The 2019 Season for the women’s softball team has been historic. Sophomore Gertrude “Trudie” Nixon threw the team’s first-ever no-hitter in a 1-0 win over San Ana in February.
Nixon credits her incremental approach and the team she had behind her for accomplishing the feat.
“I was only thinking about it pitch to pitch, I trusted my defense because defense is huge to get the job done.”
The no-hitter was just the beginning of a great season for Nixon – she was also named conference pitcher of the year.
“I would say I am a bit surprised by earning PCAC pitcher of the year, especially given all the other fantastic pitchers in the league,” Nixon said. “But I owe it to my teammates and defense overall for giving me the confidence to pitch each and every game.”
Winning the award was not her personal goal at the beginning of the season, but coming into it she knew she needed to make her presence known.
“Going into the season I knew I had to make a big impact, and I wanted to be a leader on this team and I think I have fulfilled that,” Nixon said. “I finished with a lower ERA this year at 1.88 compared to last year 2.77 — I am very proud of myself.”
Nixon said her award-winning year wouldn’t have happened without her teammates.
“I owe it to my teammates and defense overall,” Nixon said. “I would not have been given this award without my teammates and coaches supports on and off the field.”
While Nixon accomplished more than she’d dreamed of, the team fell just short of their goal of a PCAC Championship, finishing third with a 13-3 conference record.
Freshman outfielder Breanna Simmons said even though the team had a lot of freshman, they came into the season ready to work.
“Even though more than half of the team were freshman, they have put forward so much effort,” Simmons said. “We all have confidence in them.”
Assistant coach Rick Whitaker mentioned that despite early struggles, the team has overcome and improved throughout the year.
“We started off a little slow, but the girls worked hard and picked it up” Whitaker said.
While they may have played well defensively this season, Simmons said they could have benefitted from starting games stronger.
“We needed to get ahead and score first,” Simmons said. “Then we can make adjustments from there.”
Though consistency was a problem for the team, they were able to qualify for the regional playoffs, winning a wildcard game vs. Ventura College.
The Jaguars went on to lose 2-1 in their opening round series vs. Cypress College.
While the season did not end the way they wanted, the team had much to celebrate.
