COSTA MESA -- The advent of a new softball season ushers in a plethora of change for Vanguard softball. The dawn breaks in 2026 with a new coach and a void of senior experience after 10 seniors, mostly starters, graduated at the end of the 2025 campaign.  Head Coach Nicole Thomas is just days away from managing her first collegiate softball game, which rapidly blooms into five over three days at the softball fields at the OC Great Park.  The amalgamation of her, nine freshmen, two transfers, and 14 returners commenced in the fall, but now must endure the rigors of live competition. 
 
Vanguard concluded its 2025 season with a 22-30 overall record and a 17-19 Pacific West Conference ledger.  Placing seventh, and now picked to end in that position again this spring, VU posed a quandary to the voters in the preseason poll.  While a few of the 14 returners were everyday starters, the others are getting their first look at the field or saw very limited playing time last year or before.  The freshmen are totally new, but both transfers have Division I experience.  That means there is a wide range of outcomes for this roster, but Coach Thomas believes there is a lot more in the positive category than the negative one.
 
"When you look at the numbers, and you look at how everybody's doing, we're hoping we can realistically sneak in.  Ok, maybe not sneak in, but establish ourselves enough to be a threat in this conference.  [The program] had one year, but now we get it.  Now we are here for year two."
 
"I think a goal would be to make the postseason, and I kind of want some teams to say, wait, who are these kids?  I think that our players are in a really good place to do that, to be like, hey, we're not here just to be here.  We're here to make a statement."
 
The Lions finished ninth in team batting in the PacWest last season, fourth in team pitching, and fourth in team fielding percentage.  If the batting catches up to the fielding and the pitching in 2026, the Blue and Gold could be one of those four teams headed to the PacWest Championship hosted by Biola in May.
 
But there are many miles to cover before then.  With opening day arriving in just two mornings, here is the makeup of the 2026 VU softball team.
 
 
The Returners
Kamryn Walker hit above .350 for the second straight season by tallying a .355 average in 2025.  The sophomore paced VU from the plate, totaling 60 hits in 169 at-bats.  Her five triples, 16 walks, 27 RBI, and 15 stolen bases (15-for-16) were all top marks, with her 13 doubles and one home run second on the squad.  Walker was consistent and clutch through the spring, hitting .348 with no one on base and .365 with runners aboard.  She was a cool 3-for-5 with the bases loaded (.600), hit .432 with runners in scoring position, and went 8-for-11 (.727) with a runner on third and less than two outs.  She successfully pushed runners forward at a 53% clip and had 13 two-out RBI, tied for the team lead.  With 14 multi-hit games, her best was a 4-for-4 day at home against Menlo, and she had six days of multiple RBI.  She completed the year 12th in the PacWest in batting average, 10th in slugging percentage, eighth in doubles, fifth in triples, and sixth in stolen bases.  On the dirt, Walker held down a .952 field percentage for the year, with only 11 errors on 229 chances.  She was also involved in 11 of the team's 16 double plays and led all non-first basemen with 94 putouts.  After romping through the Golden State Athletic Conference and now the PacWest, Walker stands ready for another season and what she hopes is her first PacWest award. 
 
Adriana Portillo had a strong second season, netting a .285 batting average in 158 trips to the plate.  She was third on the squad with 45 hits, ended second to Walker with 21 RBI, and had four doubles and three triples (good for seventh in the league).    Portillo had a .335 on-base percentage in 2025, and like Walker, went 3-for-5 with the bases loaded.  In addition to that, she hit .345 with runners in scoring position and advanced runners 47.9% of the time.  Portillo picked up 14 games with two hits in a game (her high for the year), and drove in three runs at CSU San Marcos as her best.  While she did not play every inning at third, Portillo had a .928 fielding percentage at the hot corner, with eight errors on 111 chances.  Her ability on offense and defense has her set for a potential run at All-Conference honors as well.
 
