By Francisco Padilla
Staff Writer
After an unsuccessful 2016-2017 season, where the CSUDH Softball team struggled to get things going, the Toros have managed to turn things around this year. A big part of that success has to do with the improved starting pitching the team has shown 25 games into the season.
After having a combined team ERA of 10.29 last season, the Toros have improved their pitching to account for a drastically lower combined ERA of 4.68.
The team has benefited greatly from having senior pitcher Alyssa Valinches return after she struggled with injuries last season. They also added freshman pitcher Alyssa Olague, from Whitter High School, who committed to the Toros back in April of 2017.
“We have a really young pitching staff, which has helped us a lot, so I think that’s allowed us to get better depth,” said Valinches.
Valinches has started 12 games, including nine complete games and two shutouts, and has a 3.79 ERA. She was recently named CCAA softball pitcher of the week after a dominant series against Cal State East Bay, where she gave up two runs in 14 innings with 18 strikeouts. So far in her first season with the Toros, Olague has started 13 games, which includes seven complete games and one shutout win, with an ERA of 4.65.
With 25 games completed this season, the Lady Toros have found a pitching formula that works for them. They have gone with a rotation of Olague pitching one game and Valinches pitching the next, then rinse and repeat.
This two-pitcher rotation has allowed them to create a strong bond as the veteran Valinches has helped mentor Olague on the diamond.
“It’s all mental, to stay tough,” said Olague, who graduated from Whittier High School. “If I have a bad inning she will be the first one to come up to me, have my back and say go out there [and] dominate the next inning.”
A pitching rotation of two players, to many people, may not seem like a lot but to Olague and Valinches, the connection they have made with each other and their junior catcher Rachael Sandoval has been strong enough to keep confidence on the diamond.
“We’re both different pitchers,” said Valinches. “We both know what to throw, Rachael calls pitches for us, and so it’s easy for us to keep the momentum in our favor.”
In baseball, starting pitchers will usually get four to five days rest after a start, however, softball pitchers are pitching on consecutive days and in some instances twice in a day.
“At first my arm wasn’t used to it, but now I’m adjusting to it,” said Olague.
When it comes to pitching, softball varies in comparison to baseball. Softball pitches are thrown underhand and at ground level with the batter; baseball pitches are thrown off a mound and can be overhand or even sidearm.
“It’s basically all in the legs, that’s where you get most of your power from,” said Valinches. “You also want to keep your arm as close to your body as possible so you can have a tighter spin.”
As a senior, this will be Valinches’ last stint with the Toros. Olague still has three more years to continue making an impact for the CSUDH softball team.
