With the 2022-23 school year starting next week, it's time for the fall sports at California High School to get back to work. Among those teams are the Lady Pintos softball team.
Led by head coach Steven Stock, the Lady Pintos are seeking to win their first district title in more than 15 years. After going 18-5 in 2020, California struggled to get their record above .500 for most of last season, finishing at 12-12. Despite an outstanding season from pitching star Ellie Clay, who threw two no-hitters in a span of 72 hours, the Lady Pintos were eliminated in the first round of districts by Versailles.
Going into the 2022 season, Stock wants to dedicate this season to rebuilding a winning culture for the Lady Pintos, starting with the defensive side of the field. The Lady Pintos made multiple errors in several games last year, and five of the team's losses were decided by one run.
"Our main focus going into this season is that we need to improve ourselves defensively," Stock said. "That definitely hurt us last year. Most of our losses in games last year came on defensive mistakes, and we need to clean those up. Games are often won or lost on those little mistakes. So that will be our primary focus going into the season."
The Lady Pintos will have a much younger team than they have had in past years. During the past few weeks at training camp, Stock has been assessing his players at every position to see how they will fit into his vision of a winning team. This process will require a lot of patience and timing, as this youth movement in California will be filled with questions marks Stock will look to have answers to.
"We will have some inexperience this year, but we do have three or four pitchers who can put in strong outings," Stock said. "We also have several new girls who will help out this year, but we're not sure at what positions they will play yet."
It will be a season where the Lady Pintos will have to earn everything, and it will be a learning experience all the way. As always, conference and district opponents games will be the most critical for California, and Stock will be keeping his eye on those games as they draw nearer.
But Stock does believe in his team and the grind that will give Stock a chance to see what his team is made of and adjust the team's game plan accordingly.
"Conference games and districts games are always going to be the biggest games we will have. Everyone in our conference and district will be a tough opponent and we need to be ready for each game if we are going to win them," Stock said. "Our ultimate goal is to win games and to be able to compete for a conference and district title. It will be a long road and we have to be ready to play every night. This season will be a challenge and there are a few things that we need to figure out. But we'll get there."
The Lady Pintos open their 2022 campaign Aug. 26 in Sedalia when they take on the Smith-Cotton Lady Tigers.
California's home opener is Sept. 1 against Russellville.