Los Banos softball travel team produces eight collegiate athletes

When Charlie Pikas started a softball travel team in Los Banos nearly a decade ago, the longtime coach did so to give his high school team a chance.

How short-sighted of him.

From the Los Banos Tigers’ original roster have come eight success stories – players who have taken their games from the small-school stage on the Westside to the collegiate level.

“When I came down here, there wasn’t anything within a 45-minute to an hour drive for these kids,” said Pikas, now the athletic director and softball coach at Pacheco High. “With the experience I had and the kids willing to participate, we started with one team.”

That “one team” has produced eight college athletes, including pitcher Kelsie Monroe, Cal State Bakersfield; volleyball player Xitlalli Bobadilla, Indiana Tech; catcher Taylor Clancy, Texas-Permian Basin; infielder Taylor Snowden, Menlo College; first baseman Jae Bondi, Merced College; outfielder Felicia Remulla, West Hills; pitcher/outfielder Kiley Mendez, Cal State Stanislaus; and infielder Taylor Mendez, University of Mary (N.D.).

The shining star in that bunch has been Monroe, a senior at Cal State Bakersfield. The crafty right-hander was named the Western Athletic Conference’s Pitcher of the Year after a season that saw the Roadrunners nearly clinch an unlikely NCAA Tournament berth.

Bakersfield was picked to finish in the WAC cellar but reached the conference tournament championship game Saturday with an upset win over top-seeded New Mexico State. Needing one victory to celebrate its first WAC championship – and advance to an NCAA Division I Regional – the Roadrunners were beaten twice by New Mexico State.

“I cannot say thank you enough to Kelsie, Ashley Carter and Madison (Bundey) enough for everything they gave, not only (Saturday) but throughout their years in the program,” Roadrunners coach Crissy Buck-Ziegler told Cal State Bakersfield athletics in a news release. “They have left their mark and have catalyzed this team for next year.”

Monroe led the WAC in ERA (2.93), opposing batting average (.237) and was second in innings pitched (181.1). She also tossed six shutouts and ranked among the conference leaders in strikeouts.

Monroe also left her fingerprints all over the Roadrunners’ Division I record book. She set career marks for wins, appearances, starts, innings pitched and complete games. She threw the program’s first solo Division I no-hitter.

Pikas, whose Pacheco Panthers open the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs Tuesday against Lincoln at Arnaiz Softball Complex in Stockton, marvels at Monroe’s development. She wasn’t a natural flamethrower. Her technique, style and ability have been cultivated on the practice field.

“In terms of the softball world, she’s a late bloomer. She was the No. 2 pitcher on the junior high team before we got them in the summer,” Pikas said. “I’ve been spoiled because I’ve been blessed with a co-coach, Ed Monroe, her father. He has good friends in the pitching world, and he’s picked their brains.

“We sat down with Kelsie and said, ‘Here, we have the tools,’ and guided her through the pitching process. She was such a quick learner and dedicated. You can’t teach that. She’s a tireless worker, and she’s gotten better each year.”

Pikas continues the travel ball tradition on the Westside.

The team has changed mascots – they’re now called the “Skeeters” – and added multiple age groups. Still, he takes great pride in the original Tigers and tracking their success.

“To me, there are coaches in it for the wins and losses and league titles. As I’ve gone along, I’ve gotten more reward doing that, following these girls and seeing what they do when they leave,” Pikas said. “It’s cool to get a text or an email or see them posting something on social media about how they’re doing. I love sharing it out. That’s the joy of coaching.”

This story was originally published May 11, 2015 at 8:32 PM with the headline "Los Banos softball travel team produces eight collegiate athletes."