Santa Fe Softball Earns Bid to NJCAA D1 Softball World Series

At the start of the season, Santa Fe softball sat down and set a goal: advance to the World Series. And 60 games later, that’s exactly what they accomplished.

For the first time since 2013, the Saints (45-15) punched their ticket to the NJCAA D1 Softball World Series with an 11th-seed bid. Santa Fe opens play against No. 6 seed Odessa College on Monday in the double-elimination tournament in Oxford, Alabama. 

The Wranglers come into the tournament with a Southwest District A Championship title and on a 39-game win streak, but the Saints are quite accustomed to tough competition. Santa Fe’s NJCAA Region 8 comprises a fifth of the World Series competitors. 

“We always think of it like we’re the SEC of JUCO,” Saints coach Savanah Webster said.  “We’re facing two to three teams a week playing four to six games of just really high pressure competition.”

To blank a Wrangler offense that hits and scores runs double the rate of conference competition, the Saints will rely on ace Belle Mancillas in the circle. The sophomore was named to the All-FCSAA First Team and has pitched 170.2 innings while boasting a 1.35 ERA. 

“Pitching is going to win us a championship, and we’ve got one of the best pitchers in the country,” Webster said.

Santa Fe’s offense has backed Mancillas all season. The Saints out-hit conference opponents 519-353 this season and ranked 13th in the nation in home runs with 72. 

Citrus North Player of the Year Molly Bender has been the backbone of Santa Fe’s offense. The leadoff hitter ranks top-10 in the country in doubles (24), stolen bases (48) and runs (84). 

“She’s in her leadoff position for a reason,” Webster said. “The kid just loves pressure and does so well with it. She’s really the heartbeat of our lineup.”

Santa Fe third baseman Mckenzie Cox also sets the tone for the offense. Cox leads the team with 81 hits and 73 runs batted in, but to get hits off the Wrangler’s No. 1 arm, Jayda Lorigan, who’s posted a 1.60 ERA through 171 innings pitched, the Saints’ depth at bat needs to prevail. 

“I think that’s the thing that’s special with this,” Webster said. “We have one through nine that could do really well for us. We have kids that come off the bench that hit home runs and steal bases.”

Santa Fe has found ways to secure wins over tough opponents all season by sticking to its fundamentals, and it will continue that strategy on a national stage.

“At this point in the year, you’re not trying to change anything,” Webster said. “You’re just trying to make sure that you feel confident in what you’re doing.”

While the Saints accomplished their initial goal now they have a new one. 

“The expectations are still that we go in there and we win and do what we’re supposed to do,” Webster said, “but there’s that sense of relief and excitement and joy that we’ve accomplished that goal.”

Category: College Softball, Santa Fe