COA Spotlight: North #1 Sacramento

SAC CITY PANTHERS HAVE POWER AND PITCHING

Sacramento coach Bob Maglione is hoping his team can finish this season just like it started – on a hot streak. After opening 2007 with nine straight victories, the top-seeded Panthers (43-6) will carry a 12-game winning streak into the postseason – a string in which they’ve outscored their opponents to the tune of 129 to 16.

“We’re swinging the bat a little bit,” Maglione understates with a chuckle. “We are doing a great job offensively right now; just have to keep it going”

The Panthers also won 13 in a row during one stretch of the season, and beat some high-caliber clubs along the way – including wins over Mt. San Antonio (SoCal’s top seed), Canyons, Ventura, and Sierra.

But it was losses to Mt. SAC and Antelope Valley, the South’s No. 3 seed, which brought the Panthers back down to earth for a moment. The wake-up call was quickly answered.

“We had some big issues in those defeats,” Maglione said. “Our team grew up a little bit. I told our players we had to improve and learn how to compete harder. I think we responded well after that.”

Sac City had to fend-off Sierra, NorCal’s No. 3 seed, to capture another Big 7 Conference title (at 13-2) by just two games.

Sophomore C/IF Cindy Oseguera, a 21-year-old transfer from North Dakota State, was voted 2007 State Player of the Year in the North after posting some huge numbers. She enters Saturday leading the state with 16 home runs (school record), 65 RBI, and a slugging percentage of 1.070. Her .543 batting average ranks third in California.

“I’ve been coaching this game for 27 years, and she’s the best hitter I’ve ever had,” Maglione said. “She can hit for average and drive the ball out at will. She’s hit some tape-measure shots that are unbelievable.”

The Panthers are batting .404 as a team with 39 homers and 111 stolen bases.
Sophomore 2B Nicole Wells, a first team All-State selection, leads the state in hits (85) and runs (62). She’s also ranks in the Top 10 in batting (.518) and stolen bases (19-26).

Wells and freshman 3B Kayla Hayes (.437, 8 HR, 41 RBI) are both heading to San Jose State after the season.

Freshman 1B/P Lindsay Williams (.329, 7-0 pitching) and sophomore OF Breanna Canclini (.367, 4 HR, 22 RBI) were voted to the All-Big 7 Conference First Team.

Williams has a perfect record on the mound – and she’s THIRD on the depth chart. Two other freshmen, Amanda Monday (First Team Big 7) and Victoria Sendejas (Second Team) will likely be the one-two punch in the playoffs.

Monday is 17-3 (1.40 ERA, 10 complete games) with 83 strikeouts in 101.1 innings. Sendejas, at 14-2 (1.11 ERA, 9 complete games), is more of a control pitcher (58 Ks vs. 7 walks).

“We have a young pitching staff, but they’ve carried us all the way here,”
said Maglione, coach of two state title teams.

Sac City opens with No. 16 Napa (27-16), a team it defeated 9-1 way back in the second game of the year.

“Napa plays good fundamental ball,” he said. “They’ve won a lot of games. We have total respect for them. They have two good pitchers that can give us some trouble.”


QUICK HITS: Sac City is 30-1 at home this season … Maglione said Oseguera’s 16 homers shattered the previous Panther record of 10 held by former All-American and Player of the Year Lindsay Klien, who also starred at UCLA … Of the four North teams in last season’s Elite Eight, Sacramento is the lone qualifier in the 2007 playoffs; West Valley, Delta, and Redwoods did not qualify.


- Compiled by Softball State Championship Publicist Eric Mendoza