HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL / SEASON PREVIEW : Manlet Quietly Builds Winner at Simi Valley

The middle-aged man threw his arm around Suzanne Manlet and beamed with pride.

“This is my first shortstop,” he bellowed time and again to anyone within earshot at the Simi Valley High softball tournament last weekend.

Jim Landreth could not hide his admiration. He wanted everyone to know that Manlet, the Simi Valley softball coach who has guided the Pioneers to the state’s top ranking, was his protege.

Landreth wanted everyone to know that the 14-year-old shortstop he once coached in an Oxnard youth league had grown up to be one of the most successful softball coaches in the state.

Manlet must have made a lasting impression on Landreth 27 years ago because he even remembered her birth date.

On Saturday, he presented Manlet with a cake at the tournament in honor of her 41st birthday.

Manlet eventually grew embarrassed of Landreth, who was at the tournament as an Apple Valley High assistant coach, but she was heartened by the attention.

She is not one to step into the spotlight or boast about her success, so it stands to reason that she would eventually become uncomfortable with anyone’s excessive crowing.

Meanwhile, her record speaks clearly: Manlet is 245-76-1 in 13 seasons. Anyone with a winning percentage of .763 must have a coaching secret, right?

“Well, I’ve had a lot of talented kids,” Manlet said.

No doubt. But Manlet has helped mold them, including seven players who have gone on to play Division I softball.

Senior right-hander Sara Griffin, the 1993 state player of the year, is arguably Manlet’s best yet. Griffin, who passed up a scholarship to UCLA and signed with Michigan, credits Manlet with much of the team’s success.

“She has a really positive attitude. She’s very organized and very punctual,” Griffin said.

Organized and punctual may sound like pale praise, but Manlet has based her coaching philosophy on those fundamentals. Practices are run with the same structure and repetition of a top college team. Manlet ensures that every player stays focused on a designated role.

“She knows how to deal with people,” Griffin said. “She doesn’t put individual pressure on people that can’t handle it.”

The approach is simple but effective. Simi Valley went 26-1-1 last year, won the Southern Section Division I championship and was ranked No. 1 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports.

“I think last year’s group of individuals each had a role and knew what I expected of them,” Manlet said. “And because of it, I think all 16 players felt the same thrill that I did.”

After 16 years of coaching softball, Manlet is still a student of the game. She frequently attends coaching clinics and as many college games as she can. When she isn’t trying to improve as a coach, she is on the field as a player. Manlet plays in slo-pitch and fast-pitch leagues two to three times a week. At one point, she was playing five nights a week.

“I just love the sport,” she said. “I go out there and give it my all.”

She coaches with the same enthusiasm. Watch Manlet coach from the third base box and see an adult not afraid to gush like a teen-ager. When a Simi Valley player gets a key hit or makes a great play, Manlet jumps up and down like a child on a trampoline. It’s as refreshing as it is unexpected.

Manlet completed Hueneme High about six years before most colleges fielded softball teams. Not playing in college is her biggest regret.

At Hueneme, Manlet was a year-round athlete, participating in track, basketball, softball and volleyball. But softball was her No. 1 love. She wanted to play for Northern Arizona, but because her mother had a heart condition and family funds were low, Manlet enrolled at Cal State Northridge even though the Matadors did not have a team.

She graduated from Northridge and earned her teaching credential in 1976. Two years later, Northridge fielded its first intercollegiate softball team.

“If I had one (wish), it would be to play college ball,” she said. “I really wish I had had a chance. But it’s something that just won’t happen.”

Top area teams:

SIMI VALLEY

* 1993: 26-1-1 (12-1-1, 1st in the Marmonte League)

* Coach: Suzanne Manlet, 14th year

Griffin makes the state’s top-ranked Pioneers nearly impossible to beat. Only Camarillo managed it last season. In 23 games, only Agoura scored an earned run off the hard-throwing right-hander.

In three season, Griffin has struck out 452 in 349 innings. She has an 0.12 earned-run average and a 42-4 record. Last season she proved just as dominating with the bat. She batted .404 and clubbed a home run to lift the Pioneers to a 1-0 victory over Los Alamitos in the Southern Section Division I final.

Four other starters return, including catcher Julie Difatta, center fielder Jessica Cunningham and second baseman Jenny Conmay. Shortstop Tracy Hansen, who batted .370 with 14 runs batted in, sustained an arm injury and is not expected to rejoin the team for at least three weeks.

ALEMANY

* 1993: 22-8 (9-3, tied for 1st in Mission League)

* Coach: Dudley Rooney, 11th year

The Indians, ranked No. 8 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports, have six starters returning, all juniors, including right-hander Sophie Contreras (20-3, 0.10 ERA), who struck out 145 in 160 innings.

“That means I’ll be a great coach for two more years,” Rooney cracked.

