GIRLS’ SOFTBALL PREVIEW:Following footsteps into the circle

Corona del Mar High’s sister act in softball is the Tolfas.

Meet Michelle and Lauren. One is unassuming, the other shy. Both are pitchers.

But in her senior year, Michelle’s experienced far more success than her younger sister, who’s a sophomore.

Michelle is the modest one despite all the accolades. She’s the two-time Newport-Mesa Player of the Year and is bound for Princeton.

Lauren is in her first varsity season and figuring out what her future holds.

Corona del Mar first-year coach Laura Mayberry is hoping for a bright one.

“She’s like our young talent,” said Mayberry, “so we’re going to try to get her some games in here and see if she can take over for her sister.”

Big-time pressure.

Can the younger Tolfa match the older sister’s feats? Lauren’s not even thinking about it now. She’s just getting acclimated after spending last year on the junior varsity.

Mayberry knows what Lauren’s capable of doing on the field. She coached her on the JV before taking the varsity job, which opened when Nichole Thompson left after three years.

Under Thompson, Michelle threw and hit lights out and the Sea Kings achieved postseason success.

But after being an integral part of teams that posted the first two playoff wins in school history, CdM couldn’t get out of last year’s wild-card round, as it had the previous two years.

Not making the next step troubled the Sea Kings, especially Michelle. At the end, after making her third straight Dream Team, she called the season “probably my worst year.”

Michelle went 10-11 with a 1.50 earned-run average, led the Pacific Coast League with 167 strikeouts while walking just 19 in 135 innings. She hit .325 and drove in 14 runs.

Statistics most players in Orange County would love to call their own.

But to Michelle, they were down from her sophomore year, when she finished 15-10 with a 1.08 ERA and 201 strikeouts to go with a .467 batting average, six home runs and 20 RBIs.

How the season ended, getting no-hit in an 8-0 loss at Gahr in a Southern Section Division IV wild-card game, was also tough.

Determined to prevent that from happening again, Tolfa worked in the offseason on all facets of her game.

The biggest was her confidence. Michelle said last year that she lost it while CdM finished 14-11, 6-6 in the Pacific Coast League, good for fourth place.

In her first opportunity to see how much she’s improved, Michelle faced Mission Viejo in CdM’s season opener. Mission Viejo won, 6-2.

“We had a lot of errors [four].” Michelle said. “They have some pretty good hitters [nine hits]. We didn’t get very many hits. We got like two.”

Two isn’t so bad when it comes to the number of Tolfas at CdM.

Mayberry said the oldest is “finishing her tenure” at CdM and the youngest is just starting.

Michelle has had a stellar career, earning second-team All-CIF Division IV honors the last two years.

Count on Michelle to have another outstanding season because Mayberry said she’s used to the spotlight. As for Lauren, will she pitch in big games?

“She would flinch,” said Mayberry, who plans to use Lauren as a reliever. “She doesn’t like the spotlight as much. Lauren’s a sweet kid and she’s got some talent, but she’s kind of in the shadow of her sister.”

CORONA DEL MAR

Coach: Laura Mayberry (first year)

2006 record: 14-11, 6-6 in Pacific Coast League, fourth place

Returning starters: P Michelle Tolfa (Sr.); SS Allie Duernberger (Sr.); CF/P Holly Van Hiel (Sr.)

Key newcomers: 2B Karissa Dempsey (Jr.); 3B Amy Smith (Jr.)

Key dates: at Beckman, April 17; at home against Beckman, April 19; at home against Laguna Hills, April 24.

Outlook: Mayberry, a junior varsity coach, takes over as coach after Nichole Thompson guided the team to the CIF Southern Section playoffs in her three years. Tolfa, the two-time Newport-Mesa Player of the Year, returns after going 10-11 with a 1.50 earned-run average and leading the league with 167 strikeouts, good enough to be named second-team All-CIF Division IV for a second straight year. Two other key returnees are center fielder Van Hiel, a second-team all-league selection, and Duernberger at shortstop. The Sea Kings defensively should be solid up the middle with Tolfa, Van Hiel and Duernberger.

COSTA MESA

Coach: Sharon Uhl (first year)

2006 record: 2-19, 0-12 in Golden West League, seventh place

Returning starters: SS Daniel Morton (Sr.); 2B Christy Gregory (Sr.); C Emily Pulaski (Jr.); 1B/P Brienna Ramirez (Jr.)

Key newcomers: P Kira Mitani (Fr.); OF Karla Lopez (Jr.); OF Brook Urmson (So.); U Jessica Hayes (Fr.)

