Thompson relaying top skills

Bryce Alderton

For the first time in the recent past, the Corona del Mar High

softball team has a coach that has lasted more than one year.

Nichole Thompson is in her second year guiding a program that

claimed its first CIF Southern Section playoff victory -- a 5-2

Division IV wild-card triumph over Mary Star of the Sea last spring

in its fourth straight year reaching the postseason.

They are all learning from a former two-time All-Pac 10 selection

at Arizona State who also had a stellar prep career at Woodbridge

High in Irvine as a second baseman.

Thompson, who played on two United States national teams in 2001

and 2003, competes for the Arizona Heat, a summer pro fastpitch team

that faces foes from Australia and China, among others.

But she doesn’t have to worry about commitments with the traveling

team overlapping with those of coaching. The softball season is in

the spring while the pro league conducts its games during the summer.

She tries to relay lessons learned from her career to the Sea

Kings, who through Tuesday were 10-7 overall.

She stresses pitching and defense and the players have responded

this season. The Sea Kings are averaging just more than 2.5 errors a

game.

“We’re playing average right now,” Thompson said. “We’re trying to

limit errors because errors are what teams are scoring on.”

Case in point is sophomore Michelle Tolfa, who is 10-6 as CdM’s

primary starter in the circle. Tolfa has struck out 129 this season.

The Sea Kings committed eight errors in two games of a

doubleheader against Back Bay rival Newport Harbor, but came away

with a split.

Tolfa, reigning Newport-Mesa Co-Player of the Year with teammate

Holly Van Hiel, is one of four sophomores and nine upperclassmen on a

team of 17.

The Sea Kings have four seniors, among them outfielder Heather

Lohrman, who led the team in batting (.342) last season.

Lohrman has played for three coaches, including Thompson, while at

CdM, but said Thompson brings a different set of traits to the team

than her predecessors.

“She’s brought skills and knowledge of the game and helped us jell

as a team, putting those skills together,” said Lohrman, who signed

with Niagara University in New York.

Thompson also wants the Sea Kings to run aggressively and for the

entire team to exude confidence while on the field.

She has already seen a progression in that department this season.

“The maturity has grown,” said Thompson, a two-time All-CIF second

baseman at Woodbridge who helped the Warriors to consecutive Division

II titles in 1997 and 1998, nearly the same time CdM’s program

floundered.

The Sea Kings didn’t field teams in ’98 and ’99.

“They’ve come out more focused. I want them to know they are

relied upon to play,” Thompson, a researcher for a real estate firm,

said.

Where the Sea Kings play their home games is also a topic of

discussion these days.

The booster club is forging ahead with fundraising for a field it

contends is a “glorified T-ball” diamond in need of repair.

Thompson said the field is not CIF compliant. The length from home

plate to the backstop is about 15 feet. The depth should be 25 feet,

she said.

CdM could not host a CIF playoff game under current field

dimensions.

Among potential changes outlined include adding a 30-foot

backstop, larger dugouts with roofs, and fencing 8 feet tall down

both foul lines.

To help with the fundraising, a youth softball clinic for children

aged 6-13 is planned from 8 a.m. to noon Sunday at the CdM field.

Call (949) 756-3232 to register.

Thus far, private donations equaling about half of the estimated

$50,000 total cost to renovate the field have come in, said Gary

Tolfa, in charge of fundraising for the team. The hope is to have at

least $35,000 by the end of this year, Tolfa said.

In the meantime, the Sea Kings will battle not only against

opposing teams in search of their fifth straight CIF playoff

appearance, but among themselves for playing time.

“We have a lot of skills this year and experienced players who

have a heart for the game,” Lohrman said. “We’re fighting for

positions. With so many new players, you’re never guaranteed a spot.”