A former Pointer athlete has returned to lead his alma mater’s softball team to an undefeated league record in his first season as head coach.
Billy Hunyady, class of 1981, played baseball with David Wells and quarterbacked Bennie Edens’ football team during his prep days at PLHS before six years as an assistant softball coach at San Diego Mesa College and leading several club teams.
He played with former head coach Tom Kamfonik and was coached by Kamfonik’s father in youth baseball and joined the Pointer staff last year as an assistant.
Now his Pointers, without a single senior on the roster, have gone undefeated in the first round of Eastern League play while compiling a five-game winning streak during April and an overall record of 10-8
“Our most consistent player is probably junior Gen Hope, our one returning all-league player,” Hunyady said, “But we’re really a young team with a lot of interchangeable parts. Most kids have played multiple positions.”
Another standout is sophomore Simone Cobb who is doing something unusual – running track while also playing for the softball team under an arrangement with the track coach.
“Simone is really fast and our leadoff hitter, Hunyady noted. “She has been on base 19 times this year, stolen 17 bases and scored 16 runs. She is probably our most likely player to draw interest from a D-I school. She’s tall, fast, strong and has the physical attributes they look for.” On the mound, sophomore Cassidy Saunar has pitched 80.2 innings of the team’s 106, compiling a 9-7 record, a 3.38 ERA and holding opponents to a .238 batting average while making no errors on 50 fielding chances.
In one of the team’s closest league games at league-favorite Mission Bay, sophomore Valerie Remley, a transfer from High Tech High, ripped a three-run home run that provided the difference in a 7-5 win. The dinger was Remley’s team-leading second of the season.
Hope leads the team with a .391 batting average with Saunar and Remley close behind at .333.
Saunar’s 19 hits are tops followed by Hope (18) and freshman Taylor Riley (17).
Hope leads with five doubles and Cobb has two triples while Hope and Riley share the RBI lead (12).
“We are really excited and hope to make a deep run in the playoffs this year if we get in but we really are on a two-year plan as our players gain more experience,” Hunyady concluded.
Assistant coaches are Steve Vargas and Mike Hastings.
The Pointers will move to a new home field next year at the Correia Sports Complex opening on the grounds of Correia Middle School.
