After last year’s disappointing season, the 2005 varsity softball team is looking to redeem itself, playing with many of the same team members and a new coaching staff.

Last year, the team ended their season 5-7 in the El Camino Division and 8-12 overall.

According to head coach George Fangonilo, the number of young players on the team is what hurt them last year.

“Last year we had a young team,” Fangonilo said. “Emily Forman, our senior pitcher, who was First Team All League the year before, was forced to quit for family reasons. We had a young pitcher who had to step up.”

Christie Cory, now a sophomore, pitched almost the entire season for the varsity squad. According to Fangonilo, in the beginning she struggled, but by the end of the season she was hitting her mark.

“She [Cory] came on strong at the end of the season,” Fangonilo said. “She was 5-0 at the end of the year. She actually ended up making Honorable Mention All League.”

According to Fangonilo, Cory looks strong this year and was chosen as a captain as well. The coaches are pushing her to be in throwing shape before the season starts, so she can be more prepared than she was last season.

Sara Collins, a junior at Paly, is being brought up from JV this year and will pitch a few games as well, although Cory will be their main pitcher.

According to senior and co-captain Elena Stillerman, the team needs to work on unity. “I don’t think everyone got along with each other last year, so we didn’t work very well as a team,” Stillerman said.

This year the team is made up primarily of sophomores and has only two returning seniors: Stillerman and Kelli Fangonilo.

“The whole sophomore group needs to step it up,” G. Fangonilo said. “They’re all willing to learn. We can have a strong team.”

Fangonilo said that the players expected to make the team strong are returning sophomores Nikki Remmel, Kristine Miller, and Sisley Brewer.

However Fangonilo has high hopes for sophomore newcomer Meghan Tesi.

“Tesi has a nice, sweet, natural left handed swing,” he said. “She makes good contact and hits it hard. She’s a new player because she hasn’t played in five years.”

According to Fangonilo, the goal of the team this year is to be more aggressive. They’re running the bases more and they’re working on more bunt situations.

Fangonilo is also working hard on defense, claiming it is one of his team’s weaknesses. “This year we have a strong hitting team,” Fangonilo said. “However, defense we still need to work on.”

Fangonlio said that this is the best hitting team he has witnessed since he began coaching with Paly three years ago.

According to Fangonilo, the projected starting line-up for the 2005 varsity softball team is as follows:

Pitcher: Christie Cory, sophomore, and Sara Collins, junior

Catcher: Anne Widera, sophomore

1st Base: Katie Barich, sophomore

2nd Base: Sisley Brewer or Nikki Remmel, sophomores

3rd Base: Kristine Miller, sophomore

Shortstop: Kelli Fangonilo, senior

Right field: Elena Stillerman, senior

Center field: Nikki Remmel, sophomore

Left field: Tiffany Hawes, junior

Paly’s biggest threats this year will be Saratoga and Wilcox, because of their strong pitching staffs and defenses. The team will be playing Saratoga twice and Wilcox three times.

Up first for the Paly team is its first game on March 7 against Leland, last year’s Central Coast Sectional finalist.