Nation's No. 3 softball team Archbishop Mitty hasn't missed a beat

SAN JOSE, Calif. — When you lose the State Player of the Year – your starting pitcher — and a Division I-level catcher to graduation, a drop-off is both understandable and expected.

If not a drop-off, at least a slow start.

But 20 games into the 2013 softball season and Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) is perfect — 20-0 overall, 7-0 in the vaunted West Catholic Athletic League and, perhaps most impressive, a 5-0 showing at the Livermore Stampede Tournament April 5-6.

After a pair of tight wins this week over Valley Christian (San Jose), 8-7, and Wilcox (Santa Clara), 5-3, the Monarchs are No. 3 in both the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national rankings and national computer rankings.



"Did I see (20-0) coming?" Mitty third-year coach Brian Yocke asked rhetorically. "I don't want to say no. Frankly, we expect to win every time out. Let's put it this way, I wouldn't have been surprised if we had some losses at this point.

"At the same time, this group of girls prepares extremely hard and demands excellence. They set high expectations for themselves."

Still, losing Vanessa Alvarez, who was 25-1 last season with a 0.86 ERA and hit a team-best .450, had to lower their bar a little bit.

Alvarez led the Monarchs to back-to-back Central Coast Section championships and a combined 56-5 record. She's now the starting right fielder at perennial national college power Cal.

Combine the loss of Alvarez with the graduation of catcher Chiara Biagini, who is at Santa Clara, along with three other seniors and the Monarchs would have plenty of spikes to replace.

But led by the athleticism and leadership of one of the nation's top junior shortstops, Jazmyn Jackson, a superb experienced infield and overall team balance — especially at pitcher and catcher — the Monarchs have outscored opponents 144-34.
Mitty is hitting .368 as a team and has hit 15 home runs, five by the speedy Jackson.



On the mound, sophomore Desiree Severance has led a trio of pitchers that has a combined 1.33 ERA and 13 complete games. Unlike pitchers on most national powerhouses, Severance isn't a power pitcher, relying on control and a variety of pitches.

She's struck out 64 in 99 innings pitched and allowed 62 hits with a 1.26 ERA. She won four of the five games at the Stampede and was named Most Valuable Player.

"She's not a prototypical power pitcher," Yocke said. "She hits her spots with an assortment of pitches. She's a stud in the right way."

Like she's done all season, Severance let her stellar defense do the work. Mitty didn't commit an error throughout the tournament.

"We're not just making the routine play, but the exceptional play as well," Yocke said. "There's a lot of communication on this squad. They do all the little things." {PAGEBREAK}Buying in
Though the offensive numbers are big, Yocke said it's the team's unselfishness which paves the way.

"Everyone is buying in," he said. "Everyone is giving quality at-bats and setting up teammates. If we put up the bunt sign, there's no hesitation. The girls are executing and happy to do so."



That also goes for their best player, Jackson, who has already committed to Cal. Blessed with a tremendous arm to go along with speed and hand-eye coordination, Jackson is among the team's hardest workers. Just like Alvarez was over her career.

"As much talent as she has, she's blue collar," Yocke said. "She works her tail off. She's always pushing to get better. … If you ask her to bunt, she's glad to do it. She's an unselfish athlete."

She leads the team in a number of offensive categories: batting average (.529), hits (36), runs (25), doubles (5), sacrifice flies (3) and stolen bases (12). She's struck out just three times in 80 plate appearances.

"You add her arm plus her speed plus her defensive plus her bat plus her attitude and it's all plusses for our team. You name it and she has it," said Yocke.

The Monarchs have it all away around the horn, starting behind the plate with the sophomore duo of Madeleine Kim (.353 average, 15 RBI, seven extra base hits) and Megan Nordin (.333) who split time. When one is starting behind the dish, the other fills in at DH.
They are two of six sophomores on the roster.

"They are totally interchangeable," Yocke said. "We never lose a beat."



The Monarchs are blessed with nothing but experience on the infield with seniors Ashley Chestnut (first), Catherine Callaway (second) and Kiersten Nordin (third).

Chestnut is hitting .304 with 19 RBI, Callaway is hitting .371 with 23 hits (eight for extra bases) and Kiersten Nordin is at .311.

All three will play in college. Chestnut is headed to UC San Diego, Callaway to Harvard and Nordin to Cal Poly.

Combined with Jackson, Mitty might have the best infield in Northern California.

"Kiersten is a four-year letterman and been all-league the last two years," Yocke said. "Cat is a great kid and hard worker and Ashley has given us clutch hits all year."

The outfield is led by sophomore right fielder Danielle Bowers, also a pitcher, who is hitting .379 with 22 hits, 16 RBIs and five doubles. Bowers was all-WCAL as a freshman and hits cleanup.



"She's really fast. She's a switch hitter, can slap or hit for power," Yocke said.

Center fielder Haley Wymbs, another sophomore, is hitting .444, second on the squad. She's contributed 24 hits and 20 RBIs and great range in the outfield.

Senior left fielder Rachel Silva is tremendous with the glove and is the captain of the outfield.{PAGEBREAK}Small ball, big wins
It was a true team effort while winning the Stampede as the Monarchs posted impressive wins over California (2-0), Whitney (6-2) and Livermore (4-2).

Those three teams have combined records of 32-11 as of April 15.

In the win over Livermore, Jackson was 3-for-4 with a double and two steals, Kiersten Nordin had a home run and Bowers singled in a run and doubled.

For the tournament, Bowers was 6-for-18 with a homer and three doubles, Jackson was 11-17 with a double, triple and seven steals and Kiersten Nordin and Kim combined for nine hits and six RBIs.



"Just the way we like it," Yocke said. "Everyone contributes."

Yocke, a former baseball and football standout at Mitty, has fallen for the game in which he watched his sister Megan excel.

Megan Yocke graduated in 2007 and was a star second baseman before playing catcher at the University of Kentucky.

Brian Yocke was a 2003 Mitty graduate, played two seasons at Mission JC before transferring to San Jose State where he played and graduated in 2007.

He coached baseball at Mitty and San Jose State before former softball coach Sarah Thomas stepped down after a highly successful seven-year round.

Brian Yocke took over, and with the vast help of assistant Ed Barclay, who handles the pitching and catching, has won two CCS titles in his first two seasons.



He credits Barclay heavily, his sister and the talented, hard-working players for the team's success.

"From the get-go I was excited for the change (from baseball to softball)," he said. "I've always been a big believer in bunting players over and getting runs early. I enjoy small ball.

"Every one asks me the biggest difference between baseball and softball and in my honest experiences, the best softball players – like Vanessa Alvarez and Jazmyn Jackson — have much smaller egos than the top baseball players. They take advice and are receptive to criticism. Boys, myself included at that age, some times let their egos get in the way."

E-mail senior writer Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com or follow him on Twitter @MitchMashMax.