HONOLULU – There is a lot of excitement surrounding this year's Chaminade University softball team with six returning starters including their entire infield.
The Silverswords (11-35, 6-24 Pacific West Conference in 2016) open the season Sunday when they face Western Washington (26-21, 15-13 Great Northwest Athletic Conference in '16) at McKinley High School Field. First pitch set for 2:30 p.m.
After losing eight players from last year's squad, the 'Swords have 16 on the active roster this season. Despite the smaller squad, the approach is that each player will have more reps in practices and will bond together better.
"I'm very optimistic even though we lost a lot of seniors from last year," said Chaminade head coach
Kent Yamaguchi who is entering his 12
th year as the team's skipper. "Our squad is a little slimmer this year but my message to them is 'Less is more.'
"We have more quality than quantity and because our numbers are smaller this year, we're doing some things in a timely manner. We have some freshmen added to the team that will give us some growing pains and challenges but I think our seniors will have a good year."
Infielders
Versatile could describe Chaminade's infield. All five starters return although most of them are at different positions from the 2016 Opening Day lineup card. Four of the starters can play at nearly every position in the infield; three of them are seniors with 283 starts between them.
Jenn Betian is back at third base after making 103 consecutive position starts at shortstop, making the transition mid-year. Betian set school and PacWest records by being plunked 25 times last season which is 10
th-most in NCAA history while her 0.50 hit-by-pitch per game average is the eighth-most in NCAA history. She also had a .475 on-base percentage which was ranked seventh in the PacWest.
Like Betian, fellow senior
Coco Stewart also made a mid-year transition, moving from third base across the diamond to first and still managed to lead the 'Swords with a .295 average. Senior
Nicole Erichsen looks to rebound after an injury-plagued junior season. Erichsen, who has played every infield spot except catcher, is at second base and looks to recapture her 16-RBI, three-homer season in 2015.
Rainelle Matsuoka, the team's Most Oustanding Player last year, might be the most versatile of the group. The sophomore made starts in all five infield positions, the most being 18 at shortstop and even made two starts as the behind the plate. It didn't stop her from leading all PacWest freshmen in homers with nine and driving in a team-high 28 runs. Her power helped the Silverswords hit a team-record 23 home runs.
Sophomore catcher
Kiana Ulufale started 40 of the team's 46 games last year and solidified herself as the play-caller behind the plate. She also had two homers including a grand slam against Cal State Dominguez Hills last April, tying the school-record with five RBI.
Junior
Racquel Misioka will help with depth at the hot corner after moving from the outfield.
Kaitlin Kim serves as a reserve catcher and will also compete for the designated player spot.
"A seasoned infield will make plays," Yamaguchi said. "We're going to allow hits but we need to make plays and with our infield, we will make plays with Jenny, Ray Ray, Coco and Nico. Defensively, I think Kiana can be as tough as any catcher in the conference."
Outfielders
Sophomore
Kayla Henmi is the lone returnee after making 42 starts in left field and co-leading the squad with six sacrifice hits. Fellow sophomore
Ashlyn Yagin is the only other returnee in the outfield but made two starts in centerfield late last year and is the favorite to patrol the middle of the outfield that was vacated by the departure of
Keani Passi.
"Ashlyn going to fill a void out there," Yamaguchi said. "It's hard to replace Keani especially with her range and length she possessed. But Ashlyn has a high softball IQ out there and she gets to balls that some players can't get. Kayla will be Kayla and I hope she has a good sophomore year."
Freshmen
Alisen Endsley and
Maureen Hutchinson had outstanding high school careers in southern California and Pennsylvania, respectively, and will help compete for the vacancy in right field.
Kaitlyn Castillo and
Kylie Nishino help provide depth with Nishino also helping as a reserve catcher.
Pitchers
Redshirt junior
Luana Moreno returns as the team's probable Opening Day starter for the second consecutive year. Moreno had a team-best seven wins last season and lowered her ERA to 4.87, nearly three runs better from her freshman season. Sophomore
Kayla Higuchi saw 31 1/3 innings in the circle last season, all in relief.
Moreno and Higuchi both had solid outings during last November's Kama'aina Tournament at host University of Hawai'i-Manoa. The duo held the potent bats of their Division I counterparts to just four runs in 12 2/3 combined innings.
"I think Lu got better and she throws as hard as anyone when she's loose," Yamaguchi said. "Kayla's not going to overpower anybody but she's a snake-charmer and she spins the ball and tries to change planes and speeds on you."
Freshman
Kali Kitsinis is Chaminade's third pitcher after missing the fall non-championship season due to injury. Higuchi, meanwhile, could also see time as a middle infielder, where she played at Aiea High School.
Schedule
Along with Western Washington, the Silverswords will face two other GNAC members in Simon Fraser and Western Oregon. Chaminade also plays SFU in a single game on March 17 in Kaneohe. They will also face Missouri Western State, an NCAA Central Regional finalist last year, and Baldwin-Wallace.
The 'Swords will open PacWest action Feb. 26 against intercity rival Hawai'i Pacific University. They will also host the conference's top-tier squads including defending PacWest champion Azusa Pacific, nationally-ranked California Baptist, followed by a four-game series against Dixie State.
The annual Tournament of Champions Presented by City of Turlock will again be challenging with contests against West Region powers Chico State, a NCAA West Region finalist, and Humboldt State, which was one win shy of winning last year's Division II national championship.
Sandwiched around the TOC are the conference games at Holy Names, Notre Dame de Namur, Dominican University of California and Academy of Art.
The 'Swords return home and will finish the season with five doubleheaders against Hawai'i foes.
