SCC Softball Team Seeks Consistent Level of Play

The Southern California College softball team has rebounded from its disastrous start, but the Vanguards are still searching for the consistency of a contender.

In the beginning, things couldn’t have been much worse. SCC was 3-21-1 in the first 1 1/2 months of the season. During those dark days, the Vanguards had losing streaks of nine and 11 games.

It was a tough experience for a program that isn’t accustomed to hard times. SCC won three consecutive Golden State Athletic Conference titles from 1993-95, in 1995 advancing to the NAIA championship tournament and finishing third.

“It’s tough,” said Beth Renkoski, who took over this season as head coach after six as an assistant. “You expect a certain level but at the same time you’ve got to realize every year is different. You can’t put past team’s expectations on the new team. I believe we are capable of doing better than we have done.

“I know they expect more too, it just wasn’t happening. You just have to get through it until something good happens.”

Renkoski praises her team for its resilience, which partly explains how the Vanguards were able to pull themselves out of the tailspin.

“I can only say good things about the girls,” Renkoski said. “They have worked hard even through the hard parts. The outcome has been disappointing at times but hopefully we are growing and learning. Next year, hopefully, we’ll have a better start and a better finish.”

And this year isn’t over yet for the Vanguards (17-29-1), who are 14-8 since ending the 11-game skid. They have a 5-7 record in the GSAC, which means they have a decent chance at one of the conference’s three spots in the NAIA Far West Regional playoffs.

Today, the Vanguards host another contender, Cal Baptist. A week later, they will finish the regular season at home against first-place Azusa Pacific.

SCC’s turnaround coincided with the return of two injured players, shortstop Chrissy Vega and third baseman Heather Rogers. Vega injured her ankle in SCC’s second doubleheader of the season; Rogers dislocated her shoulder in the third. Both missed more than a month.

During that span two of the Vanguards’ three pitchers, Jen Merrow and Gretchen Brandt, also missed some games because of an illness and an illness in the family, respectively. In more than a few games, SCC was down to only 10 available players.

With a healthy roster, SCC slowly started to make gains. Sophomores Vega, Michelle Murie and Brandt led the offense and Jen Houston and Brandt started pitching more effectively.

Houston, a junior, had a streak of 23 scoreless innings stopped Tuesday in a 6-1 loss to Concordia. She was named the conference player of the week last week after three shutouts, including a 1-0 victory over Azusa Pacific, then ranked fifth in the NAIA.

Brandt, who pitched a no-hitter in a 1-0 victory over UC San Diego last Saturday, had a four-hitter with a career-high 11 strikeouts in a 3-1 victory over Concordia in the second game Tuesday.

“It’s gotten better,” Renkoski said, “but it’s hard to make up for lost time.”