CdM’s defense strong

It might be appropriate to call this season the beginning of the post-Michelle Tolfa era for the Corona del Mar High girls’ softball team.

Tolfa, a four-year Daily Pilot Dream Team pitcher who was the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year last season, is now a freshman at Princeton. She went 11-12 with a 1.26 earned-run average a season ago, striking out 187 in 161 innings.

But the Sea Kings (2-6) and second-year Coach Laura Mayberry certainly don’t believe they’re doomed without her, either.

Mayberry has been with the program for eight years, and this is one of the best defensive teams in that time at CdM.

“We’ll miss Michelle, that goes without saying,” Mayberry said. “But I think if we look at the team as a whole, this is one of the strongest teams we’ve had in a long time. There’s a real team atmosphere. A lot of the games we’ve had have been some pretty tough competition, but that gets us set up for league, to get all the kinks worked out.”

Senior Karissa Dempsey, who played second base last year, has stepped in as a pitcher this year to replace Tolfa. Dempsey allowed just one run as the Sea Kings beat Sage Hill, 12-1, to open their season.

“Karissa will be pitching a lot for us,” Mayberry said. “She’s stepped up. Hopefully, we’ll get someone else to also pitch, but she’s going to have the bulk of the work.”

The Sea Kings’ top hitter from last year, junior Leslee Kaczmarek, also returns at first base. Kaczmarek was a second-team All-Pacific Coast League selection after batting a team-best .342 last season.

Junior catcher Katrina Gaar is another hot bat that returns. Gaar batted .337 last year with a team-best 27 hits.

Other returning starters for the Sea Kings include senior infielder Amy Smith, and juniors Baylee Robertson and Alison Dort. Kaczmarek’s younger sister Kelsey, a sophomore, is also in the mix.

“I think she’ll make a pretty big impact on our team this year,” Mayberry said.

Also looking to make a contribution are junior Chelsea Peterson, sophomores Brianna Galipeau, Elena Mitchell, Ashley Varner and Kasia Walleen, and freshman Heather Barrett.

The positions are not as specific in the early season, just “infield” and “outfield” for now, as the Sea Kings have had to shuffle some players due to Tolfa’s departure. CdM also lost a pair of other program graduates, in Dream Team selection and shortstop Allie Duernberger and outfielder Holly Van Hiel.

“We’ll have to reshuffle some positions,” Mayberry said. “We have a young team, in some respects. In the first couple of games, we’re kind of getting settled in.”

CdM has made the playoffs four straight years, but lost in the wild-card round two years ago under former coach Nichole Thompson. Last year, the Sea Kings finished tied for second in league, losing to La Serna in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs.

“Everybody’s forecasting us to be doomed because Michelle’s gone, but I don’t think that,” Gaar said. “With our defense now, it’ll definitely be good. I just hope we’ll have a better hitting year as a unit than last year. It’ll definitely be interesting to see how it all pans out, everyone working hard and seeing how it goes.”

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or by e-mail at matthew.szabo@latimes.com.