College of San Mateo softball coach Nicole Borg vividly remembers the pain she felt after the Bulldogs saw their season end to Siskiyous last year in the opening round of the Northern California playoffs.
CSM ended the season at 20-25, one of the few times in the program’s rich history that it finished with a losing record. That fact alone hit Borg harder than any of the fastballs she turned on in her stellar playing career.
“I’ve never been a part of a losing team, and (what happened) last year will forever stick in my mind,” said Borg, whose team opens the season with a pair of games at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday at home against Sequoias and Napa, respectively. “I will never forget that.”
Borg didn’t need any more motivation, but she went into the offseason in serious attack mode. The third-year CSM coach who took over for the legendary Tom Martinez hit the recruiting trail hard and landed some of the best local high-school talent from last year’s crop.
“When you’re trying to rebuild, you start in June with recruiting,” she said. “You try to get kids up to summer school and try to make sure they feel great about the program.”
Borg is particularly optimistic with this year’s squad. She doesn’t have a dominating pitcher — yet — but is confident at least one of her four hurlers can develop into a bona-fide ace. In Lauren Cole, Kaye-Lani Dillender, Christine Lewis and Stephanie Bautista, the Bulldogs have versatility in the circle.
CSM’s lineup doesn’t have a true slugger but does possess a host of speedy players who can hit the gaps and wreak havoc on the bases. Sometimes playing small ball can be just as effective as using the long ball, and that’s what Borg is counting on from her hitters. Look for Meggan Craviotto, Jackie Ferrari and Ashley Peterson to make an impact with the bats. Porous fielding hurt the Bulldogs last year, but Borg expects glove work to be a strength this season, particularly in the outfield.
