Softball Preview: Burroughs, Burbank look to keep Pacific League supremacy within city limits

The last time a Pacific League team from outside the city of Burbank captured a league championship was 2009, when Crescenta Valley accomplished the feat.

Over the past six seasons, Burroughs has won or shared four titles and Burbank has gained at least a share of three crowns.

With their share of returning players, the Indians look to keep the city domination going, while the Bulldogs will look to manage with a young team after the graduation of all-everything pitcher Caitlyn Brooks. A year ago, the squads shared the Pacific League title.

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For Providence, a thin squad of 13 has been further compromised by injuries, forcing the Pioneers to cancel or postpone some early contests.

At Bell-Jeff, the team has been reestablished, but has had to postpone the start of its season because the majority of the softball players also compete for the school’s girls’ basketball team, which will take part in the CIF Southern Section Division VI championship game Saturday, as well as the state playoffs the following week.

Here is a closer look at the teams.

BURROUGHS

The Indians (23-5, 13-1 in league) are coming off a season in which they advanced to the second round of the Division III playoffs, losing to Laguna Hills, 4-3, after defeating Beaumont, 3-0, in the first round.

“We have played a lot of games in winter against some really good teams and I think these girls are really ready for a good season,” said Burroughs Coach Doug Nicol, who is in his sixth season. “I expect us to be competitive and really good in our league and hopefully have a chance to be competing for the title.

“We got a lot of our infield back, along with our pitcher, but we lost our entire outfield, and we had the best outfield in the league, so we are trying out some girls there. We also are battling some injury problems, but we should be fine.”

Returning to handle the pitching duties is sophomore Presley Miraglia, who had a wildly successful first season with the Indians in 2015, earning first-team All-CIF, All-Area and all-league accolades. Miraglia had a 20-4 record and a 1.99 earned-run average with 119 strikeouts and 25 walks over 151 innings. She so hit .400 (34 for 85) with 25 runs batted in and 12 runs.

“What she was able to accomplish as a freshman is just amazing,” Nicol said. “There are not too many freshmen who come along and can do that, especially playing a pivotal role like she played for us.”

Burroughs High pitcher Presley Miraglia winds up in a Pacific League game against Burbank High on Thursday, April 23, 2015.

(Roger Wilson / Staff Photographer)

Backing up Miraglia will be much-ballyhooed freshman Mia Storer.

Junior third baseman Brianna Johnson, who was tops on the squad with a .545 (24 for 44) batting average and also had 13 RBI and 20 runs, and senior shortstop Kaitlin Okimoto — headed to Brown University — who hit .480 (36 for 75) and had a .511 on-base percentage, 21 runs, 21 RBI and eight doubles are also back.

“I really like our middle of our lineup and our top of the lineup, we just have to develop some kids and we will need to provide some production from the bottom of our lineup,” Nicol said. “If we can do that, we’ll be OK.”

Other players expected to contribute are sophomore outfielder Hannah Talavera, junior infielder Lauren Lopez, junior infielder Amanda Flores, junior utility Destiny Velazquez and senior catcher Brianna Devellano.

An addition to the Burroughs lineup this season will be senior outfielder Isabel Frias, who transferred from Burbank. Last season, Frias hit .417 (30 for 72) with 16 RBI and 17 runs, earning first-team All-Area and all-league honors. Frias will have to sit out 30 days and will be eligible the first week of April.

“In league, I think Glendale and Arcadia should be good,” Nicol said. “And you can never count out [Crescenta Valley]. Our league is going to have a lot of depth, but what I have been saying for years, the league title has gone through the city of Burbank for now six years in a row, and that’s something I’m proud of for both teams and the city.”

BURBANK

The big story for the Bulldogs (21-5, 13-1) is the graduation of Brooks, who is at Notre Dame. She was a three-time All-Area Player of the Year and three-time league player of the year who also earned All-CIF and all-state accolades during her four-year tenure.

“We will have some young pitchers who we will rely on this year,” said Burbank Coach Mike Delaney, who is in his third season. “We try to tell them they don’t have to fill Caitlyn’s shoes, but they just have to fill their own. Just keep us in the ball game and we’ll be fine.

