OEC Softball in Full Swing

The first round of Orange Empire Conference softball play is underway with Cypress (13-0, 5-0) and Santiago Canyon (12-6, 4-0) leading the way with undefeated records.

Cypress is off to another great start and looking for its sixth consecutive OEC title. The Chargers pitching staff, led by the reigning OEC Pitcher of the Year Janea Brannen, has been among that best in the state as they've allowed just 22 runs in 85 innings pitched to go with a team ERA of 1.48.

The Santiago Canyon Hawks have won their first four in conference play thanks to the play of outfielder Liliana Navarro and pitcher Mystique Rocha. Navarro is hitting .604 with 21 runs batted in for the Hawks while Rocha leads the OEC in wins with 12 to go with 77 strikeouts.

Following right behind them in the OEC standings are Fullerton (8-5, 3-2), Saddleback (11-6, 2-3) and Santa Ana (9-6, 2-3).

Fullerton, coming off a state tournament run in 2019, is right in the mix for an OEC championship with their only conference losses coming against Cypress and Santiago Canyon. FC has plenty of offense as seven of their players are hitting above .300 with Celeste Borza at the top at .528 and 16 runs batted in. They also have a solid pitcher staff that has given up just 40 runs with a 2.67 ERA this season.

The Saddleback Gauchos (11-6, 2-3) are enjoying a bounce back season as they have put themselves in position for a playoff push after winning just six games in 2019. Saddleback is at the top of the conference in runs scored with 109 in 17 games played while Veronica Belleza has given them a presence on the mound with eight wins and a 1.48 ERA.

Santa Ana (9-6, 2-3) finds itself in the middle of the pack after facing the top three OEC teams early in the first round. Emily Rosas has been a workhorse for the Dons, collecting five wins and posting a 1.89 ERA while Brandi Kirkpatrick has been productive on both sides with a .442 batting average to go along with a 2.10 ERA in 20 innings of action on the mound.

Riverside (6-11, 1-3), Golden West (8-8, 1-4) and Orange Coast (2-6, 0-3) round out the conference standings.

The RCC Tigers have started out slow in OEC play but hope to come alive and make their fourth consecutive playoff appearance while Golden West has shown great improvement having already doubled their 2019 win total. Orange Coast has yet to win in OEC play but has plenty of time left in the 2020 season to turn things around. 

(Release by Cammie Lewis, Santa Ana SID/Softball Representative)