Though Trinity softball finished last year with a losing 15-28 record, they ended the year strong. The Tigers closed their season by going 10-10 in conference play, finally hitting their stride. Now, Trinity begins a new season with the wind in their sails.
“I think going forward, it should be to build off of [last season]. Not go backward, to continue to go forward.” Assistant Coach Jazmyne Cortinas said. Trinity Softball has only posted one winning season in the last seven years, but there are many reasons to believe this year could be different.
“I think we’re looking for a fresh start, a new era under Coach Witt[enauer], so I think all the girls are just ready to see what we can do,” said Jazmyne Cortinas, assistant head coach, when asked about the team’s goals. The arrival of Coach Wittenauer is just one of the many reasons for optimism in the program. Another is the number of returning key players from last season.
“I would say Jordan Arce had a great year last year. … So I feel like she’s gonna come back and do the same again.” Cortinas said. Arce, a sophomore from Thousand Oaks, California, made an incredible impact as a first-year last season. She threw over 100 innings and collected a 4.23 earned run average. She also threw five complete games — the most on the team.
Arce adds to a veteran team with upperclassmen throughout the lineup. The Tigers feature five seniors, including Dawson Dabboussi. Dabboussi, a catcher and first-baseman from Dallas, Texas, posted a .398 batting average, the highest among players with more than one at-bat per game.
Another Tiger senior poised to make an impact is Marina Delaluna, an infielder from Concord, California. Delaluna has made the All-Conference team three times and has led the Tigers in several important statistical categories. Along with breaking Trinity’s career home-run record, she led the team in runs with 26, runs batted in with 22, and home runs with four last season.
“I think we have some great leaders within our senior class. We have a couple within each class, respectively, that I think is going to come out and show that they can handle bringing that level of talent and that standard that should be here at Trinity,” Cortinas said. The Tigers hope to reflect that standard with a good start to the new season. So far, Trinity softball has a record of 3-1 after they swept Howard Payne University — a welcome change from last season.
The Tigers began last year by losing their first eight games. At one point their record was 3-18, partially because of their struggles in one-run games. In their first 21 games, Trinity softball possessed an 0-8 record in one-run games, including losing their first four. In addition, 11 of their losses on the year came after they led in the third inning or later. Already showing their improvement in this area, the team began 2024 with a 5-4 extra innings victory at Concordia.
Improvement is a word Trinity Softball hopes and expects to hear a lot this season, as they are confident they can win this season. “Honestly, I don’t feel like we have a true question mark. I feel like we’ve prepared enough that we’re pretty solid in all areas and aspects of our game, so we’re just hoping that it comes out on the field,” Cortinas said. Softball has already improved through their start to the season. Now, they will try to continue that progress.
