The time has come
Camarillo's softball team, ranked No. 2 in the nation, has its sights set on a CIF championship
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers DOING THE LITTLE THINGS WELL- Scorpion catcher Annissa Lagos gets low to lay down a bunt during practice on Monday. ACHS was seeded second in the CIF-Southern Section Division I playoffs.

Camarillo High's softball team is out to prove the old adage that good pitching beats good hitting.

The CIF-Southern Section Division I playoffs begin on Tuesday afternoon for the Scorpions. The team enters the tournament with as good a chance as anyone to win the championship due to a pitching staff that has been totally dominant.

Behind senior Lindsey Dean and junior Hannah Klein, ACHS hurlers have given up a microscopic 18 runs in 175 innings, for an earned run average of .440. Basically, on average, ACHS allows a run every two games.

"Lindsey is as physically talented as any pitcher I have ever seen coaching," Camarillo head coach Jack Willard said. "She is just as good mentally as anyone I've ever seen, but her physical talent is just unbelievable. Before she came to Camarillo we had to have our pitchers work for outs. Lindsey just overpowers hitters."

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers SHE CAN HIT, TOO- When Lindsey Dean isn't at the plate swinging away, she's one of the country's finest softball pitchers.

In the postseason, having one pitcher is considered vital to a team's success. Having two solid starters can mean the difference in winning one game and going to a championship, Willard said.

"Hannah could be the No. 1 pitcher on most teams, and next year she will be more in the spotlight for us, but that's just not the way it is right now," Willard said. "She understands that though and continues to pitch well for us."

Although the pitching may get the headlines, the Scorpions' hitting isn't too shabby either.

The team had 11 players hit at least .333, with five players batting over .400. Lindsey Pierce batted .559, Delaney Willard hit .500, Laura King chipped in at .490, Dean posted a .411 average and Klein hit at a .408 clip.

Camarillo is hoping that the 12-day layoff between its game this Tuesday against either Trabuco Hills or Esperanza won't disrupt the Scorpions' timing at the plate.

"It's hard to not see live pitching for as long as we will, but at the same time, we earned that right by getting a bye in the first round," senior Annissa Lagos said.

Willard echoed Lagos's statement.

"There is no replacement for live at bats," Willard said. "We will probably intersquad in our games this week and have our hitters face live pitching, but it's just not the same as putting on the uniform and playing in front of fans. I may have to get some people to come out here in the stands and watch us practice just so we can have that feeling."

Although Camarillo won the Pacific View League, finished with a 27-1 overall record and is ranked No. 2 in the nation by Rivals.com, the Scorpions aren't even the highest-ranked team in their division. That's because the nation's No. 1 team, according to the website, is Valencia High, who received the top seed in the Division I bracket.

The two teams played each other twice earlier in the year, with each team winning a game. If Camarillo were to play Valencia in a rubber match it would take place in the championship game to be held at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine on June 1 or June 2.

Although the Scorpions are concentrating on one game at a time, the team admitted Valencia is in the back of their mind.

"Knowing that the only way we can play Valencia is in the championship game is nice," Pierce said. "It's a goal of ours to get to the championship game because that is the only way we can play them again."

Although it may be on their minds, Willard is insisting that Valencia isn't the only tough team in the playoffs.

"I don't care who we face in the championship game as long as we get there," Willard said.

"There are many good teams in the Division I playoffs. Corona is the defending champ and will be tough. Foothill is always a powerhouse, and Los Alamitos will be tough to beat, too. At this point in the season each game is treated like a championship game for us."

Although Willard admits this is one of the best teams he has ever coached, if not the best, the thing he takes the most pride in is how well the team plays together.

"We were playing in the Thousand Oaks tournament, and some coach told me that he thought the thing that separates us from the rest of the teams is how much each of our players seems to get along and enjoy playing with each other," Willard said. "I really try to instill that on this team, and for someone else to notice that says a lot."

Camarillo's game on Tuesday is set for 3:15 p.m.