The King’s Academy softball team did not play too many games prior to the month of April this season, and that was probably a good thing, because waiting in the wings was junior pitcher Ilona Sullivan, who transferred from Mountain View after her sophomore season. The Knights opened the season 5-3, but have really flourished since Sullivan became eligible to play, and are on a current five-game winning streak.
As a sophomore, Sullivan split time in the circle with junior Bryce Boyle, but was clearly the dominant arm of the Spartans’ staff. Her overall record of 6-4 was not an indication of her dominance at times, as she also struck out 129 batters in 77 innings pitched, and opposing batters hit just .178 against the Santa Clara commit. But she wanted a different direction with her educational path, and hence the transfer to the small school in Sunnyvale.
“I had always wanted to go a small, private school, and I really wanted the opportunity to receive a faith-based education,” Sullivan said. “Going into my last two years of high school, the timing just felt right to make that move.”
The only people that the move has not worked out for are the opponents on TKA’s schedule. Sullivan has played in just six games so far (she had to miss a Saturday tournament due to a prior commitment), but what a six games those have been for both her and the Knights. Among her six starts in the circle have been three no-hitters, including a perfect game against Pinewood. In her very first start of the season, Sullivan struck out 19 batters in a big 3-0 win over Notre Dame-Belmont, which had beaten The King’s Academy to start the season and was a one-loss team at that point. Her arrival has coincided with a lofty set of expectations for the Knights.
“We can’t control our own destiny as far as winning league goes, but we certainly have goals regarding CCS playoffs,” Sullivan stated. “We need to win out so we can get in, and then believe we can go on a run from there.”
Prior to Sullivan’s eligibility taking effect, the Knights lost a pair of league games to Notre Dame-Belmont and Harker, and hence trail the Tigers by a game in the WBAL-Foothill standings. They have already avenged the early loss to Notre Dame, and have a chance to do the same this Thursday against Harker. They also do appear on track to reach the section playoffs, where no one will want to face Sullivan’s arm, or her bat, in the post-season. She is also batting .550 with two home runs in her six games played.
There has been one area of noted improvement to Sullivan’s pitching this season as well. After issuing 49 free passes (41 walks, eight hit batters) in 2017, just seven hitters have reached base the same way this season. Oh, and opposing hitters are batting just .085 through six starts. And the success on the field is mirrored by Sullivan’s level of satisfaction in her decision where to finish her education.
“It’s been an amazing experience, just the school side of things. One really neat aspect here is also going to school with the middle school-age kids, and seeing the way they look up to us as the high schoolers,” Sullivan added. “It’s great getting to not only be a student here, but also the opportunity to be a role model.”
On and off the field, Sullivan has provided quite the role model for those younger students. And it wouldn’t be a surprise to see her with quite a cheering section for those section playoffs.
Figuring out the WCAL title race
It took a while to fully grasp which games counted as league games and which did not, but the WCAL schedule is finally causing some movement in the league standings. Even then, the results can be head-scratching.
Valley Christian leads the pack with a perfect 4-0 mark in league play, after Tuesday’s extra-inning win over St. Ignatius. The Warriors do have earlier losses to Mitty, Presentation, and Saint Francis, but none of those games counted as league games, hence the unbeaten mark for Valley Christian. The Warriors can wrap up an outright league title with a win over Presentation on May 1, since their May 3 game against St. Ignatius is officially a non-league contest.
Race for the home run title
With a few weeks remaining, St. Ignatius sophomore Kelly McGuigan and Watsonville junior Juliana Wilson lead the section with 11 home runs each, four more than the next closest pursuers. Neither player homered in the last game, and McGuigan has gone a whole two games without a long ball, so we are going to declare that she is due for one.
League race updates
The PAL-Bay Division race appears in hand for the moment, with top-ranked Carlmont holding a two-game lead over Hillsdale, but plenty of others are still in doubt. The SCVAL-De Anza features a pair of one-loss teams at the top of the standings, with Los Gatos and Mountain View leading the pack. They play at Mountain View on April 30. Los Gatos won the first meeting, 4-2.
San Benito now leads by two games in the MBL-Gabilan, and the Balers control their own destiny with Watsonville now holding three losses in league play. The Wildcatz can chip into that lead in their May 3 game against San Benito, but they need help, and the Balers have already beaten every league team remaining on the schedule.
Branham is just 1-4 outside of league play, but the Bruins actually control their own destiny in the BVAL-Mt. Hamilton, as the only team with fewer than three losses in league play. The road is not easy, however. Silver Creek, Sobrato, Santa Teresa, and Oak Grove all have three losses in league play, and Branham plays all four of them down the stretch, having already beaten up on the bottom teams in the league, Leland and Live Oak.
With recent wins over Carmel and Pacific Grove, Santa Catalina sits two games up in the Mission Trail, but plenty of league action remains before the Cougars can stake a strong claim to the crown. That includes another game against two more games against each school, including this Thursday’s game with PG.
