Several local softball programs had trouble getting the 2025 spring season in full gear with the large amounts of rain pouring all over Santa Cruz County in February.
But with the wet conditions coming to a slight trickle, teams such as Aptos and 10th-year head coach Phil Rojas are doing everything possible to get prepared for the long road ahead of them.
“We have a young group of girls that I’m very excited about, lots of very talented athletes,” Rojas said.
The Mariners are led by returning players seniors Bailey Fulton and Kailani Aguayo. Rojas praised the team co-captains’ leadership qualities, and he knows they will command their teammates at ease.
“Bailey [Fulton] is just amazing, her athleticism, her knowledge. She is just great. I know she can play somewhere next year, she just got to find the right place,” Rojas said. “Kailani [Aguayo] is a great leader, she has been in our program all four years and knows how things should be done.”
Fulton currently has a team-best six base hits, including a pair of doubles and six runs scored, while Aguayo has five hits (two doubles), three RBIs and four runs scored, according to statistics on the Monterey Bay Preps website.
Rojas added that Aguayo and Fulton—who are great friends and supporters on and off the field—are key to building a strong culture to the team.
“Our chemistry has really grown and continues to grow everyday,” Aguayo said. “We really motivate and challenge each other.”
Team co-captain Lilly McGee, a senior, and sophomore Kalina Healy have potential to be big-time sluggers at the plate. McGee has one triple and a pair of RBIs in two games played, while Healy recently recorded a two-run home run in Tuesday’s 3-2 non-league win over Pacific Grove.
Others expected to make an impact include sophomore stars Emma Burgueno, Nova Neu and Mya Najera-White, a solid starting pitcher who will step up in the circle for the Mariners. Incoming freshman Gwen Vaca is also making some noise this season.
“We got some young stars on our team,” Rojas said. “Emma Burgueno is just a beast. She can hit, field, throw, she can do it all. She is another I can see playing at the next level…Gwen [Vaca] is another athlete I’m very excited about.”
Burgueno has four hits including one double, three RBIs and three runs scored, while Neu has a pair of doubles, two RBIs and one run scored.
In 2024, Aptos finished with a 16-7 overall record and were runner-up in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League standings behind league champion Scotts Valley. The Mariners fell to Valley Christian in the first round of the Central Coast Section Division II playoffs.
Aptos, which is on the hunt for its first league crown since 2017, along with the likes of Harbor San Lorenzo Valley, Santa Cruz and Soquel are looking to dethrone Scotts Valley.
“I think it’s always going to be a battle between us, SLV and Scotts Valley, but I think we can get the job done,” Rojas said. “Our goal is to win league and make a run in CCS, and I think our non-league schedule is balanced out well to prepare us just for that.”
Rojas said he always expects to compete for an SCCAL championship, and he hopes to make a deep run in the CCS playoffs this season. The Mariners’ longtime skipper created the non-league portion of their schedule to not only challenge the players, but show them they can hang with the “big dogs.”
Aptos suffered a 10-3 defeat in the regular season-opener to Monterey—a CCS D-I finalist—on Feb. 27, but bounced back with a 15-5 crushing win over Carmel on March 4 and most recently against Pacific Grove.
Next up, the Mariners are competing in the Monterey Peninsula Softball Invitational at Pacific Grove High School on Saturday. They’ll have a rematch with Pacific Grove and have a game scheduled against Christopher.
Aptos plays at Scotts Valley in the teams’ SCCAL-opener on March 20 at 4:30pm.
“I definitely believe we can compete this season in league,” Fulton said. “We are excited, motivated and we are coming for that title.”
*Additional reporting by sports editor Juan Reyes
