Darnes Taylor, the father of J.C., shouted encouragement to the La Jolla softball team: “Believe in yourselves.”
During the Vikings’ play-in game for CIF, he called out, “Em (Emmy Cardenas, the pitcher), you can rely on your teammates” after a good defensive play behind her.
J.C. Taylor, an experienced travel ball player, supplies power from the left side and is one of Coach Anthony Sarain’s new additions this season as a freshman. Taylor, who started at first base in the playoff game, is hitting .419 with 19 RBIs.
A pleasant surprise as a returning sophomore is Roxanne Metcalf. Metcalf, playing some shortstop and first base, upped her game after hitting .150 as a freshman last year to .439 this season. “I’ve worked hard in the offseason. I’m hitting over .400 and meeting my goals,” said the 5’9” infielder. She has 24 RBIs, second only to Cardenas.
Maddie Ehlert came in the crop of freshmen to dramatically change the Vikings’ fortunes from last year when many games ended with the mercy rule after five innings. Ehlert stabilized the team with her experience behind the plate and solid batting, to the tune of a .338 average this Spring with 18 RBIs. Giving an honest appraisal, Maddie acknowledged, “I started off the season hitting really well, but then I fell off. I’m working on getting it back.”
Emmy Cardenas, a senior in her final year at La Jolla, stayed home to play for her local school. She has experienced the ups and downs of the past three years when her pitching and hitting alone could not always pull the Vikes through. But she’s grateful for the improvement of the team: “This year our batting has been really good,” she said before the game at La Jolla Country Day.
On the mound, she is 10-3, with 170 strikeouts and a 2.02 ERA. The 5’8” right-hander, kind of a Shohei Ohtani as far as pitching and hitting, holds many LJHS career records, including a 1.56 ERA, eight no-hitters, 612 strikeouts on the mound; at the plate, hitting from the third slot, she holds the Viking career records of 142 RBI’s, 47 doubles, and 27 home runs.
She has hit .739, .541 with 12 homers, .436 last year, and .603 with 10 home runs over her four-year career. She is headed to Winthrop University in South Carolina.
Junior Kaitlin Murphy holds down third base and has had a good year. Lefty Vivian Jensen plays second base and keeps things lively with her unique view of things.
La Jolla’s high point this year was probably the four straight wins they put together back in March, all tournament games: 11-0 over Hoover, 9-2 over rival Bishop’s; 19-2 over Southwest of San Diego; and 3-1 over Coastal Academy.
Stephanie Alvarez, a slugger from the Class of 2013, came back to help Sarain this season in coaching the team. Alvarez played at University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota.