Lilyana Roth and Megan Ireland are the other two returning starters to the 2026 lineup, with Roth batting .272 from the outfield and Ireland .239 from first base a year ago.  Roth had 37 hits, including six doubles, one triple, and one home run in 2025.  Twice during the season, Roth had three hits in a game, with both coming on the road trip to Hawaii, while she also had three runs batted in on her inside-the-park home run at Hawaii Pacific.  In 136 at-bats, she knocked in 15 runs and stole three bases, while she spotted a .967 fielding percentage, which included one double play. 
 
Ireland had 26 hits in 109 at-bats last spring and brought in 11 runs.  The first baseman had four doubles, one triple, and had four games with two hits.  She also had a brace of games when she registered two RBI.  As goes the position, Ireland paced all Lions with 248 putouts at first, and has been tabbed to start there again.  She had only four errors in the field and helped to complete seven double plays at her base.
 
 
One of the final mainstays from the 2025 lineup is Tiffany Pope, who featured in 35 games and hit .223.  She pocketed 21 hits, which encompassed three doubles. a triple, and 11 runs batted in.  Pope went 5-for-7 stealing bases last spring and had four multi-hit games a year ago.  While a member of the right-field platoon, Pope made 20 assists and 30 putouts, and she is aligned for a big role in the field again.
 
While some of the other returners were injured or did not see as much of the field in 2025, they are now the leaders of the 2026 club and there will be an expectation that they rise to that grade.
 
Vying to lock down one of the spots in the outfield is Andrea Connor, who had seven hits in 28 ABs for a .250 average.  She scored five runs, as she was used as a pinch-runner multiple times, and she did not make an error on her four chances in the field.  Carson Cooper had four hits in 15 at-bats, with her first collegiate knock coming at home against CUI on March 19.  Her best day from the plate was a 2-for-4 line at home against Menlo, and she also had two defensive assists.  She rejoins the catching detachment, which includes ChaCha Miranda, who had her first hit at home against Biola on March 17.  She proved that she could hop between catching and playing in the infield, as she did not commit an error on any of her 41 chances in 17 games.  Catching for her sister on senior day was a poetic end to the 2026 schedule, even before the Lions handed Azusa Pacific its second defeat on the final VU home date of 2025.  Preslee Brower also dialed up her first hit as a Lion, with her single coming at home against CSU Dominguez Hills on March 16.  Brower featured in six games, started in three, and scored one run.  The only other returner is Hailey Ibarra, who missed all of last year, but is excited to get her first appearance.
 
New Additions
There is experience being added to the depth chart through two transfers.  The first is Bella Bastien, who had 12 entrances as a member of the CSU Northridge squad.  She scored five times in 2025, though her only AB ended in a strikeout.  The other player to relocate to Costa Mesa is Leah Mays, who joined the Oregon State team in 2024 but did not get to play in a contest as a Beaver.  Both are going to be a factor starting Friday.
 
That leaves the freshman class, which is comprised of nine individuals, eight of whom are in the field.  Ava Jo McGowan is listed as a catcher, though she can also play elsewhere in the infield.  She comes from Moorpark High School and had a .310 average as a senior.  Other infielders include Reese Vaughn, Alyssa Holsted, Kayla Rodriguez, Ashley Fields, Katherine Villegas, and Megumi Ono.  Vaughn went to San Juan Hills HS and helped the program to a 10-13 record last school year.  Holsted hit .263 at Pacifica HS in Garden Grove, while Rodriguez posted a .443 average at Schurr HS in Mentebello.  Coming from Franklin High School up north, Fields had a .322 batting average, while Villegas assisted the Cerritos Dons to a 17-7 mark.  Ono had a .483 batting rate at Crescenta Valley HS, and outfielder Kylie Arellano had a .414 clip from the dish at Simi Valley HS. 
 
Each has a pathway to playing time in 2026, and part of that is due to their versatility.  Being able to function across the any position is key to the group, as most players are listed with multiple positions under their belt.  And Coach Thomas is proud of that.  Not only does it give her flexibility when it comes to lineup construction, it also allows players to dive deeper into the fundamentals.
 
