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.
Desiree Severance, Mitty
Photo by Scott Dinn
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.
Jazmyn Jackson, Mitty
Photo by Scott Dinn
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."
