Moorpark softball will lean on standout sophomores and savvy seniors in CIF title game
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After a quick glance at the season stats for the Moorpark softball team, one particular fact jumps off the page: four of the team’s top five hitters are sophomores.
The two players who have pitched every inning this season also happen to be sophomores.
But while the Musketeers are headlined by a talented group of second-year players, they wouldn’t have reached the CIF Southern Section Division 4 championship without the guidance and play of their two lone seniors, Madison Zulager and Caitlin Finnerty.
“They’re our two leaders on the team and we appreciate them,” said Madison Finnerty, Caitlin’s younger sister. “We’ll do anything as teammates to win together and for them as seniors to make it special for them.”
Moorpark (23-4) will rely on its senior leadership and its sophomore sensations against Temple City (23-6) in the Division 4 final on Friday at 3:30 p.m. at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine.
The program is looking to earn its first CIF title.
It will be Madison Finnerty in the pitcher’s circle once again, fresh off a perfect game with 13 strikeouts Tuesday in a 5-0 semifinal win against Heritage Christian.
Finnerty and the defense will anchor the team, but the bats will need to come alive against a star sophomore pitcher on the other side in Kassandra Gewecke.
That won’t be an easy task.
Gewecke pitched three straight shutouts to lead her team to the semifinals last week against Burroughs. She had allowed only one earned run all season before the Rams topped the Bears 7-2.
Despite Gewecke’s success, the Musketeers won’t adjust their offensive approach. The routine will stay the same for a team that’s registered 43 runs in their last six games.
“We’re not going to change our approach. We’ve had a hitting philosophy all year that’s been successful,” said Moorpark coach Meaghan Stotts. “They prepare the same way all season long, and they’re going to continue to do that.”
Zulager, who finished atop the Coastal Canyon League in RBIs (37) and home runs (12), will be a huge factor for the offense, as will her senior teammate Caitlin Finnerty (19 hits and eight RBIs this season).
Like her coach, Caitlin Finnerty agreed that the team doesn’t need to change much, if anything, for Friday’s game. They just have to be ready for battle.
“We have to prepare mentally and just focus on ourselves rather than the other team,” she said. “Just play how we do. It’s more mental at this point. We just need to focus on our game.”
And while the future is bright for this Moorpark team that is loaded with talented sophomores, leaving the field Friday with a title will be just that more special for the two seniors who are enjoying their first postseason run.
“We haven’t been in the playoffs for like six or seven years, so I haven’t experienced this before,” Zulager said. “So to be with all of them here, it’s just been a lot of fun.”