Merced ready for another title run in softball

Megan Kravec has been part of Central California Conference softball championship teams her first three seasons playing for Merced.

The senior catcher doesn’t want that run to stop now.

“To win a championship every year would be really awesome,” Kravec said. “That’s our goal every year – to win CCC – and then we go from there.”

The Bears (5-2) are again the favorites as CCC play begins Wednesday. Merced will try to win a fifth consecutive conference title, starting with a key game against Atwater (5-1) at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at Merced High.

“Everyone knows they’ve been winning the CCC every year, and we’re going to do our best to take it from them,” Atwater coach Robert Santistevan said. “We’re going to have to stay strong on defense, and we’re going to have to hit the ball well to overcome their pitching. We certainly have a game plan for that.”

The Falcons have played well early, winning their pool by going 3-1 at the Rainbow Classic last weekend. Gracie Santistevan, Hailey Lawrence and Cheyenne Mahy have been swinging the bats well.

Atwater and Pitman (5-2), with senior pitcher Alexis Mettler, are expected to be Merced’s stiffest challenges.

Golden Valley (5-2) is also improved and returns one of the top offensive players in the league in Shyan Crutcher, who already has three home runs. The Cougars open at Pitman Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

Buhach Colony has been in the playoff mix the past couple years but is1-4. The Thunder, which hosts Turlock (3-4) on Wednesday, will count on contributions from Jen Moreno, Dyonne Vargas and Sarah Clarot.

The problem for the CCC is the Bears have dominated with great pitching, a solid defense and an explosive offense.

How dominant?

Merced brings a 26-game conference winning streak into Wednesday’s game. During the four-year run of titles, the Bears are 54-6. Merced outscored its CCC opponents 144-17 last year.

Merced again will run out the conference’s top pitcher in Madilyn Nickels, who was selected to play for the USA Junior National Team this summer.

Despite the graduation of four-year stars Chelsea Evans and Ruby Quiralte, Merced is already averaging more than six runs a game and has a .384 team batting average.

“We’ve lost some great players, but we’re a pretty strong team,” said Kravec, who will play next season at Notre Dame de Namur. “We may struggle because our team is a little new, but we’ll learn to play together. We’ve got some strong returning players, and we’ll keep the vibe going strong.”

Rheanne Lewis, Katelynn Gietler, Nickles, Kravec, Missy Lalisan and Shelbee Ward help give the Bears a solid lineup.

The Bears’ biggest problem may be roster depth. Merced only has 11 players.

“How could it not be a concern when you only have 10 or 11 players?” Merced coach Bart McAfee said. “Right now we have 11, but one is a senior who hasn’t played softball since she was a freshman and another is a cheerleader who hasn’t played since seventh grade. They’re going to be a work in progress.”

Besides depth, McAfee’s only other worry is complacency. It’s an issue he’s addressed with his team.

“I don’t think he needs to worry about that,” Kravec said. “We’re there. No matter what, softball comes first – outside of school of course. We’ll show up and we’ll play hard.”

This story was originally published March 10, 2015 at 10:51 PM with the headline "Merced ready for another title run in softball."