The Aliso Niguel Girls Softball Team is a force to be reckoned with as they make an impact in the league. The girls display determination on the diamond and on the field as they navigate their way into the 2024 CIF Division II Championships.
The girls are going into CIF this year with a very impressive record of 15 wins and six losses. The team moved up a division since last year but that has not shaken up their unwavering determination and athletic prowess on the rankings.
The team played an away game against Beaumont High School on March 14, after driving two hours. They channeled their strength and through the utilization of their athletic skills, the team came out on top. A few of the players recalled this moment as the highlight of the season so far due to Beaumont being a highly ranked team within the league.
Star Player, Gigi Ganje (12), is a very talented player that has also largely contributed to the success of the team. Ganje currently leads the team with the highest batting average, AVG, at .506 and the highest on base percentage, OBP, at 0.524. Ganje also has the most number of hits during the season with an impressive 39 hits.
Taylor Nelson (12) is also another player that deserves recognition for her skill as she has the most runs this season with 28, and the highest slugging percentage at 1.037.
Although Ganje and Nelson are strong assets to the team, at the root of their success is the team’s strong integrity and dynamic allows for Aliso’s softball team to stand third in the league. The entire roster contributes to the teams overarching success and admirable performance on the field as each individual player contributes their unique skills and determination to improve the team’s overall performance.
Aliso’s softball coach, Coach Baldwin also plays a very important role in the team’s achievements as a key leader for the players.
Varsity softball player Eryn Lamey (10) provided personal insight commenting, “All of us are so grateful to have her as our coach. She never takes a dog off and is always our biggest supporter on and off the field. She has not only made us better players, but she has also helped us become better people off the field.”
Since the Beaumont game, the girls recorded a league win against San Juan Hills and a shutout win against Rosary Academy.
Mission Viejo seemed to be the Wolverine’s toughest opponent, losing to the Diablos three to five through eight innings and five to nine in the second head to head meeting.
In the first round of the girls division II CIF game, the Wolverines played against Foothill High School, claiming an impressive first round victory with the score of five to one. The Wolverines drew to play against View High School in the second round of CIF.
Sophomore, Sloan Lorenzo, gave her opinion on why the Wolverines have made it this far in CIF already this season: “We have a really talented senior class who has positively affected our team culture. Everyone wants to work for each other and they have made sure that will continue.”
The Wolverines will play at home on May 7 in hopes of advancing to the third round of CIF.
