After Guilianna Clavel finished her senior season as a pitcher at Bonita Vista High School, she wasn’t sure she would be playing competitive softball again.
“I didn’t receive any college offers, and I was beginning to think I might not be good enough to keep playing,” Clavel said. “But then one of my coaches mentioned Palomar College.”
Now, two years later, Clavel is an all-state pitcher for Palomar College and one of the main reasons the Comets are returning to the California Community College Athletic Association State Championship Tournament, which begins Thursday at West Valley College in Saratoga.
Palomar takes a 39-4 record into the state tournament as one of eight teams advancing through regional and super regional playoffs. The Comets followed their 10th consecutive Pacific Coast Athletic Conference championship by sweeping South Coast Conference teams Compton and Long Beach City in a pair of best-of-3 series for the 3C2A Southern California Regionals and Super Regionals.
This will be Palomar’s 23rd appearance in the state tournament since 1986.
As a freshman, Clavel was Palomar’s No. 2 pitcher behind India Caldwell, who was a Junior College All-American in 2023 and is currently pitching for UC San Diego. Clavel took the reins for the Comets this season. She went 27-4 with a 1.43 ERA in the regular season, earning conference pitcher of the year honors.
Clavel was the winning pitcher in all four Regional and Super Regional victories for Palomar, starting both games against Compton and combining with freshmen Nevaeh Haywood (Ramona) and Maddie Bedolla (Tri-City Christian) for 13-0 and 12-2 wins.
It was Clavel’s two-game performance the following weekend in the Super Regionals against Long Beach City which was arguably her most impressive of the season. The Vikings finished the regular season as the top-hitting team in the state, but were stymied in Game 1 by Clavel, who allowed just one hit while spinning her 10th shutout of the season in a 1-0 victory.
Long Beach City managed only one run on five hits in Game 2, a 5-1 Palomar win with Clavel pitching her second complete game in as many days. She also gave Palomar an early lead with a two-out, two-run single in the first inning.
Clavel says her ascension can be attributed to one thing.
“Confidence,” said Clavel, known to her coaches and teammates as GiGi. “And not just me but the whole team. I was told that if I came to Palomar I would be with coaches and teammates who would help make me a better player, and that’s what’s happened.”
Palomar coach Lacey Craft played for the Comets under legendary coach Mark Eldridge, who is now her No. 1 assistant. She went on to star at San Diego State.
“GiGi has stepped up with her demeanor,” said Craft. “The girls look at her as a leader, but she doesn’t feel like she has to do everything.
“She has been able to enjoy this season while also being really good at helping the younger pitchers.”
Clavel’s 27 wins are the fourth-most in the state this season. She’s also a force at the plate, batting .386 with 34 hits. ing her on the 3C2A All-State team for 2024 were teammates Breanna Lutz (Ramona) and Itzell De Los Rios (Olympian).
Lutz, a freshman, transitioned from shortstop to first base and was named the PCAC Player of the Year. Her .500 batting average (66-of-132) is tied for the state lead. Her 54 RBIs rank second in the state. Lutz also hit a team-leading seventh home run in the series-clinching win against Long Beach City.
De Los Rios, a sophomore third baseman, went 3-for-3 with a home run, double and a single in the postseason opener against Compton. She’s batting .468 (58-of-124) with four home runs and 43 RBIs, numbers which all rank second on the team only to Lutz.
Among the other Palomar players who have stood out in the playoffs is freshman second baseman Josephine Heuberger, who went 5-for-8 from her leadoff spot in two games against Long Beach City and handled six flawless chances at second base in Game 1 before delivering the game-winning single with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning.
“We’ve all started to get on the same page,” Clavel said. “It’s not an individual thing. Its chemistry, and we’re all behind each other.”
Palomar, the No. 3 seed in the South Region, plays the first of four games on the first day of the state tournament, taking on College of San Mateo, the No. 2 seed from the North Region. Palomar defeated San Mateo in the finals of the 2015 state tournament for its fifth and most recent state championship.
The teams also met last year on the second day of the state tourney, with Palomar winning, 2-1.
“We’ve run into them before in past tournaments,” Craft said. “I like the fact that we played a good quality opponent like Long Beach in the Super Regionals to help prepare us for state.”
The winner of the Palomar-San Mateo matchup plays Friday against the winner between Fullerton (South No. 1) and Sierra (North No. 4). With a record of 40-5, Fullerton is the only team in the state with more wins than Palomar and was ranked No. 1 in the statewide coaches poll after the regular season. At 20-24, Sierra is the only team in the tournament with a losing record.
The championship final is scheduled for Sunday.
Palomar baseball team hosts regional final series
Also alive in postseason play is the Palomar baseball team, which repeated as PCAC champs and eliminated College of the Canyons, Cuesta and Mt. San Antonio in the SoCal Regionals. The Comets (35-9) host defending state champion Santa Ana in a best-of-three regional final beginning Friday, with the winner advancing to the state tournament.
The defending state champion, sixth-seeded Santa Ana (33-12-1) eliminated No. 2 seed Orange Coast last weekend.
The other South Regional Final matches No. 1 Cerritos (37-8) against No. 5 Saddleback (29-16).
The three-time defending PCAC champion Comets have been paced this season by sophomore second baseman Noah Lazuka (San Marcos) and sophomore catcher Makana Olaso (Murrieta Mesa).
Lazuka was named conference Player of the Year. His .421 batting average is among the state leaders. He also leads Palomar in hits (69) and doubles (20). Olaso leads the state with 20 home runs and his 75 RBIs rank second in the state.
Hoff is a freelance writer.
