Fullerton Crowned 2021 OEC Softball Champions, OEC Softball Tournament Set for June 2-4

After a 20-year wait, the Fullerton College softball team earned the OEC title after sweeping Saddleback College in the four-game series.

The last time the Hornets brought home the OEC crown, they won back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001 under head coach Lisa Bassi. That was when current co-head coach Crystal Aguirre was playing for the team.

It has been a very strange and difficult year to say the least, however with hard work and persistence, the FC softball team and coaching staff willed positive light at the end of the tunnel locking in on a 20-5 overall record with an OEC record of 20-4. Another bright light is the full-time hiring of Coach Aguirre pending board approval (more to come on this later).

Riding a two-game OEC lead over Cypress and Santa Ana heading into the week, Fullerton needed to sweep Saddleback this past week in order to secure the OEC title outright, and they did just that.

On Wednesday, FC hosted Saddleback and blanked the Bobcats 5-0, and 2-0. In the first game, pitcher Jessica Lopez earned the win going 7 complete innings allowing only 3 hits while striking out 10 batters. In game two, Madison Pevehouse threw 4 innings for the win. Lopez went two innings and had 4 K's, while Nicole Gonzalez locked in her first save of the season tossing an inning.

Friday's double header at Saddleback College was where the Hornets hammered down the final nails for the title beating the Bobcats in both games 5-1 and 7-3. Fullerton's Jessica Lopez threw another complete game for her 12th win allowing 5 hits, 1 earned run with 5 K's. In the second game of the day, three players hit doubles in Madison Ferguson, Miranda Rooney (2), and Ahahi Agredano. Pevehouse delivered with 3 RBI and Rooney chipped in with 2. Lopez took the win going 4.2 innings with 4 hits against and 7 strikeouts.

OEC TOURNAMENT - BRACKET

For the first time since 2001, the Fullerton Hornets Softball team was crowned Orange Empire Conference Champions after finishing the 2021 regular season with a 20-5, 20-4 record.

The Hornets solidified their spot on top after sweeping Saddleback in their last series of the year to keep a two game lead over Santa Ana, giving them a bye on day one of the OEC tournament.

Fullerton was led by star sophomore pitcher Jessica Lopez, who went 13-3 with just a 1.84 ERA in 22 appearances. Offensively, Dee Ramirez and Miranda Rooney punished pitchers all season as both produced big numbers with batting averages over .400 while combining for 63 hits, 27 runs batted in and 15 stolen bases.

With a record of 18-7, 18-6, the Santa Ana Dons took second place and also clinched a first round bye in the OEC softball tournament.

Emily Rosas was the key for the Dons success as the sophomore went 13-3 on the mound with an OEC high 1.16 ERA while also hitting .387 with 11 runs batted in.

Following five consecutive OEC titles, the Cypress Chargers landed in third place this season with a 17-7, 15-5 record. The Chargers were in the race for yet another title but a few losses and a missed series due to Covid-19 procedures on an opponents team led to the end of their impressive streak.

Pitchers Emily Rush and Eliza Sandoval carried the bulk of innings for the Chargers while Emily Adkison was one of the most feared bats in the conference, finishing with OEC highs in batting average at .500 and RBI's at 26.

Santiago Canyon finished fourth in the OEC standings at 12-12 but got hot at the right time, winning their last five games of the season. The Hawks relied on their bats all season as they scored 111 runs with seven batters hitting over the .300 mark.

Orange Coast won their last game at Santa Ana to place sixth in the OEC standings and were followed by Saddleback and Golden West.

Teams will prepare for the Orange Empire Conference Tournament which will take place from June 2-4. Games will be hosted on the higher seed's campus with start times set for 2:00 p.m.

All attendance decisions will be made by the hosting school's administration.

Release by Phil Thurman & Cammie Lewis