2007 SOFTBALL PREVIEW:Lions aim to rekindle success

The history of the Vanguard University softball program has been a tale of two millenniums.

From 1993 through 1999, the school then known as Southern California College won five Golden State Athletic Conference championships and advanced to the NAIA Tournament three times.

But the school changed its name to Vanguard before the 2000 season and the program’s destiny has been similarly altered.

Since 2000, Vanguard has finished no higher than fourth in the conference and has not earned a postseason invitation. In the last seven seasons, the Lions are a pedestrian 203-178-2, 76-96 in the GSAC, with only one winning season in conference play.

This is not news to Coach Beth Renkoski’s squad, which is trying to merge six freshmen newcomers with a small, but experienced band of veterans in an attempt to bring about a positive change.

“I think the returners are very, very hungry and the new kids are buying into that,” said Renkoski, whose team is off to a 9-2 start, including eight straight wins, in her 11th season at the helm.

Renkoski said a difficult 2006 campaign — in which the Lions lost six of their last eight with a depleted roster to finish 26-29, 6-14 in conference — has also helped motivate this team to restore some of the luster to a once-elite program.

“It has been difficult,” Renkoski said of some adversity that has added to the Lions’ competitive frustrations. “I think [the adversity of 2006, in which some players were required to sit out for disciplinary reasons] has made this team very hungry. I think some girls believe we have had the talent to get to where we needed to be [the postseason], but other things have held us back.”

Senior shortstop Rachel Bomgren is the backbone of this year’s squad. She earned second-team All-American honors last season (Vanguard’s first All-American since 2002) and was also first-team All-Region II and All-GSAC. She hit .482 (nearly 200 points higher than the Lions’ second-best hitter), with five home runs, 32 RBIs, 40 runs, 13 doubles and four triples as an atypically powerful leadoff hitter.

Renkoski, however, believes Bomgren’s value to the team transcends the stat sheet.

“She has been the epitome of a team player,” Renkoski said. “It’s amazing to see someone who is that good, but still very humble. She really tries to bring everybody else up to her level and she has been a blessing for this program. She’s going to leave a mark, and that’s not just with her stats.”

Despite recovering from a broken nose and broken finger sustained in the fall, Bomgren has picked up where she left off last season. Heading into Tuesday’s nonconference doubleheader at Cal State Bakersfield, Bomgren is hitting an eye-popping .606 with 20 hits in 33 at-bats. She has five doubles, two triples, six RBIs and has scored 11 runs. Her slugging percentage is .879 and she is three for three in stolen-base attempts.

“We know we have to have more than Rachel to be successful, but, realistically, she carries a big load for us,” Renkoski said.

Helping share that load thus far has been sophomore infielder Sarah Howe. Howe, who hit .273 with 17 RBIs in 51 games last season, is hitting .576 (19 hits in 33 at-bats), with one homer, six RBIs, a team-leading 19 runs and a team-high five steals in six attempts. She has two doubles and three triples to bring her slugging percentage to a robust .909. She has settled into the No. 3 spot in the batting order.

Howe, who can play any infield position, has been used primarily at third thus far. Renkoski said her emergence offensively has been a matter of confidence.

“She tends to be hard on herself, but she’s going to the plate with a positive attitude this year,” Renkoski said. “And, that freshman season is always rough. I think she has really settled in.”

Freshman infielder and designated hitter Melissa Forrester has also been an offensive catalyst thus far. The former star at Patrick Henry High in San Diego is hitting .480 with nine RBIs.

Yet another offensive standout has been senior Jennifer Rynda, who along with junior Jennifer Olvera forms the veteran portion of a potentially strong pitching staff for the Lions.

Rynda, who plays outfield when not pitching, is hitting .433 with a team-leading 14 RBIs through 11 games.

Rynda was 5-8 with a 1.86 ERA in the circle last season, when she pitched 82 2/3 innings. This season, she is 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA, having allowed 21 hits in 21 2/3 ninnings. She has 10 strikeouts.

Olvera, who sat out last season, is 3-0 thus far, completing and winning each of her starts. She has 34 strikeouts and just four walks in 23 innings, and has surrendered just 17 hits.

“Olvera is a power pitcher, while Rynda relies on movement,” Renkoski said.

Forrester and freshman Kelsey Boyer, who redshired at Palomar Community College last year, have started two games apiece in the circle this season.

Boyer has yet to allow an earned run in 14 innings, during which she has fanned 14 and walked just one, while allowing only 10 hits. She is 2-0.

Forrester, 1-1, has struck out 15 in 13 2/3 innings, while surrendering just eight hits and three walks. The left-hander’s ERA is 0.51.

As a staff, the Lions have an ERA of 0.88.

Olvera is also a part of the offensive success this season. The cleanup hitter is batting .406 with one homer, eight RBIs and 12 runs.

Noelle Navarette, a junior who has entered the starting lineup this season in center field, is hitting .419 with six RBIs and five runs thus far.

Freshman second baseman Jennifer Bergh, out of Tustin High, has started well at the plate. She is hitting .417 with 10 RBIs and 11 runs.

Ashley Ocasio, a sophomore catcher, will be looked upon to handle most of the duty behind the plate, Renkoski said. She is off to a slow start offensively (four for 23), but has five RBIs.

Freshman Katie Daniels, a Newport Harbor High product, has started all 11 games in the outfield. She is hitting .214 with six runs and one RBI.

April Glenn, a freshman out of Santa Margarita High, has started all 11 games at first base. She has just three hits and three RBIs thus far.

Heather Durham, a senior in her fourth season in the program, is expected to add veteran leadership. She played in 55 games last season, hitting .261 with 20 RBIs. She has not played yet this season.

Noel Devine, another of six freshmen on the roster, should add depth in the outfield, Renkoski said.

Though off to a strong start, the Lions must continue to elevate their play to compete in the rugged Golden State Athletic Conference, which features four teams ranked in the NAIA preseason poll.

Included among their conference rivals is top-ranked Cal Baptist, Point Loma Nazarene (No. 4), Concordia (No. 10) and Biola (No. 21).

After visiting Cal State Bakersfield, Vanguard has a doubleheader at home against Patten, before opening conference play with a home doubleheader against Biola on March 3.

“We have to come out and play well every day to compete,” Renkoski said. “[The conference season] is going to be a cat fight. The entire conference has gotten better over the last several years, so it has become tougher and tougher to make it to the postseason”

Vanguard will need to be ranked one of the top four teams in the region to earn a postseason berth. The region includes the GSAC, as well as independents San Marcos, Dominican, Patten and Bethany.

The Region II Tournament is scheduled May 8-10, with the NAIA Tournament set for May 18-23.

THE LIONS

2 Jennifer Bergh Fr.

6 Heather Durham Sr.

7 Jennifer Rynda Sr.

8 Melissa Forrester Fr.

9 April Glenn Fr.

11 Sarah Howe So.

13 Katie Daniels Fr.

14 Noelle Navarette Jr.

15 Ashley Ocasio So.

18 Noel Devine Fr.

19 Kelsey Boyer Fr.

21 Jennifer Olvera Jr.

33 Rachel Bomgren Sr.

Coach: Beth Renkoski

(11th year)