OIA Western Champs Campbell Prepped For Pre-season
By Jack Danilewicz
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS | Share
Del.icio.us
|
If Campbell girls softball coach David Perreira were giving out pre-season honors, senior Breanne Patton would be high on his list. Indeed, in a program that prides itself on developing its players, the senior pitcher is one of the Saber success stories.
“Coming out of her freshman year, she couldn’t hit a beach ball,” Perreira said. “Everything she’s gotten, she’s earned. Her strength is totally her work ethic. She has the mentality of wanting to do better. She didn’t get recognized last year as she should have,“he added, noting that Patton was left off of the Oahu Interscholastic Association’s First Team All-Star list, making the Second Team instead.“She was solid all year for us, leading our team in every important category. We’re hoping she can duplicate that and do even a little better.”
Patton and the Sabers begin pre-season play this week in the Mililani Tournament, where they’ll see some of the top teams in the state. Wednesday the Sabers meet traditional power Kailua; Thursday Campbell takes on Pearl City. Both games start at 5 p.m. at Central Oahu Regional Park.The Sabers will be back at CORP Saturday to play Waiakea at 2:15 and Punahou at 5:45 p.m. Opponents Sunday and Monday to be determined by earlier games.
Hopes are once again high for the Sabers, who won the OIA’s Western Conference championship last season en route to a second straight state tournament appearance. In addition to Patton, the Sabers also return key seniors in pitcher/infielder Leinna Kalua, infielder Loreen Egdamin, catcher/outfielder Chanel Bali-Gaui, catcher Anu Yamaguchi, outfielder Genna Pantohan and out-fielder Amber Kaulia, who will join the team in the coming weeks after her basketball season is over.
“They know how close we’ve come in the state tournament the past two years,” said Perreira, whose team was defeated by the eventual state champion each time. “They’re all working hard, and they’re really hungry.”
With games nearly every day this week, Perreira expected the Mililani Tournament to showcase his entire pitching staff. In Patton, Kalua and sophomore Katie Manuma,they figure to have three of the best in the OIA based on their play last winter.“All three are fighting for a starting job right now,” Perreira said. “Our pitching is a plus, I think it will be solid. Katie is our Nolan Ryan. She’s a hard thrower. Leinna is very accurate, and she can mix up her speeds. Bre has a little pop to her ball, too, and she has good movement.”
Offensively, Campbell had no problem manufacturing runs a year ago, in part because they added weight training to the off-season.
“We really hit the ball well last year,“said Perreira, who was named the Red West’s Coach of the Year by his peers last season.“With mostly the same crew back, we expect hitting to be one of our strengths. Even though we lost Kaiulani Clark (who transferred to Kapolei), Katie is back, and she is going to make a difference for us this year. She worked really hard this summer.”
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS
Most Recent Comment(s):
