SACRAMENTO CITY COLLEGE PANTHERS
Sac City State Championships
The Panthers have raised the state championship banner in 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2004, making it the most successful softball program in Northern California. Here’s a look at the championship teams!
1988
This title cost coach Tim Kiernan the mustache. He was true to his word that if the Panthers won their first title, he
would shave off the stuff above his lip, and hours after the final out, Kiernan was sheared. Charlene Manley pitched her fourth consecutive shutout and the Panthers pushed across a run in the fifth inning to beat Palomar 1-0 in Hayward to cap a 44-6 season. Manley allowed only 10 hits in the tournament sweep and was named Most Valuable Player. Manley allowed only two first-inning hits in the finals. She was one of seven returning starters who returned for another shot after SCC had finished second in 1987. The defense, anchored by Shannon Padova and Shelly Suwa, was superb. Catcher Melinda Garcia and first baseman Dawnielle King were selected to the all-state team and Margie McCune drove in the only run in the state final game. Manly won 34 games that season, tied for the best single-season total in SCC history, and she had a 0.08 earned run average. Nicki Dennis led the team with 10 homers, 16 doubles and 56 RBI’s. Padovan had 18 sacrafices. The All-Americans that season included Dennis, Manley, and Pandovan.
1992
No team in state history ever boasted of such dominating pitching. And not with just one hurler. SCC had the ideal 1-2 punch to punch out the competition with Amy Windmiller and Kim Gonzalez. WIndmiller went 27-1 and Gonzo was 26-2 as SCC rolled to a school record54-3 record, including four games at Sacramento Softball COmplex to take its second title. Fittingly, WIndmiller set the SCC record with a numbing 365 strikeouts. Gonzalez is second all time with 187. Windmiller had a 0.07 ERA that spring, tops all time at SCC, and Gonzalez is tied for second at 0.08. Windmiller allowed only four earned runs all season and beat Palomar 4-1. She struck out 10 and went 3-0 in the tourney with Gonzalez winning the other game. WIndmiller tossed a no-hitter against Palomar for a 3-0 win earlier in that tournament. All told, Windmiller had 10 no-hitters and five perfect games. And when she took the day off, Gonzo took over and blew away the competition. The defense was anchored by shortstop Vicky RIos, who had 64 hits and scored 50 runs. Becky Burroughs set an SCC record with 10 triples. First baseman Stephanie Acton and catcher Beth Gerkin also had superb seasons.
1996
More pitching, more hitting and more defense. And another state title.
SCC again again featured a poweful 1-2 pitching combo with Cheri Shinn and Sarah Ayres, and the Panthers fielded perhaps their most deadly lineup as three players drove in 47 or more runs. The Panthers set a school record for wins and finished with one of the best marks in state history at 59-4. Two losses to Solano in the regular season served as the wakeup call SCC needed and the Panthers roared through the playoffs, winning all 8 games and the state championship against Fullerton at Ohlone College. Shinn went 29-2 with a 0.59 ERA. Ayres was 13-0 with a 0.08 ERA, which tied for second best on the all time SCC list. Shinn was one of five All-Americans. In addition to her mound dominance, she has a .369 average, drove in 49 runs and clubbed four homers. All-AMerican infielder Laura Redding hit .402 with 54 RBI’s, tied for forth best on the all-time SCC list. All-American third baseman Kim Martinez hit .367 with 30 RBI’s after leading the state in scoring in basketball, where she was also an All-American.
10
All American Londyn Ray batted .360 with 47 RBI’s and tied the SCC single-season record with 10 homers. Denise Jackson, an All-American in volleyball and softball, hit .333 with 31 RBI’s and four homers. Each of the All-Americans earned scholarships.