The other half of the returning battery is catcher Jamie Moore (.333). First baseman Alba Cano (.415) is the Indians’ top returning batter. Sonja Maldonado will move from the outfield to second base. Tammy Alcantar (.347) is the shortstop and Esmeralda Macias (.300) is the veteran left fielder.

Gloria Dominguez, a hard-hitting sophomore, has earned a start at third base. Dominguez is six for seven with three doubles and two triples in the Indians’ first two games this season.

Alemany, a Division III team, is perhaps the best hitting team in the region. And with Contreras in the pitching circle, the Indians will be tough to beat.

BUENA

* 1993: 20-6 (13-1, 1st in the Channel League)

* Coach: Sharon Coggins, 13th year

The Bulldogs won a section title in 1989, and Coggins says they could win another this year.

Nine starters return. And no team in the region has better depth at pitcher.

Senior Jenifer Malson (12-2), a rise-ball pitcher, is the returning ace. The staff also includes right-handers Tonya Triana, Rhondi Golden (4-1) and freshman Nicole Greathouse.

Golden, who has committed to Northwestern, also will play third base. Kristy Weber (.360), who has signed with Toledo, returns in center field. Senior twins Tammy and Jenifer Peck, who play second base and left field, are attracting interest from New Mexico. Both batted over .300 and combined for 26 RBIs.

SAUGUS

* 1993: 15-9-1 (7-5, 3rd in the Foothill League)

* Coach: Ron Hilton, 12th year

Saugus has been riding a roller coaster the past couple of years. In 1992, on the strength of seven starting seniors, the Centurions advanced to the Southern Section 3-A Division final.

A year later, with only three starters returning, Saugus barely earned a playoff berth and lost in the first round.

But, with seven returning starters, Saugus is ready to again contend for the championship. All nine starters play for a traveling team in the summer.

“I think this is the best team I’ve ever had,” Hilton said.

Sophomore Jamie Gillies (7-2, 0.62 ERA) will handle the pitching duties and junior Jeanine Giordano (.270) is the catcher. Junior Kelli Kranz (.340) and sophomore Chris Gill (.280) are power hitters. Senior Kim O’Leary, a slap hitter, batted .388.

CAMARILLO

* 1993: 23-7 (12-2, 2nd in the Marmonte League)

* Coach: Darwin Tolzin, 4th year

Pitcher Laura Richardson, who helped Camarillo win a section title in 1991, graduated last year and is playing at San Luis Obispo. In addition, there are no seniors in the starting lineup. But don’t be fooled. Tolzin, once a top pitcher in men’s fast-pitch leagues, has built a program that should remain strong.

Sophomore Melanie Richardson, Laura’s sister, is ready to take over at pitcher. Richardson and sophomore Krista Peterson shared pitching chores at the junior varsity level last season and will do the same for the varsity.

Five starters return, including sophomore first baseman Jessica Zeise, sophomore designated hitter Sarah DeWoody and junior shortstop Julie Borchard, the Scorpions’ Nos. 1-3 batters in the lineup.

Five sophomores and two freshmen will start, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a rebuilding year. “This is the best offensive team I’ve ever had,” Tolzin said. “I’m really happy with this team.”

NEWBURY PARK

* 1993: 20-7 (9-5, 3rd in the Marmonte League)

* Coach: Wally Thornhill, 2nd year

Five starters return from last-year’s overachieving team, including senior right-hander Carolina Bernal (10-3), who finished with an 0.47 ERA. Once again, Bernal will shoulder the bulk of the load, but will get some relief from sophomore right-hander Kristi Fox, who was 14-0 on the junior varsity.

Returnees include power hitter Jann Thorpe (third base) and slap hitter Brandi Funk (second base), who batted .326 with a .419 one-base percentage. Junior Mandy Cunningham (.230) is a returning catcher.

The junior varsity team went 25-0 last season behind sophomore shortstop Melissa Thornhill (.541), the coach’s daughter.

HOOVER

* 1993: 23-2-1 (9-1, 1st in the Pacific League)

* Coach: Kirt Kohlmeier, 5th year

Hoover lost the irreplaceable Nancy Evans, who is playing for top-ranked Arizona. Sophomore right-hander Tina Kinney is no Evans (at least that’s what she has been telling teammates), but she will keep the Tornadoes in the mix.

Shortstop Shannon Feliz, a power hitter, is a four-year starter and one of six who return. Catcher Meredith Butler, who played outfield last year, and second baseman Emily Carlson are three-year starters.

QUARTZ HILL

* 1993: 20-6 (14-1, 1st in the Golden League)

* Coach: Coy Ray, 7th year

Six starters return, including pitchers Mary Flores and Correna Berlinger, both of whom were 10-3 last season. Ray is hoping one will outshine the other. “I’m looking for one pitcher to step up,” Ray said.

Seniors Lolita Allen (catcher), Nicci Manduca (third base) and Cindy Sims (shortstop) each hit above .300 last season. Manduca has given a commitment to play for Purdue. Senior Amanda Richards returns at first base.