Ten passionate Malibu High School (MHS) softball players took the field on May 17 and 19 to make a statement in post-season play. The Sharks defeated Cuyama Valley, 26-0, in the first round of CIF playoffs on May 17, advancing them to the second round of CIF for the first time in program history.
Senior Hali Norris had an outstanding first-round game, hitting two back-to-back home runs, and senior Molly Gallagher pitched her first-ever no-hitter.
“Although the competition levels were different, you could tell we were out there to win,” Norris said.
The Sharks moved on to play their second-round game against number one seed and defending CIF champion Rolling Hills Prep — a much more difficult matchup than their first-round opponent. The game ended Sharks’ historical run with a 10-0 defeat.
“[Before the game] we practiced as we usually do, but in the long run, our physical ability just wasn’t on par,” senior Xena Amirani said. “Most of their players were obviously full-time softball players.”
Norris said that Rolling Hills’ pitcher was the best she had ever faced.
“There was a lot of movement on her ball and a lot of speed that a pitching machine can’t compare to,” she explained.
Despite the intense competition, the Sharks kept good spirits throughout the game.
“I thought Molly pitched well, and our offense did a nice job,” Norris said. “Even though we held the gun defensively, for the most part, they hit the ball and we just struggled adjusting to their pitcher.”
Coach Mark Cooley said he is proud of the way the Sharks ended the season.
“We kept the energy up really high and they never quit,” he said. “We just got out-physicaled. I could never be upset with them.”
On top of making it further in CIF than ever before, the Sharks qualified for the tournament for the first time since 2009 and only the second time in school history. Many of the seniors agreed that the program has improved immensely since their freshman year — a feat many of them attributed to the addition of assistant coach Breanne Parr, a former Division I softball player.
“It’s night and day,” senior Rachel McConnell said. “We were a very young team. Our assistant coach, especially, took us to another level.”
“We couldn’t catch and throw a ball at high school level [when we started],” Amirani added. “Coach Bree did speed drills by us and we got to a point where everyone could do basic plays.”
Cooley has been with the team since the current seniors were freshmen, and agreed that the program has evolved tremendously.
“I had to coach them all the way up,” he said. “They came from a system where they were never pushed out of their comfort zone. There was an initial adjustment, but they came around.”
Amirani said that the program allowed many of the players to experiment with different positions, which worked out well.
“It helped our team chemistry,” she said. “I felt like it flowed really well because everyone was comfortable with where they were playing.”
McConnell explained that playing fall and winter ball also helped several of the girls improve their skills.
“As freshmen, our energy would die out halfway through the game,” she added. “We focused on keeping higher energy throughout the game, and we tried to be the team that scored first.”
The end of the season signifies the end of a long run as teammates for many of the team’s seven graduating seniors who have been playing together since Malibu Little League.
“When you’ve been playing together for that long, you know each other’s styles of playing because you know their limits and their habits,” McConnell said.
Many of the seniors helped put on clinics for little league players during their time on the high school team, where they had the opportunity to meet incoming players.
“Having so many seniors was definitely life-changing,” freshman Luna Salinas said. “You have teammates to be like, ‘It’s OK, I’ve done this before.’”
Though the seniors are finished with their high school careers, a few of them aren’t ready to put end their softball careers just yet. Molly and Emma Gallagher plan to play next year at Ventura College, Norris will play at College of the Canyons and Amirani plans to play on the club team at USC.
“I don’t want to lose [softball],” Amirani said. “It’s been such a part of my high school and middle school.”
The loss of this year’s senior class leaves next year’s team with only three returning players — Amelia Goudzwaard, Salinas and sophomore Sydney Stern. The Sharks need to bring in six to seven new freshmen to maintain a team.
“We have to do a lot of recruiting,” Goudzwaard said.
Though next year’s team will likely have to undergo a rebuilding phase, the senior class made it clear that they will continue to support, especially since none of them are leaving California for college.
“We’re going to come back and watch them,” Emma said. “We’re family.”
