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  • Esperanza pitcher Hayley Copeland

    Esperanza pitcher Hayley Copeland

  • Esperanza third baseman Brynley Steele

    Esperanza third baseman Brynley Steele

  • Esperanza shortstop Bryanna Castro

    Esperanza shortstop Bryanna Castro

  • Esperanza will take aim at the CIF title this season....

    Esperanza will take aim at the CIF title this season. Pitcher Hayley Copeland, center, stands tall with teammates Brynley Steele, left, and Bryanna Castro at Esperanza's softball field.

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Dan Albano. Sports HS Reporter.

// MORE INFORMATION: Staff Mug Shot taken August 26, 2010 : by KATE LUCAS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER.

ANAHEIM – Scholarships have been earned. League titles captured. There’s only one major goal left for Esperanza’s softball team.

“We want to make a better run in CIF,” third baseman Brynley Steele said. “That’s our big goal.”

The Aztecs aren’t looking past the competition in the Century League, but the playoffs stand as an unconquered frontier for a team led by a talented trio of seniors.

Steele, pitcher Hayley Copeland and shortstop Bryanna Castro helped Esperanza secure the No. 1 seed for the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs last season. The Aztecs, however, were upset in the first round by Rosary, 5-3.

Esperanza also lost in the Division 1 first round as the top seed in 2011, falling to Kennedy, 3-1.

The Aztecs’ best playoff trek with current players came two seasons ago when they reached the quarterfinals.

But with Steele, Copeland and Castro among eight returning starters, Esperanza is optimistic it can achieve its postseason goal this spring. The Aztecs were fifth in CalHiSports’ preseason state rankings.

“This team is amazing,” Castro said. “Everybody just needs to dig deep down and realize how great softball players we are and how long we’ve been playing and we’ll do fine.”


MORE OF THE 2014 SOFTBALL PREVIEW:

Pacifica pitcher is ready for comeback

Top 10 players to watch in 2014 (and a list of other players to watch)

Preseason O.C. top 10, key dates


Success in softball usually starts in the circle and Esperanza is positioned well with the 6-foot Copeland, a South Carolina signee.

Copeland went 18-4 last season with 1.01 ERA and 229 strikeouts in 145 innings to help the Aztecs claim a third consecutive Century League title. She has already tossed two no-hitters in the first week of the 2014 season and racked up 36 strikeouts in 16 innings.

“She’ll go toe-to-toe with anybody,” Esperanza coach Ed Tunstall said. “She’s got tremendous movement, but when she needs it, she can be a power pitcher.”

The left side of Esperanza’s infield also is formidable with the Arizona State-bound Steele and McNeese State-bound Castro.

Castro is the squad’s leadoff hitter while Steele bats third. Steele smacked a home run against Long Beach Poly on Tuesday.

“They’re like our bookends,” Tunstall said. “They’re about the same size. They’re both scrappy, hard, hard competitors.”

Toughness runs in Steele’s family. Her brother, Austin, played football at Esperanza and is now a defensive back at Fullerton College.

Esperanza’s group of returning senior starters includes second baseman Olivia Trapp (Henderson State), left fielder Emily Sklencar (Loyola Marymount) and outfielder Kristen Griffiths (Chapman).

Right fielder Sabrina Canales is an emerging senior to watch.

“She worked her way up,” Steele said of Canales, who had two doubles in her first three games. “She’s super-strong. She’s going to do well.”

Esperanza also features two catchers who have committed to college programs: sophomore Mackenzie Graham (Loyola Marymount) and junior Maddie Roth (Utah).

While Esperanza is well-stocked with experience and talent, chemistry also will be an important ingredient.

“I think we just need to come together as a team and really have each other’s backs,” Copeland said. “Just fight for each other.”

And together, the Aztecs could complete their unfinished business.

Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com