Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) softball was swept by Chapman University over the three-game series beginning Friday, April 4, to drop their fifth straight game in what has otherwise been a strong season. Despite the losing streak, the Sagehens remain five games over .500, in search of their best season since 2019 and a shot at earning P-P its first-ever SCIAC softball championship.
Coach JoAnne Ferguson said that she sees something special in this team, especially in the batting lineup, which is tied for first in home runs and third in slugging percentage in SCIAC.
“We have a lot of power throughout the entire lineup,” Ferguson said. “That’s really been propelling our success this year, because anybody can get the job done that we have in the lineup.”
The lineup and the pitching rotation are both led by senior Devin Waddell PO ’25, who leads the SCIAC with 11 home runs, an OPS of 1.266 and an ERA of 2.01. Waddell spoke of the team’s united front and the support they all hold for one another.
“I think our team camaraderie and chemistry is the best it’s ever been,” Waddell said. “We really make a focus to be really good friends outside of softball, hold each other accountable, [and] communicate well.”
Waddell pitched two complete games in the series, putting up 13 innings with only four earned runs against the No. 1 SCIAC Chapman Panthers. She also added her eleventh home run in game one of the series.
Throughout the weekend — and in their prior two losses to No. 13 Williams — the Sagehens fell just a few plays short, struggling with their consistency in key moments. Friday’s game, a 4-3 loss, saw two runners thrown out on the bases in the eighth inning: one at third and the other at home. Coach Ferguson said that they need to tighten things up.
“They just have to be consistent,” Ferguson said. “We just need to continue to secure the ball on defense, continue to do what we do well, which is crush the ball on offense and put ourselves in a position to score RBIs, kind of scrap any way that we can hit that ball hard and get on base.”
Ferguson’s team should be well primed to rebound from their recent struggles. This is thanks to the team’s positive attitude, according to starting outfielder Violet Burnham PO ’28.
“Something that makes our team special is our team humor and the way we can always make each other laugh both on and off the field,” Burnham said. “It makes the team fun and helps us to get through hard times in games and practice.”
Waddell agreed, saying that the team’s passion for softball propels them forward, especially coming from the senior athletes.
“[We’re] just playing out of gratitude and love for the game,” Waddell said. “I mean, all our seniors, just it being the last year, just really having fun with it and knowing that every moment matters.”
Moving forward, the team is getting to the heart of their SCIAC schedule with the Sixth Street Rivalry coming up on April 25 and 26. Ferguson said that she sees the team’s work, both this year and in years prior, serving them well down the stretch.
“We have four seniors that have really committed to elevating this program every year, and so they’ve put their hearts and souls into it,” Ferguson said. “The team has worked very hard in the weight room and in the off-season. So I think we have the most talent that we’ve ever had.”
That hard work has paid off so far this season, with Burnham summing up their path to success.
“We know that we all have our individual strengths,” Burnham said. “And we collectively use them to work toward our shared goal of winning SCIAC.”
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