recorded three hits on the day to lead Ventura (3-4).
The Pirate softball team went on the road for the first time in 2020, splitting a pair of games on the first day of the Glendale College Dave "Hawk" Wilder Memorial Tournament Friday. VC dropped a 10-8 decision to Sacramento in the morning game before defeating Antelope Valley 5-2 in the second. Kat Tafoya knocked out five hits in the two games with five runs batted in, and pitched Ventura (1-2) to victory in the nightcap.
