The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.

The College of San Mateo softball team last won a Coast Conference North Division championship in 2007, when it shared it with Ohlone-Fremont.

In the last two years, however, the Renegades have captured the title. So it goes without saying that the Bulldogs are intent on winning the conference championship again — and this time they want to do it outright. CSM opened up the season over the weekend in Visalia with a doubleheader against Sequoias.

“I want a conference championship,” said Nicole Borg, who is entering her fourth year as CSM’s head coach. “That’s our No. 1 goal. If we can accomplish that, then we look to the next level, which would be to have a top-10 ranking for the Northern California playoffs and preferably a top-four seed, so we can host (a series).”

Like most coaches, Borg enters every season with positive vibes. But she’s particularly encouraged with this year’s group, which has talent and depth at every position. Borg said the talent level is similar to the ’07 team that finished 42-8 and carried a No. 6 NorCal ranking. Of course, Borg won’t truly know how good her team is until later in the season.

One thing is for certain: The Bulldogs probably won’t have trouble scoring this year. They have plenty of players who hit for average and power. Of course, softball is a pitching-oriented game, and Borg likes what she sees from this year’s crop.

As it stands now returning starter Lauren Cole and newcomer Callie Pacheco of Half Moon Bay High will lead the way. Other pitchers include Ashley Rincon of Sequoia, Stephanie Bautista of Hillsdale and Alyssa Jepsen of Notre Dame-Belmont.

The strength of CSM’s pitchers lies in their versatility — most of them are position players, too. When they’re not in the circle, Bautista will be playing at first along with Sammy Pacheco, Jepsen will be at shortstop along with returning starter Nicole Cardoza and Callie Pacheco at third.

Megan Craviotto of Aragon returns at second base, and the outfield consists of Regina Dinapo of South San Francisco, Anna Dea of Lowell, Shelby Molini of Mercy-Burlingame and Tai Vegas. The Bulldogs don’t have the speed of last year’s team, but then again, they probably won’t need it.

“Offensively it looks like we’re going to be real strong,” Borg said. “Any way you slice it, I don’t see any holes in my lineup.”

Ultimately, though, pitching is what wins championships in softball, and the jury is still out on whether or not a dominant ace or two develops from CSM’s staff. However, if someone does emerge into a tour de force, watch out because the Bulldogs are loaded just about everywhere else.

“Our pitchers’ strength lies in the fact that they can come in and throw strikes,” Borg said. “I wouldn’t say any of my pitchers are overpowering, but they hit their spots and keep the game at a nice constant flow. They ‘re all in very good shape and have lot of endurance. As the season goes on, the ones who stand out most are the ones who hate to lose.”

Borg is a big believer in competition, so much so that players are competing for spots in practice everyday. She’s also a huge proponent of instilling in her players a mental toughness that will transfer onto the field.

“I really believe the girls have bought into the process,” Borg said. “I can’t say it enough how excited I am for this season. They’ve pushed and pushed, and now it’s a matter of taking what they’ve done in practice to doing it when it really matters. It’s all a mental game. (From my experience) if we play solid in our first five or six games, we usually do really well (the rest of the season).”

CSM has always been a NorCal softball power, and for a time under former legendary coach Tom Martinez a perennial state title contender. Borg would love nothing more than to guide her alma mater back to the top. Last year the Bulldogs finished 25-18, substandard by Borg’s standards.

So it’s no wonder she’s eager to start anew and embark on another journey that she hopes will culminate in an outright conference title, followed by a strong showing in the playoffs.

“At some point in life you have to push yourself past your limits and see how far you can get,” Borg said.

And that’s exactly what CSM plans to do.