TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Special to The Californian

The Bakersfield College softball team won't have a problem getting to the state playoffs this year.

The only question is; will the Renegades go there as party crashers or participants?

BC, which lost a three-game series to Cerritos in the Southern California Regional Playoffs last season, will be hosting the state tournament for a third straight year.

Obviously the Renegades, who opened the season 1-2 after losing their opener to Cerritos and splitting a doubleheader with Fullerton last weekend, would love nothing more than to be one of the four teams battling it out for the state title at the Dean and Adah Gay Sports Complex on May 18-20.

Based on the number of key contributors coming back from its Western State Blue Division championship squad, combined with the infusion of several talented newcomers, that goal isn't far-fetched, according to BC coach Sandi Taylor.

"I'm excited about this year's team because we return six off that squad from last year," Taylor said. "Those six were all instrumental in the starting lineup. So I look for a lot of important things from them both on and off the field. And then we filled in quite nicely with some good power and some good speed, so I'm thrilled."

The Renegades return two of their top three pitchers in Julie Estep (13-9, 2.31 ERA) and Jessica Simpson (7-2, 1.48 ERA). The pair started 28 of BC's 43 games a year ago. Joining them on the pitching staff is freshman Kaila Williams (Garces) and Kelsey Best (Foothill).

"The cool part about our pitching staff is they complement each other pretty well," Taylor said. "We have a couple that throw the ball more up and we have a couple that throw the ball more down. And so they're going to be a good combination."

The hard part for Taylor will be picking which one to put in the circle. That decision she said will be based on who has the hot hand.

But all four swing the bat well and will be in the lineup a lot of the time even when they aren't pitching.

The BC offense is led by Kara Frankhouser. The sophomore catcher is 6-for-9 with three home runs and nine RBIs in three games this season.

Estep, the team's other top returning power hitter, batted .328 with four home runs and 31 RBIs last year.

The duo should have plenty of chances to drive in runs this season with several talented table setters including Kaitlin Toerner, Brittany Messer, Jazmine Irvin, and Brittney Roberts on the roster.

Taylor believes the team has a good mix of offensive players which gives her a lot of options style-wise.

"We run probably more than some other teams," Taylor said. "But we kind of take what the opponent gives us. If need to bunt, we can bunt . If we need to run, we can run. If we need to hit and run, we can do that. So that's they key, to have all those things in place. With this squad I think we can do that with anybody, (player) one through 16."

Blessed with plenty of talent and the flexibility to handle adversity, Taylor's biggest concern going into the season is getting everyone to buy into her system.

With 28 of their 40 regular season games at home this season, local fans will get plenty of chances to see if that happens and it all comes together for the Renegades.

"I really excited for people to come watch these young ladies because they work extremely hard and this great facility is a fun place to be," Taylor said.

The veteran coach is hoping BC will be having fun on its home field come state playoff time.

"We'd love to be in (the state playoffs) anywhere," Taylor said. "But especially on our field."