For one of the few times during its current run of Central Coast Section Division I playoff dominance, the San Benito High softball team won’t be the favorite entering the postseason.
And that suits Haybalers coach Scott Smith just fine.
“We came into the year where everyone figured we wouldn’t be very good,” Smith said. “So I’m really excited going into the playoffs and making a statement.”
Third-seed San Benito, which plays either Gunn or Homestead in a Saturday D-I quarterfinal—the time and location of the game was not available when this edition went to press—finished the regular season with a 21-3-1 record. If the Balers can win three more games, they will equal the section record of nine consecutive softball titles, set by Notre Dame-Salinas from 1998-2006, all in Division III.
Carlmont-Belmont is the top seed followed by No. 2 Leland. If Leland and San Benito both win on Saturday, they’ll meet in the semifinals. The Balers have thrived in the postseason because of their ability to make fewer mistakes than their opponents. However, this year’s squad is one of if not the youngest team Smith has coached in his 13 years at the school—several freshmen and sophomores see significant action—and with so many young players on the field, mistakes are bound to happen.
“I think it’s a little bit of a different team in that we’re not there yet (of being unflappable mentally),” Smith said. “I don’t think we’re playing as good defensively as we’ve had in years past, but on the upside, this team has made some pretty big mental mistakes in games and found a way to recover from them. This group is probably the best group we’ve had in terms of recovering from mistakes because of our offense.”
Indeed, the Balers are an offensive juggernaut, capable of making even the best pitchers look like they’re throwing slow pitch. Sophomore shortstop Callee Heen, a University of Hawaii-Manoa commit, has 11—count ’em, 11—home runs.
In a season to remember, Heen has produced video-like numbers, with 48 hits—that’s nearly an average of two per game, almost unheard of in softball circles—to go along with a 1.247 slugging percentage and robust 1.906 OPS.
In one of the more incredible stats one will ever see, Heen has struck out only three times in 77 at-bats. She started the season on a tear, and literally hasn’t had a bad stretch of games through 25 regular-season contests.
Sophomore catcher Suzy Brookshire, a Sacramento State commit, has been right behind Heen when it comes to putting up huge numbers. Brookshire has six home runs, seven triples and 29 RBI, to go along with a 1.045 slugging percentage and 1.625 OPS.
And junior ace Adriana Ibarra, a left-hander who possesses a darting change-up, has the ability to shut a team down if she’s on her game. The San Jose State commit doesn’t have to be flat-out dominant in the circle because of the team’s potent lineup.
But it isn’t just the Big Three of Heen, Brookshire and Ibarra that has made the Balers such a dynamic offensive powerhouse. One through nine, San Benito doesn’t have a weak link in the lineup.
Maddy Gutierrez-Urban, who usually hits in the middle of the order, drove in three runs in the team’s 14-0, five-inning mercy-rule win over Gilroy on May 9.
“There’s not as much pressure (to limit teams to a couple of runs) because we’re typically scoring four to seven runs a game,” Smith said. “Like I’ve been saying from the middle of the season, I think the only team that is going to beat us is ourselves. I think if we play up to our potential, we have a very good chance of not losing that last game.”