Key dates: at TeWinkle Park against Calvary Chapel, April 18; at TeWinkle Park against Estancia, April 20; at home against Calvary Chapel, April 27; at home against Estancia, May 2; at TeWinkle Park against Calvary Chapel, May 7; at Estancia, May 9.

Outlook: Uhl, Costa Mesa’s co-athletic director, said two of her former players, Morton and Gregory, begged her to return as head coach after Lori Esparza left after one year. In Uhl’s return, the Mustangs have tripled last year’s win total in nine games. The turnaround can also be attributed to Mitani’s pitching as a freshman. Mitani helped Costa Mesa place fourth in its own 16-team tournament behind Calvary Chapel, which is the favorite to win the new four-team Orange Coast League. The top two teams receive automatic playoff berths and Uhl said Mesa has a realistic chance to do so.

ESTANCIA

Coach: Alan Caouette (third year)

2006 record: 9-11, 4-8 in Gold West League, fifth place

Returning starters: 1B Kiele Brown (Sr.); 2B Taylor Brown (Sr.); 3B Lina You (Sr.); P Josie Flores (Sr.); OF Nicole Amaya (Sr.); SS Courtney Ulrich (So.); CF Taylor West (Jr.).

Key newcomers: OF Lindsey Starn (Sr.); C Amy Hartwell (Fr.); OF Kylie Wilson (So.); P Abby Scheafer (So.); U Haylee Whitney (Jr.).

Key dates: at home against Calvary Chapel, April 6; at TeWinkle Park against Costa Mesa, April 20; at Calvary Chapel, April 25; at Costa Mesa, March 2; at home against Calvary Chapel, March 5; at home against Costa Mesa, March 9.

Outlook: The Eagles join the new four-team Orange Coast League, giving them a shot to make the playoffs for the first time under Caouette. One of four returning starters is Kiele Brown, who made the Dream Team and was a first-team All-Golden West League performer after hitting .404, scoring 15 runs and driving in 12 runs in 52 at-bats as a junior. Flores will be the ace and Scheafer, a sophomore pitcher, should help Estancia. In her first career varsity start, Schaeffer threw a no-hitter in four innings against Bolsa Grande.

NEWPORT HARBOR

Coach: Zach Reeder (first year)

2006 record: 6-21-2, 4-5-1 in Sea View League, fourth place

Returning starters: P Jane Messersmith (Jr.); SS Casey Lucas (Sr.); C Robin Gautschi (Jr.); 1B/P Lauren Talbott (Jr.)

Key newcomers: 2B Cheyenne Flores (Fr.), 3B Jessica Knight (Sr.)

Key dates: at home at Bonita Creek Park vs. Corona del Mar, April 28 (doubleheader); at home vs. Esperanza, April 3; at Esperanza, April 5; at home vs. Los Alamitos, May 10.

Outlook: In Reeder’s first year as a head coach, the Sailors have struggled manufacturing runs as they’ve been shut out in four of their first five games. Lucas and Knight are the lone seniors. Reeder is counting on returning Dream Team pitcher Messersmith (6-17, 2.09 ERA, 147 strikeouts) and reliever Talbott (3.77 ERA) and the defense to carry a team he describes as raw. Reeder, who replaced walk-on coach Mike Davis, was an assistant baseball coach at Canyon the last three years. Before that, Reeder was an assistant for two years with Canyon’s softball team that qualified for the CIF Southern Section semifinals and quarterfinals.

SAGE HILL

Coach: Julia Cappelli (first year)

2006 record: 5-9, 3-7 in Academy League, tied for fourth place

Returning starters: P Lauren Neale (Sr.); OF Amy Penner (Sr.); SS Katie McKeon (Jr.).

Key newcomers: C Sadie Hoeschen (Fr.); OF Lily Busch (Fr.); 3B Hanna Hunt (Fr.).

Key dates: at home against Capistrano Valley Christian, Friday; at home against St. Margaret’s, April 10; at St. Margaret’s, April 27; at home against Brethren Christian, May 10.

Outlook: With a new coach in Cappelli, the Lightning are heading in a different direction. The former Towson (Md.) University catcher takes over for Rodger Corbett, who lasted two years at Sage Hill, the first of which the team finished second in league at 7-3. Cappelli said duplicating that success would be difficult this year because she called it a rebuilding year with only two seniors and six freshmen. McKeon, a Dream Team and first-team all-league shortstop, returns after hitting .389 and leading the team with 18 stolen bases and a .463 on-base percentage.