Stampede Statement Dominant effort at Livermore tourney keeps Monarchs stock rising By mitch stephens | Contributor When you lose a state Player of the Year finalist – your starting pitcher — and a college-bound catcher to graduation, a dropoff is both understandable and expected. If not a drop-off, at least a slow start. But 18 games into the 2013 softball season and Archbishop Mitty is perfect, 18-0 overall, 6-0 in the vaunted West Catholic Athletic League and perhaps most impressive, a 5-0 showing at the Livermore Stampede Tournament April 5-6. The Monarchs are No. 6 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national rankings and ranked No. 5 in the state by CalHiSports.com. “Did I see (18-0) coming?” Mitty thirdyear coach Brian Yocke asked rhetorically. “I don’t want to say no. Frankly, we expect to win every time out. Let’s put it this way, I wouldn’t have been surprised if we had some losses at this point. “At the same time, this group of girls prepares extremely hard and demands excellence. They set high expectations for themselves.” Still, losing Vanessa Alvarez, who was 25-1 last season with a 0.86 ERA last season and hit a team best .450, had to lower their bar a little bit. Alvarez led the Monarchs to back-to-back Central Coast Section championships and a combined 56-5 record. She’s now the starting right fielder at perennial national college power Cal. Combine her loss with the graduation of catcher Chiara Biagini, who is at Santa Clara, along with three other seniors, and the Monarchs would have plenty of spikes to replace. But led by the athleticism and leadership of one of the nation’s top junior shortstops, Jazmyn Jackson, a superb experienced infield and overall team balance — especially pitcher and catcher — the Monarchs have outscored opponents 131-24. Mitty is hitting .375 as a team and hit 14 home runs, five by the speedy Jackson.
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SportStars™
April 18, 2013
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archbishop mitty On the mound, sophomore Desiree Severance has led a trio of pitchers that has a combined 1.33 ERA and 13 complete games. Unlike pitchers on most national powerhouses, Severance isn’t a power pitcher, relying on control and a variety of pitches. She’s struck out 51 in 85.1 innings pitched and allowed 50 hits with a 0.74 ERA. She won four of the five games at the Stampede and was named Most Valuable Player. “She’s not a prototypical power pitcher,” Yocke said. “She hits her spots with an assortment of pitches. She’s a stud in the right way.”
LITTLE THINGS
Like she’s done all season, Severance let her stellar defense do the work. Mitty didn’t commit an error throughout the tournament. “We’re not just making the routine play, but the exceptional play as well,” Yocke said. “There’s a lot of communication on this squad. They do all the little things.” Though the offensive numbers are big, Yocke said it’s the team’s unselfishness which paves the way. “Everyone is buying in,” he said. “Everyone is giving quality at-bats and setting up teammates.” That goes for Jackson, their best player who has already committed to Cal. Blessed with a tremendous arm to go along with speed and hand-eye coordination, Jackson is also among the team’s hardest workers. Just like Alvarez was over her career. “As much talent as she has, she’s blue collar,” Yocke said. “She works her tail off. She’s always pushing to get better. … If you ask her to bunt, she’s glad to do it. She’s an unselfish athlete.” She’s hitting a team-best .532 with teambests in hits (33), runs (23) and doubles (5), sacrifice flies (3) and stolen bases (11). She’s
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