The Granite Hills High School softball team has risen to great heights in the San Diego Section rankings in recent years.
Granite Hills won the Division I softball championship in 2008 and were runners-up in the Division II finals in 2015 with a 24-10 record.
Granite Hills finished 21-10 last year, including a perfect 10-0 record in Grossmont Hills League play.
The Lady Eagles finished 24- 9 during the 2018 season while advancing to the Open Division semifinals after bagging another league title.
The team finished 25-9-1 in 2017 with yet another league title and finished 18-13-1 in 2016 with an appearance in the Division II semifinals.
This season appeared to be no different.
The Lady Eagles took a 6-2 record into this year’s spring break with another promising season in the making after moving up to the No. 2 ranking among the section’s Division I teams.
Granite Hills coach Curtis Barnes said goals were “big for the team again this year.”
“Win league and go deep in the CIF playoffs,” Barnes noted in a preseason preview.
The section playoffs will definitely not happen after the CIF State office released a statement on April 3 announcing it has cancelled all section, regional and state championship events due to the current COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
“Based on the recent statements issued by Governor Newsom and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, regarding schools turning to distance learning for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year, the California Interscholastic Federation does not see an avenue for the spring sports season to continue,” CIF Executive Director Ron Nocetti said. “As such, in consultation today with the 10 section commissioners, the decision has been made to cancel spring section, regional, and state championship events.
“We understand this is disappointing for everyone involved in education-based athletics and empathize with our student-athletes and all who are impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. As always, our top priority is everyone’s ongoing health and safety during this challenging time, and we all look forward to the day when education-based athletics resumes.”
It’s unclear if the section’s individual athletic conferences will hold post-season events or all-star games in the wake of the state CIF governing body’s decision.
It’s also unclear if individual conference, school districts or school teams will announce all-league, all-conference or even if team can present MVP awards.
When schools closed early for spring break, about a third of the spring sports season had been played.
For high school seniors, it will be a lost season.
Barnes said any type of post-season league tournament or all-star game “would be hard to organize with many seniors trying to get ready to go off to college.”
Spring fling
The schedule pause came at a time when it looked like this year’s Lady Eagles team was poised to take flight.
Granite Hills finished this year’s Cougar Classic tournament with a semifinal appearance, losing 5-1 to top-ranked Mater Dei Catholic on March 9. The Lady Eagles took a five game winning streak into the game, including a 1-0 win over seventh-ranked Poway in the tournament quarterfinals.
Granite Hills’ only other loss this season was 6-4 at sixth-ranked Patrick Henry in non-league play on FEB 25.
Key returners included seniors Bailey Wallace, Staci Chambers, Haley Johnson, Rylee Omahen and Brooke Bertussi.
Johnson scored the lone run in the win over Poway on a home run while Chambers pitched a complete game three-hitter with five strikeouts.
Chambers, in particular, had a hot start to the season with a 5-2 record, 0.52 earned-run average and four shutout victories. She’d struck out 34 batters in 40 innings.
Chambers started the season with a 4-0 shutout win over eight-ranked Eastlake in non-league play on FEB 21.
She also picked up a 6-0 shutout win over Scripps Ranch on March 6 while driving in two runs at the plate. She was in the pitching circle for a 7-0 shutout win over fifth-ranked Bonita Vista on March 2 in another Cougar Classic game.
“Staci is one of the top pitchers in the county and one of our top power bats,” Barnes said.
Chambers, who will continue her collegiate career at Cal-State Fullerton, is hitting .286 with three doubles and two RBI.
Wallace, who also will attend Cal-State Fullerton, led Granite Hills with a .577 hitting average to start the season with a team-leading 15 hits, six runs scored and five RBI.
Barnes calls Wallace an excellent outfielder and leadoff batter. “She is a catalyst,” the Lady Eagles coach said.
Johnson, who will attend the University of Hawaii, was hitting .435, with six runs scored, five RBI and two home runs.
Barnes calls her an “outstanding all-around player.”
“She is a key to our offense and manning first base for us this year,” Barnes said.
Rylee Omahen and Bertussi (.364 hitting average) were both tied for the team lead with six runs scored.
“Rylee is the key to our defense this year, manning the shortstop position,” Barnes said. “Brooke is a strong defensive second basemen who will need to step up on the offensive side.”
Freshman Jenna Haynal ranked highly among the team’s impact newcomers with a .455 hitting average and four RBI.
“Jenna is our super utility player,” Barnes said. “She plays mainly outfield, but we have worked her in at second, shortstop and third base.”
Junior Paige Baird was hitting .273 while sophomore Chloe Knepp was 1-0 in the pitching circle with a 1.75 ERA.
