2015 softball preview

Geena Gonzales, Staff Writer

In summer 2014 De Anza College hired a new head coach for the softball team, Angelena Mexicano.

Mexicano said she wants to use this season as a “building year for the team, and a year of getting to know and get familiar with everything.” She said she would like to be able to look back at this season as a way to move forward and learn.

The 2015 season is a chance for each player to get better and work on things within each practice to become more successful, she said.

With sophomores making up a majority of the team, their knowledge is useful and helpful for Mexicano. The sophomores are familiar with each other, and are making the transition smooth for their coach. As a coach, she is still getting familiar with each girl and uses each practice as a building experience.

Coach Mexicano said she wants to be able to look back at this season as an improvement from last year and use the season as a lesson to remove kinks from their game. When asked about the team’s preparedness for the season, Mexicano said the players are working hard to be prepared and ready for the season.

Carolina Garcia, 19, said her expectations for the season are “to communicate more with the team, and teammates, to get some hits, and just grow stronger.” Garcia has a positive attitude toward her team’s preparedness for this season. “I think we will be better than last season,” she said. Last season the team finished with an 11-19 record.

“Honestly I want to win and become a better player as a whole,” said Shawanda
Sweeney, 27.

“The team is ready, but there is always room to grow.”

Coach Mexicano seems to agree, wanting to use preseason games as a way to work out all the kinks that need to be addressed before the start of the
regular season.

Overall, Mexicano said, her main goal for this season is “a winning record, that doesn’t mean win a championship, just a winning record.”