"Every single athlete is playing multiple positions because you just really don't know," offered Coach Thomas.  "I went into college as a pitcher and first baseman and started in left field my senior year. You know what I mean? So, it's like, hey, you just need to be athletic, and you need to learn the game.  So far, they've been up for it."
 
"We have seen a lot of utility in the ability to move people around, and we're grateful for that."
 
 
Pitching Staff
The staff lost one of the program's best arms in Brianna Williams last spring, and with LeeAnne Miranda also gone, VU has a gaping hole that needs to be filled.  Yet the new boss is a pitching specialist at heart and wants all five arms to be a factor in 2026.
 
"I told them that I need them to be ready to split the entire season," relayed Coach Thomas.  "You can have a phenomenal fall, but it is also about who rises to the occasion now…I am really excited about the entire staff because they have been working so hard."
 
"They all bring something different, and as a staff, that's important to mix things up."
 
The Blue and Gold welcome back four hurlers to the circle in 2026, with Lauren Cantwell arriving as the lone freshman to the collective.  Vanessa Robles has the most experience as a starter for Vanguard, as she has tallied 18 starts across three seasons.  She is 11-7 in those appearances and has six complete games, one of which came last spring.  She was 1-4 in 2025 with a 3.43 ERA in 16.1 innings of work.  She had one strikeout and her lone win was against Menlo at home, though her longest effort was a six-inning performance in a narrow 2-1 defeat at Hawaii Pacific.  The next veteran is Mia Iacomini, who has five starts to her name in two campaigns.  She was 3-2 in 2025, as she notched eight Ks and had an ERA of 3.80.  She had her best outing against Chico State, going five innings with one strikeout and one hit, while she also went five in a 10-7 win over Chaminade in Hawaii. 
 
The other returning starter is Summer Stephens, who had three starts and completed her first collegiate slate with a 1-3 record.  She threw seven innings on her debut, though she lost to Fort Lewis College.  She cinched her first win on February 16 in a shutout of Simon Fraser, and she made four relief appearances.  Stephens completed year one with a 5.25 ERA and four strikeouts, with more expected of her in 2026.  Mari Ipatzi has seven starts over three years, but none of those came last spring, as Ipatzi worked from the bullpen.  Comfortable entering tough situations, Ipatzi tossed VU's only save of the season and had a 2.68 ERA, second on the team.  She punched out 23 hitters and gave up only four walks in 34 innings across 15 games.  Opponents hit .265 off Ipatzi, and she could retain her relief role, or she could revert to a starter.  Cantwell arrives just in time to vie for a starting role as a freshman, as her numbers in high school were quite good.  She finished her Millikan career with a 2.17 ERA and a 20-9 record, snaring 304 strikeouts across 222.2 innings of work. 
 
A starter for each game?  Multiple pitchers per game?  An ace in the waiting?  So many discoveries are about to be made.      
 
Schedule
With the CUI Kickoff Classic, the Blue and Gold get in five games and CSU East Bay tops the list of foes, as the Pioneers check in to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association preseason poll in 17th.  The Lions get two games inside the main stadium, closing the event against Western Washington on Saturday and tussling with Chico State on Sunday.  The home opener is on February 6 against the Raiders of Southern Oregon, who won their fourth NAIA National Championship in the past six years in 2025.  The squad then ventures to Lake Elsinore for the DII Challenge hosted by Triple Crown Fastpitch, a new event that gets the Blue and Gold four more contests.  VU is gone for most of February, returning on March 5 for the PacWest home opener against CUI.  After spending over a week in Hawaii last year, all three Hawaii schools come to VU at the end of March, and the Blue and Gold close out the season with contests against APU on April 18 and Biola on April 25.
 
While the season of winter may linger over the next month or two, VU softball is ready to get its spring underway.  And the coach does not want to put too many hurdles in front of this group.
 
"These girls learn fast, and it is very, very cool.  So, who am I?  I'm not going to put any limits on our girls.  They can do whatever they set their minds to, and I'm just here to facilitate."
 
The 2026 journey commences.