Jim Bennet doesn’t like to set specific goals for his Poway softball team.
Instead of “let’s win 30 games this year,” the goal is 20, which is a challenge considering the Titans play the toughest opponents they can find and compete in the ultra-tough Palomar League.
Speaking of which, he aims to compete for the Palomar League title, not a hard and fast winning it.
Then there’s the playoffs. The goal is to make the Open Division and simply go as far as they can.
Those might seem like modest goals for a team that last season not only easily won 20 games (29-3), captured the Palomar League title and won the section Open Division, but went on to capture the Southern California Regional playoffs with a 1-0 win over Oaks Christian.
While doing that, the Titans won their last 17 straight games and by going 4-0 to open this season, they moved into the section record book at No. 16 with 21 straight victories. The all-time record is 48 by Madison (1981-83), which with a little quick figuring was within the grasp of this year’s team.
Reality struck in the semifinals of the Cougar Classic last week where Imperial exposed the team’s youth, snapping the streak with a 3-2 victory on a bloop fly behind the pitching circle after using the international tie-breaker (placing a runner at second base to start the inning).
“We’re really good defensively and we pitch well,” said Bennet, whose Titans captured the section Open Division title in 2015 as well as last year. “We’ll be a good hitting team by the end of the year. That’s the important thing, winning at the end of the year like we did last season.
“I know the younger kids will catch up and I told them not to let it bother them, that it was the first loss in a year.”
Ranked No. 1 to start the season, the Titans are loaded with players who started or played numerous innings last year, starting with the 2023 Pitcher of the Year, Mya McGowan and her catcher, first-team All-Section standout Sophia Burmeister, both of whom are juniors.
McGowan appeared in 23 games last year, starting 20, with a 19-1 record while posting a 1.11 ERA with 125 strikeouts versus 41 walks. That alone would make a team one of the best heading into the season, but the Titans are solid elsewhere, too.
For example, while most teams have a quality starter — one — the Titans McGowan with Kayla Menges (5-0) and Allie Reese (5-2), although Bennet is taking it slow with Menges who is recovering from a sore shoulder.
Despite her lofty credentials, Burmeister won’t have to play every game behind the plate as she and Ryleigh Rinker figure to alternate between there and the DH.
Moving around the infield, a pair of sophomores who alternated at third base as ninth-graders, Ashleigh Ronsse and Amelia Dockery, are set at that corner along with senior Reese Catton and Alexis Huey returns for her senior season after starting at first base.
Kaitlin Surber and the versatile McKenna Hunting, who can play first, second or third, are set at second and while it might look like the Titans have a hole at shortstop, sophomore Karissa Knapp gained valuable experience a year ago and has moved right in.
Multi-sport standout Sophia Grimm, a first team all-section field hockey player, tops an outfield that possess great speed with strong arms. Alyssa Menges, Kayla’s sophomore sister and Avery Hansuvadha, a junior like Grimm, are set in the other two positions. Sophomore Addie Queen can play outfield, catcher and second base as the lone JV player moving up.
Replacing veterans like All-CIF infielder Miah Garcia and outfielders Autumn Zusman and Hailey Burns won’t be easy but Bennet is confident the pieces will fall into place.
One thing he isn’t expecting any time soon is a state playoff.
“Last season ran so late that several of the top teams like Los Alamitos, Torrance and Norco decided not to play and some of those who did couldn’t use their regular players because once you play travel ball, you can’t go back to the high school team,” said Bennet.
“They couldn’t even fill the Division I bracket, so we had a first-round bye. I don’t see that happening soon but who knows? If we do that, we’ll have to move the season up which means athletes who play winter sports might not be available the first month.”
So now, he and the Titans will focus on putting the pieces of the puzzle together, achieving those goals.
