The Inland Empire Athletic Conference co-softball champions are headed to a play-in championship game against Moorpark College. The 17th seeded Panthers will travel tomorrow to face #16 Moorpark College. Should the Panthers advance, they will either take on Mt. San Antonio College or Cerritos College later in the week. Moorpark College finished 29-9 overall and impressively went 12-0 in the Western State Conference. "Moorpark has an outstanding team that has both amazing pitchers and hitters," states Chaffey head coach Jerry Tivey. "When you go unblemished in that conference, that is no easy feat. We will have to hit well and execute when we're given the opportunity."

The Panthers concluded the season at 28-12 overall and 12-3 in the conference. Although the Panthers dropped three games in April, head coach Jerry Tivey believes that in each of those games lost allowed the team to learn something about themselves.

Throughout the season, Stivey preached the importance of being physically stronger than the other team, but even more important, being mentally tough. "I tell my athletes to always understand the game better than your opponents, which will allow you to make better decisions. These are elements of the inner game that we work on every day." 

There have been many contributions from members of the team, however, Violet Salazar has stood out with the numbers she's been producing. Salazar's numbers are on par with the elite in the state as a hitter (.473 average - 16th in the state; 27 extra-base hits - 7th in the state; a .786 slugging percentage - 15th in the state; with 34 RBI & 44 runs - 11th in the state). What makes her even more valuable is that she is one of only 15 pitchers in the state with 16 wins (16-4) with over 100 K's and a 1.85 ERA.  "Her success is really predicated on the rest of our lineup. On defense, shortstop Marisa Marquez has been outstanding along with second baseman Lexi Alaniz-Diaz. They are the best 2 middle infielders I've seen all year," adds Tivey.  "In addition, Marquez is batting .481 with a slugging percentage of .852 and 14 runs/14 RBI in only 54 at bats (a shoulder injury kept her out of the batting lineup for the first 1/2 of the season). And finally, Clarissa Banuelos (an all-conference water polo player) is our first-team All-Conference catcher. Banuelos has hit .363 with 27 RBI and 28 runs scored out of the #9 spot in the order. She has also handled all three pitchers skillfully, earning their trust with her openness to criticism and her willingness to learn."

The team went through an extensive hitting session on Friday and will continue today with small defensive reps designed to maintain their sharpness. "The team feels ready and is excited since this has been the goal since last summer, states Tivey.  "This is the first step in the plan for Chaffey softball to be a perennial playoff team and title contender."