Softball Season Saw Super Regional Appearance, 18 Records and Four on the All-Conference Team
The Dons season, by all measures, was a success as the team came within a game of the State Finals while tying or setting 18 college records. All of that goes along with three Dons on the First-Team and another on the Second-Team All-Orange Empire Conference teams.
The Santa Ana College softball team wrapped up its season with a list of awards and accomplishments. The Dons finished the season 36-10 overall, their best finish since the 1995 season, and 16-5 in the Orange Empire Conference, placing them in a tie for second place.
Following the regular season, the Dons qualified for the postseason where they swept Allan Hancock College with a pair of 3-0 wins. From there, SAC traveled to Palomar College for the Super Regionals. After an opening loss, the Dons fought back to the final day with wins over Palomar and Cerritos College. Unfortunately, the Dons run ended with a 6-2 loss to Santiago Canyon College on the final day of the Super Regionals.
For the season, the Dons were rewarded with three players being named First-Team All-Orange Empire Conference and one more being named Second-Team All-Orange Empire Conference. Emily Whitecavage led all Dons in votes for All-Conference selections and she was joined on the First-Team by Keila Tenorio and Katlyn Harvey. Annie Dowling represented the Dons on the Second-Team All-Orange Empire Conference list.
Whitecavage, who led the team with a SAC record batting average of .527, was also named All-State while Tenorio was named All-Southern California to go along with their All-OEC honors.
Along with the postseason accolades, the Dons also added re-writing the record books to their resume as the team accounted for 18 records being tied or set. For a season, Whitecavage set new marks for batting average (.527), runs (54) and consecutive hits (8).
The Dons also tied four single-game records for individuals with Keila Tenorio recording six at-bats against Orange Coast and three doubles against Moorpark. Sabrina Perez tied her own record with two home runs against Golden West while tying the RBI mark with seven against Orange Coast. Perez also extended her own career record for home runs as she finishes her career with 18 home runs.
As a team, the Dons set new marks for runs (344), hits (429), stolen bases (130), doubles (85), RBI (278), hit by pitch (34) and batting average (.336). The team also tied three single game marks, all in its 24-6 win over Orange Coast College. In that game, the Dons tied the records for stolen bases (10), runs (24) and runs in an inning (13).
