SANTA ANA, Calif. – The 2020 softball season is right around the corner as Santa Ana is scheduled to open with a road contest against Mt. San Jacinto on January 27th.
The Dons are coming off their third consecutive playoff appearance while finishing fourth in the Orange Empire Conference with a record of 24-16 in 2019. They were knocked out of the first round by Antelope Valley, falling 2-0 in the series.
SAC is set to return some key players this year, including two pitchers in Aspen Kyles and Brandi Kirkpatrick. Kyles appeared in 21 games, going 4-3 with a 3.88 earned run average (ERA). Kirkpatrick threw in 10 games, winning three while also playing in the field. She posted a 4.20 ERA and hit .304 with 10 runs batted when playing primarily in the outfield.
Although the team added a ton of freshmen and transfers, the biggest change for the program in 2020 is the hiring of Marissa Ross, who has taken over as head coach after long time coach Kim Nutter stepped away. Ross was hired on as an assistant coach in 2018 and played for Santa Ana from 2012-2014.