Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
SB | Gaels Release Exciting 2020 Schedule
11/20/2019 2:46:00 PM | Softball
MORAGA, Calif. — The Saint Mary's softball team is gearing up for their 2020 season as they will face off against a number of powerhouse opponents with a roster full of new talent.
The Gaels will play their first games of the year at the UC Davis Kick Off Tournament in Davis, Calif. from Feb. 6-8 where they will face off against Boise State, California Baptist, Sacramento State, and Idaho State.
The team will compete in three other tournaments during the season including the Bulldog Classic and the UC Davis Capital Classic. Saint Mary's will host a five-game tournament against California, Nevada, and Utah Valley from Feb. 20-22.
Before returning home, the Gaels will travel to San Jose to take on Utah State, San Jose State, UC Santa Barbara, and Washington in a three-day series from March 6-8. In the middle of those contests, SMC will travel to Santa Clara for a doubleheader against Saint Francis.
Saint Mary's will play their home-opener on March 11 where they will take on Oregon in a single game before hitting the road again. Later in the season, the Gaels will open conference action on April 4-5 as they will host Loyola Marymount for an exciting West Coast Conference battle. The team's last homestand of games will take place from May 8-9 where they will face Santa Clara in a three-game conference series to finish off their season.
The Gaels feature a reloaded roster with a number of key returners after recording one of their best conference seasons last year under head coach Sonja Garnett. SMC won more conference games in 2019 than the previous two years combined and it marked the first time since 2016 that the team has finished fourth or better in the conference standings.
Junior Kimiko Zapanta was the leadoff hitter for Saint Mary's last season as she batted a .269 with a .296 on base percentage. Zapanta finished the season first in the conference in stolen bases with 15. Junior Jayda Alaan is also a key returner for the Gaels as she led the team with a .424 on base percentage.
The new additions to the team consists of a variety of talent as the Gaels will welcome nine freshmen for the 2020 season.
"We are excited to continue building this year as we face a challenging 2020 schedule," said associate head coach Emily Montanez. "Our opponents will be tough from the start, preparing us to compete in conference. We are proud of the hard work our athletes have been putting in and we are excited to hit the field with them."
The Gaels will play their first games of the year at the UC Davis Kick Off Tournament in Davis, Calif. from Feb. 6-8 where they will face off against Boise State, California Baptist, Sacramento State, and Idaho State.
The team will compete in three other tournaments during the season including the Bulldog Classic and the UC Davis Capital Classic. Saint Mary's will host a five-game tournament against California, Nevada, and Utah Valley from Feb. 20-22.
Before returning home, the Gaels will travel to San Jose to take on Utah State, San Jose State, UC Santa Barbara, and Washington in a three-day series from March 6-8. In the middle of those contests, SMC will travel to Santa Clara for a doubleheader against Saint Francis.
Saint Mary's will play their home-opener on March 11 where they will take on Oregon in a single game before hitting the road again. Later in the season, the Gaels will open conference action on April 4-5 as they will host Loyola Marymount for an exciting West Coast Conference battle. The team's last homestand of games will take place from May 8-9 where they will face Santa Clara in a three-game conference series to finish off their season.
The Gaels feature a reloaded roster with a number of key returners after recording one of their best conference seasons last year under head coach Sonja Garnett. SMC won more conference games in 2019 than the previous two years combined and it marked the first time since 2016 that the team has finished fourth or better in the conference standings.
Junior Kimiko Zapanta was the leadoff hitter for Saint Mary's last season as she batted a .269 with a .296 on base percentage. Zapanta finished the season first in the conference in stolen bases with 15. Junior Jayda Alaan is also a key returner for the Gaels as she led the team with a .424 on base percentage.
The new additions to the team consists of a variety of talent as the Gaels will welcome nine freshmen for the 2020 season.
"We are excited to continue building this year as we face a challenging 2020 schedule," said associate head coach Emily Montanez. "Our opponents will be tough from the start, preparing us to compete in conference. We are proud of the hard work our athletes have been putting in and we are excited to hit the field with them."
Players Mentioned
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