SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Led by 13 returning players including All-Big West selections Sammy Fabian and Teah Thies, the UC Santa Barbara softball team looks to bounce back from its 2019 campaign as regular season play begins tomorrow.
Six seniors return for the Gauchos, including infielder Sierra Altmeyer, who redshirted after missing the majority of last season but had the second-highest batting average (.375) on the team in her 32 at-bats.
Devan Sperry, who played in the final 21 games after missing the early portion of the year, was, along with Fabian and Altmeyer, one of three players on the team with an average above .300.
The experience between those two, reliable third baseman Kayla Krantz, a powerful bat in Carissa Felix, and southpaw Felisha Noriega will look to help guide the Gauchos to a competitive showing in the Big West.
Four juniors also come back for the Gauchos in 2020. Sammy Fabian was the team leader in the 2019 season with a batting average of .404, the third-highest single-season mark in program history, and received her second All-Big West nod.
Maci Fines, who was named to the Big West All-Freshman Team in her freshman season in 2018, was one of three players to play in all 52 games last year, giving head coach Brie Galicinao a dependable option in the outfield.
Both centerfielder Rayna Cohen and pitcher Emily Schuttish will be attempting to recapture their success from their freshman seasons in the 2020 campaign.
Cohen recorded the second-most RBIs on the team in her 2018 season, driving in 26 runs, while Schuttish had the second-lowest ERA of all pitchers in her first year, managing to strike out 47.
Heading into the new season, the Gauchos return with a strong group of sophomores. Catcher Teah Thies returns for her second year after playing in all 52 games over the course of her freshman year, in which she led the team in RBIs with 17. Her efforts last season earned her a spot on the Big West All-Freshman Team.
Returning to the outfield is Tyler Goldstein, who missed just one game all season and had the fifth-most at-bats on the team while recording five doubles.
Pitcher Alyssa Molina heads back into the fray for her sophomore season after becoming a regular in the rotation in the second half of the season, coming up with the best ERA on the team (3.60) in her 23.1 innings pitched.
Infielder Ally Nodohara brought a spark to the lineup as a pinch-hitter and pinch-runner last year, which she showcased by hitting two triples in the series against UC Riverside late in the season.
In addition to the returnees, Galicinao brought in seven newcomers to bolster the squad ahead of the 2020 season.
Tarzana, Calif.-native Lexi Berg and Lexi Campbell of Thousand Oaks, Calif. join the pitching staff and give Galicinao some more options to work with in the circle.
Sarah Bubier of Santa Ana, Calif. and Foothill High School brings depth at the catcher position, but she also played centerfield, right field, and third base in her high school career. In an impressive junior year at Foothill, she led her team in all hitting categories but one.
Former La Habra High School standout Nayah Pola and Los Alamitos High School product Sam Denehy will be brought into the infield, and outfield, respectively, and a pair of Bay Area-based position players round out the additions to the team in infielders Hannah Damore, of Campbell, Calif. and St. Francis High School, and Korie Thomas, of San Jose, Calif. and Valley Christian High School.
UCSB travels to three neutral-site tournaments before they host the Gaucho Classic on the weekend of Feb. 28-March 1. In total, the Gauchos will play in 16 home contests, 23 away, and 16 neutral-site games.
The Gauchos begin the 2020 season in Davis and Sacramento, Calif. at the NorCal Kickoff on Friday. Their first game takes place at 9 a.m. against Idaho State. Live stats will be available on UCSBGauchos.com throughout the tournament.
Follow UCSB softball all season long on Instagram.
