2022 OEC Softball Play Begins

2022 Orange Empire Conference Softball play is underway as all eight teams saw action against conference foes last week.

Throughout the pre-season, OEC teams held their own and combined for a record of 46-19-1 against non-conference opponents.

Two of those teams went undefeated as Santa Ana came out hot to go 8-0 with a just halted game against Ventura in question while Cypress started at 7-0 before falling to Long Beach on Saturday in extra innings following their first OEC win during the week.

Reigning OEC MVP Emily Rosas has led Santa Ana on the mound with all nine wins and a 1.05 ERA while posting a conference high 71 strikeouts thus far. It's been a group effort offensively for the Dons with Airilin Ramirez posting a team high 14 runs batted in while Sarah Casey sits second in the OEC in batting average at .550.

For Cypress, star returner Emily Rush has done the bulk of the work on the mound, posting a 3-1 record with a 2.07 ERA and one save while fellow returner Paige Shafer keeps producing at the plate with a team high .542 batting average.

The Santiago Canyon Hawks are off to a strong 10-1 start behind a stacked lineup that leads the state in batting average (.442). The trio of Alyssa Yslas, Samantha Villanueva and Adriana Martinez pose a threat to any pitcher as they all are hitting over the .500 mark.

Fullerton sits at 5-2-1 with just a couple of one run losses in pre-season. The 2021 OEC Champs are sure to be a tough opponent throughout conference play as they defend their crown. Standout shortstop Dee Ramirez has been one of the most impressive players in 2022 as she has driven in 16 runs while hitting .519.

The Orange Coast Pirates are having a solid year at 6-4 and have high hopes for a playoff run this season. OCC has only dropped games against teams in the top 15 of Southern California RPI rankings. The Pirates have leaned on their pitching to keep them in games as pitchers Ashlee Kean and Lindsey Manhart have both managed to stay sub 3.00 ERA for the year.

Riverside enters the week with a record of 6-6 following a 7-6 loss to Fullerton in their OEC opener but rebounded with two wins against Southwestern on Thursday. Infielder Alicia Fitzgerald leads a deep Tiger lineup with a .455 batting average and nine RBI.

Rounding out the group is Golden West, who is 2-3 overall following a 9-4 loss to SCC, and a 4-6 Saddleback team who put up a good fight against SAC in their OEC opener.

Release by Cammie Lewis, Santa Ana SID