“We lost nine of our 13 players from last year, so we look at it as kind of a rebuilding year for us. We graduated seven seniors and lost two other players. We have only two seniors and a junior and maybe four or five freshmen and sophomores. We have been working with these players for awhile now and hopefully they will be ready for the long haul for the season.”

The two pitchers are sophomore Allie Benson and freshman Alex Davis.

Along with losing Frias to Burroughs, senior Sabrina Steward also left the program. Steward is at Burroughs, but is not competing for the Indians. Steward played for the Indians before transferring to Burbank after her freshman season. Being her second transfer, she is required by the CIF to sit out one season.

One of the top returners for the Bulldogs is senior infielder Julia Duarte, who earned second-team all-league honors last season after hitting 365 (27 for 74) with 17 RBI and 21 runs. Also returning are sophomore utility Cailey Stevenson, senior outfielder Amber Ingram and sophomore outfielder Anysia Gonzalez.

Burbank High’s Julia Duarte, left, smiles after teammate Isabele Frias scored the tieing run against Burroughs High in a Pacific League rivalry game on Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Now a senior, Duarte is one of the top returning players for the Bulldogs.

(Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

Also expected to see playing time is freshman second baseman/catcher Amaya Broyls, freshman catcher Desire Gomez and freshman outfielder Sarah Garelick.

“It is a phenomenal group,” Delaney said. “Every team we’ve scrimmaged this fall and summer have basically told us that we’re much more athletic than we were last year, we’re just inexperienced. The mantra that we’re using this year is ‘no excuses.’ This is our team and we have to run with it.”

In the league race, Delaney expects the Bulldogs’ stiffest competition to come from their cross-town rival.

“Burroughs is going to be the team to beat,” he said. “They’ve got the pitcher and they have got the experience, so to speak, so everyone is going to be gunning for them.”

PROVIDENCE

The Pioneers have had to scrap games during the opening week because of low numbers and injuries to two key players.

“It has been an inauspicious start of the season to say the least,” said Providence Coach Joel Curtis, who is in his eighth season. “We have had to reschedule or flat out cancel our games this week because we just don’t have enough players.

“When we get our entire team back, I really like the lineup and the players that we have. It’s a good group, they have a good attitude and we have some talent.”

Providence (11-6-1, 8-2) is coming off a season in which it was a tri-Liberty League champion with Archer and Pacifica Christian. The Pioneers lost in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division VII playoffs to Santa Clara.

The team is awaiting the arrival of players Fabi Jiminez, an all-league senior shortstop, and sophomore utility Francesca Marvilla, who were both injured during the girls’ basketball season.

“They are two of our returners and Fabi has been a starter for me for all four of her years,” said Curtis, who lost five seniors to graduation. “We lose a lot when she’s not in the lineup.”

Doing the pitching this season for the Pioneers will be returning sophomores Sophia Jimenez and Celeste Lee.

In the infield, returner Christy Hoffman, a junior, will catch and play third base, newcomer sophomore Sarah Cox will also see time behind the dish, freshman Cielo Monzon will be at first, senior Emily Mai will be at second and Marvilla will be at third as well as play in the outfield. Also in the outfield will be junior Carla Galvez and senior Rachel Camonayan.

“Archer and Pacifica Christian should be good again and I expect Oakwood to be better,” Curtis said. “I think we do have a shot. If we show up to play we will be good, especially if we’re on the same footing as last year.”

BELL-JEFF

Claudia Villa, who is also the school’s girls’ basketball coach, takes over a program that didn’t field a team last season.

“We haven’t even been out there yet because most of the girls are on the basketball team,” Villa said. “We’ve had meetings, but we haven’t been able to practice. I have no idea right now what we’ve even got and I won’t know until we finally get out there.”

The Guards were recently one of the premier softball programs in the area. In 2014, Bell-Jeff captured its sixth straight Santa Cruz championship and advanced to the Division VI semifinals. In 2013, the Guards won the CIF Southern Section Division VI championship and advanced to title games in 2011 and 2012.

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Jeff Tully, jeff.tully@latimes.com

Twitter: @jefftsports

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