Cuesta Softball reached the post-season for the first time since 2015, after finishing second in the Western State Conference. After the season it is clear Coach Jenel Guadagno has her rising program on the cusp of greatness, after posting the program's fourth winning season of the past five years. The Cougars are still almost 20 years from their last playoff win in 2006 but are heading in that direction. The Cougars finished the season with a 22-16 overall record and their success on the diamond also translated into a harvest of post-season accolades with six players recognized by the Western State Conference, including WSC Player of the Year Reese Tartaglia (pict).
Sophomore Shortstop Reese Tartaglia was recognized conference wide as the best player in the circuit, despite the Cougars' runner up finish. Tartaglia patrolled the middle of the infield with a Gold Glove and powered the Cougars' offence from the middle of the batting order. She led the team with 48 runs scored (4th all time), eight home runs (4th all time), 44 runs batted in (5th all time) and a .460 batting average (8th all time). Of course, every opposing team knew the damage Tartaglia, who earned all-WSC 2nd Team as a freshman in 2023, could inflict and did their best to keep her from doing too much damage, which explains her two single-season school records. Tartaglia's 45 free passes broke one school record and helped her add another by boosting her State-leading On-base Percentage to .628. In the field, Tartaglia's range and arm solidified a defense that tied for 20th in the State for double plays.
Two-time All-WSC Pitcher Isabella Garcia made the move from the WSC's second team to the first team in her sophomore campaign. Garcia split time in the circle as a freshman but started 25 games this season and appeared in 31 of the Cougars' 38 contests. Her 18 wins, against 11 losses, represented the most victories for Cuesta pitcher since Demi Danell won 20 games in 2016 and she became the first Cuesta pitcher in almost two decades to complete 20 of her starts. Garcia completed 84% of her starts and led the Cougars with 171.1 innings in the circle, while boasting a 3.68 ERA. When she was not mowing down opponents' batters, Garcia helped herself by hitting at a .330 clip, while finishing second on the team with both 11 extra-base hits and 36 runs batting in.
Sophomore Outfielder Ashley Kober developed into the Cougars' offensive catalyst near the top of their batting order and made her way onto the all-WSC First Team. Kober led the Cougars with 26 stolen bases, which is 6th all time at Cuesta, and was right behind Tartaglia with 35 runs scored. She hit .333 for the season, including a home run, while boasting a .410 on-base percentage.
Freshman Infielder Kylyn Parker was Cuesta's only freshman to be accorded all-WSC First Team honors. She immediately stepped into a starring role, while hitting just shy of .400 and finishing behind Tartaglia and Kober with 30 runs scored. Parker also joined Kober and Tartaglia as the only Cougars to boast double digits in stolen bases (11). Her selection to the all-WSC's top team as a freshman should provide the Cougars with a building block for another playoff run in 2025.
The Cougars also placed two freshmen on the 2024 All-WSC Second Team with Catcher Danya Boyd and Outfielder Hailey Hallford following Tartaglia and Garcia's selections to the second squad in 2023. Boyd, who played with Tartaglia at nearby Morro Bay, was immediately installed in the Cougars' batting order and became one of Cuesta's top run producers. Boyd batted .314 on the season and only trailed both her high school teammate and Garcia with 32 runs driven in for the Cougars. Hallford picked up her second all-WSC honor of her freshman year, while joining Boyd on the second team. Hallford spent the Fall as a member of the Cuesta Women's Soccer team and earned all-WSC Honorable Mention as Midfielder. Hallford tied for the team lead in scoring, before bringing her elite athleticism from the expanse of the pitch to the friendly confines of the Cuesta Softball Field. Hallford batted .326 on the season, while scoring 27 runs and driving in 20 more.
2024 WSC Softball Awards
Reese Tartaglia- WSC Player of the Year
Isabella Garcia- All-WSC First Team
Ashley Kober- All-WSC First Team
Kylyn Parker- All-WSC First Team
Danya Boyd- All-WSC Second Team
Hailey Hallford- All-WSC Second Team
