Giants softball team enters season with potent offense and retooled pitching in pursuit of third straight CVC title

By Nick Giannandrea

COS ATHLETICS

Scoring runs shouldn't be a problem for College of the Sequoias softball team.

Not when the preseason state No. 14-ranked Giants' lineup will be anchored by a trio of potent hitters in sophomores Emilee Santos, Shelby Somavia and Madisyn Benedict.

Santos (Corcoran High) is the reigning Central Valley Conference Player of the Year after hitting .417 with seven doubles, two triples, 30 RBIs, 26 runs and 10 stolen bases. Primarily a shortstop, Santos, who was also selected to the state's All-North team, had a .943 fielding percentage, making only seven errors in 123 total chances while helping Sequoias reach the Northern California Regional playoffs for the third straight season

Somavia (Redwood) and Benedict (Hanford) were first-team All-CVC selections last season for a Giants team that went 29-11 overall and tied for a second straight CVC title at 13-2.

Somavia, a third baseman and catcher, hit .424 with a home run, 16 doubles, a triple, 31 RBIs and 23 runs and was named to the All-Northern team; while Benedict, an outfielder, hit .368 with seven doubles, two triples, 23 RBIs and 30 runs.

"It's really nice to have girls you can rely on," coach Cori Janelli said. "They are going to go up there and take their hacks."

All three figure to be in the lineup and play prominent roles when Sequoias opens the season Jan. 24 with a home doubleheader against No. 16 Modesto. Games are scheduled for noon and 2 p.m.

The Giants will be debuting an entirely new pitching staff following the graduations of the two players who logged nearly every inning last season: first-team all-CVC selection Taylor Hastin (Tulare Union) and CVC Pitcher of the Year Grace Chojnacki (Mission Oak-Tulare). Hastin and Chojnacki combined to go 29-10 with 222 strikeouts in 273 2/3 innings while helping Sequoias earn the No. 3 seed in the NorCal Regional.

Stepping into the circle for the Giants will be freshman right-handers Amanda Herrera (Immanuel-Reedley) and Audrina Rodriguez (Woodlake), who both led their high schools to league titles and top two Central Section Division IV playoff seedings last season.

Herrera went 16-5 with a 2.04 earned-run average and 166 strikeouts in 144 1/3 innings while leading Immanuel to the No. 2 playoff seed last season.

Rodriguez was 23-0 with a 0.66 ERA and 207 strikeouts in 127 innings while leading top-seeded Woodlake to the Central Section title and to the state's Southern California Regional championship.

"I think they compliment each other well," Janelli. "Both have a good drive. They both want to do well and they work well together. Their pitching styles, what they throw and how they throw, I think it will be a good mix. They both bring a lot to the table."

Herrera and Rodriguez will have the benefit of an experienced catcher to pitch to in sophomore Madison Lujan (Hanford), who was behind the dish for 36 of the team's 40 games last season while making only three errors in 206 chances for a .986 fielding percentage. She hit .211 with a double, a triple, 12 RBIs and nine runs.

"She's been putting in a lot of work offensively," Janelli said. "She's gotten a lot better. I'm looking forward to seeing her up at the plate this year."

Janelli and her assistants -- Jody Williamson and Emily Rodriguez-Ibarra -- brought in 15 freshmen recruits to round out the roster, including eight players who hit .350 or better for their respective high school teams in 2025.

"I'm excited about all of them," Janelli said. "I think we have a really good group of kids this year."

That group of freshmen is headlined by Rashelle VerSteeg (Mt. Whitney), a speedy outfielder who signed with NCAA Division II Eastern New Mexico out of high school. VerSteeg hit .278 with two RBIs, seven runs and a stolen base in 18 at-bats for the Greyhounds last season before deciding to transfer to Sequoias.

"She has blazing speed," Janelli said. "That's always nice to have."

Two recruits produced batting averages over .500 last season in Rodriguez, who hit .544 with 27 RBIs, and first baseman/outfielder Andreya Mendoza (Fowler), who hit .515 with 36 RBIs.

Three others -- middle infielder Alivea Salcedo, third baseman/utility Anahi Heredia and outfielder Miyah Reeves -- hit better than .400 last season and bring an element of speed to the Giants.

Salcedo hit .468 with 30 runs and 14 stolen bases for Tulare Western; Heredia hit .425 with 11 steals for Parlier; and Reeves hit .417 with 36 runs and 14 steals for Coalinga.

"In past years, we haven't been real swift on the bases," Janelli said. "So having more girls with some speed is super exciting. You have more opportunities to score. More opportunities to move people around and get girls going on the bases. It's really nice to have more than one or two girls with speed. I'm definitely excited about that."

Other freshmen expected to contribute for Sequoias this season include:

* Third baseman/utility Noemi Aldana, who hit .398 with 17 RBIs, 30 runs and 13 steals at Woodlake.

* Second baseman/third baseman Gabrielle Vasquez, who hit .383 with 13 RBIs and 19 runs at Redwood.

* Outfielder Sophie Walker, who hit .358 with 29 RBIs and 27 runs at Coalinga.

* Outfielder Mikayla Moreno, who hit .323 with eight RBIs, 17 runs and seven steals at El Diamante.

* Catcher Yarelli Rocha, who hit .317 with 19 RBIs and 17 runs at Arvin.

* First baseman/outfielder Jadyn Enriquez, who hit .256 with 19 RBIs and 13 runs at Hanford.

Two other freshman recruits -- pitcher/utility Selena Lopez (Mt. Whitney) and middle infielder Miranda Reyes (Sierra Pacific-Hanford) -- are injured. Lopez is likely out for the season, while Reyes will miss at least a couple of weeks.

"We have a really good group of kids," Janelli said. "The way they look, we should do well. I'm really excited to see them play. They worked really hard for me these past couple of months getting ready."

The Giants freshman class will be put to the test right off the bat, as four of their first five opponents are in the state's preseason rankings, including No. 18 Sierra, No. 8 San Joaquin Delta and No. 20 Hartnell.

Sequoias' loaded schedule also features games against No. 1 and reigning state champion San Mateo, No. 3 West Valley, No. 6 Yuba and CVC rival and No. 10-ranked Fresno City.

The Giants will host nonconference games at 10 a.m. Feb. 7 against Cabrillo, 2 p.m. Feb. 7 against Delta, and a doubleheader against Bakersfield at noon and 2 p.m. Feb. 19 before beginning defense of their CVC title.

Sequoias begins its quest for the 22nd conference championship in program history when it hosts Merced at 2 p.m. Feb. 26.