Coaches consider softball team improved from previous year

Fallbrook High School’s softball team finished the 2011 season with a 13-14 overall record.

The record included a 2-8 mark in Avocado East League competition. Although the league results gave the Warriors a tie for fifth - or last - in the standings, the two wins against Vista were the Warriors’ first league wins in four years.

“That was one of the goals we set at the beginning of the year,” Fallbrook co-coach Shannon Koran said of obtaining a league win. “We got two.”

In 2010 Fallbrook had a 12-15 overall record and finished 0-10 in Avocado League play. The Warriors’ goals included winning more games than they did in 2010. “Both our team goals we set we achieved,” Koran said.

“We were very proud of the goals and the accomplishments that they had this season,” said co-coach Patti Drew. “We came away with some good wins during the year.”

The improved record came despite an upgraded schedule. “We had losses to three reigning CIF champions this year,” Koran said. “It was a much tougher schedule than we had last year.”

The 2010 CIF division champions who defeated Fallbrook were El Camino, University City, and Mater Dei. “We played a couple of tougher teams this year and in fact got a pretty big win against La Costa Canyon, which was great for our program,” Koran said. “It was the biggest win we’ve had in the two years we’ve been here.”

The win over La Costa Canyon, which opened in 1996 and thus first fielded a softball team for the 1997 season, was Fallbrook’s first ever against the Mavericks. “This year we were able to pull it out. That was a huge win for us,” Drew said.

“The game’s a little bit faster when you’re playing top-level teams, and it’s only going to help us in the future,” Koran said.

The Warriors also took second place in the Friars Classic Tournament this year.

Fallbrook will lose only two seniors from their roster, and catcher Andrea Gomez was the only starting senior.

“We’re excited about where we’re going,” Koran said.