Moorpark has made plenty of noise during journey to CIF-SS Division 4 softball final

The Moorpark High softball team has been quiet for a few years.

Not anymore.

“The sophomores are very energetic,” senior Madison Zulager said. “You can hear them when we’re practicing, just the talking and laughing. It’s way more energetic than previous years. Still serious, but way more fun.”

Energized by a deep and talented sophomore class that has been playing together for most of their lives, the Musketeers have won 23 games, their most since 2014, and will play their first CIF-Southern Section final in 26 years Friday afternoon.

“It is complete chaos when these girls are around each other,” Moorpark coach Meaghan Stott said. “I’m laughing constantly at practice.”

Moorpark (23-4) will play Temple City (23-6) in the CIF-SS Division 4 championship game at 3:30 p.m. at Manning Stadium in Irvine.

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“I would say this is the biggest game that we’ve played together,” said shortstop Shae Anderson.

Seniors Zulager and Caitlin Finnerty have been joined in the lineup by six members of the Class of 2024, including speedy shortstop Anderson, slugging third baseman Driana Martinez, catcher Daniela Isarraras and ace pitcher Madison Finnerty, who tossed a perfect game in Tuesday’s semifinal win over Northridge-Heritage Christian.

Madison Finnerty is hitting a team-high .473 with 16 stolen bases. She’s also 14-2 in the circle with a 0.94 ERA. Another sophomore, Taylor Cook, is 9-2 with a 1.82 ERA.

Zulager leads the team with 12 home runs and 37 RBIs. Anderson has a team-high nine doubles. Martinez is hitting .434 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs.

The group understands it can accomplish something special, both Friday and in the future.

“It’s kind of hard to believe,” Anderson said. “Not everybody gets a chance like this. I think at the end of the day, no matter the outcome, we have something to be very proud of just being on this team.”

Much of the group has been playing together since they were 6 years old.

“I’m really excited to be on this journey with my teammates who I’ve known for this long,” Isarraras said. “When we were younger, we always got along. We always were laughing. We always had that team chemistry.

“I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Now 15 and 16, they were part of a Moorpark Girls Softball team that won its district championship as 10- and 11-year-olds in 2017 and 2018. They traveled to regionals in Boise, Idaho.

“It was pretty memorable,” Martinez said.

Which is what Martinez meant Tuesday when, after driving in the eventual winning run with a two-out, two-run double in the first inning, she said “I’ve played in big moments.”

The program has been waiting for this class to arrive. The Musketeers had won just 45.6% of their games since Amanda Lorenz, the former University of Florida star and a member of the U.S. national team, graduated in 2015.

“We’ve been following this group for a long time,” said Stott.

For several reasons.

Stott was sophomore third baseman Meagan Finnerty when, before playing at Cal State Northridge and the University of Arizona, she drove in the lone run of Moorpark’s 2-1 loss to Santa Monica-Crossroads in the 1996 Division V final.

Now she’s the Finnerty sisters’ aunt/head coach.

Finnerty and Martinez played varsity during last year’s COVID-shortened season. The rest of the group made noise on the JV team.

“Last year, when some of them were on JV, you could just hear them,” Zulager said. “They all had the bond.”

Lorenz, who tweeted support for the team after Tuesday’s win, has been a role model for this group for much of their softball careers.

“We really felt like we wanted to do everything like she did,” said Isarraras. “She was a great role model to have and she still is. She always will be.”

Stott tweeted out a photo of a 10-year-old Martinez and Madison Finnerty with Lorenz on Tuesday night.

“She kind of just showed all of us that someone from a small town can be such a great player,” Martinez said.

Joe Curley covers softball for The Star. He can be reached at  joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage of local high school sports, follow @vcspreps on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Moorpark has made plenty of noise during journey to softball final