With a new coach at the helm, the Diamond Bar High School softball team sets out this season with high expectations: to reach CIF for the first time since entering the Palomares League.

“My goal in the first season is to make the playoffs and ultimately improve every single day that we’re out there. I think if you improve every single day, by the end of the season, you can look back and see what great things you’ve accomplished,” new head coach Kurt Davies said.

Over the offseason, Davies was named the new head coach for softball, replacing coach Roberta Garcia.

Since September 2003, Davies has been an integral part of DB sports, having previously served as the athletic director, and as an assistant coach for both football and baseball.

“I think that I’ve learned how to work the relationships with high school students to try to maximize their effort, and I hope to take advantage of those experiences,” Davies said.

This season’s road to the playoffs has started slowly as the team opened their season with three losses in the Brea Tournament.

The girls lost in their first game in a tight battle against La Habra, 3-2.

In the following game, the team lost to El Dorado in a high scoring bout, 10-9. To end the tournament, the Lady Brahmas were blown out by La Serna, losing 14-2.

“[The two games] were really close. The first innings were kind of tough, and we kind of fell apart in the first innings but after that, we came back really well. We fixed ourselves,” senior second baseman Ellen Lasko said.

In the league opener, the girls lost to the Bonita Bearcats, 6-2. The Bearcats started the game strong, scoring three runs in the second inning. The Lady Brahmas cut the deficit down to one in the fifth inning, but were unable to answer Bonita’s final three runs in the sixth inning.

“I think we just had a really positive energy in the dugout, and we were all kind of cheering each other on and just having that loud, rambunctious group of people,” senior outfielder Shelby Partida said.

The Lady Brahmas also took part in three non-league games following their first league match. Against rival Diamond Ranch, the girls mounted a comeback to win in decisive fashion, 13-7. After falling behind 5-1 midway through the game, the girls scored 12 runs and allowed only two runs to clinch a victory over the Panthers.

However, the team then lost to Walnut in their following game, 12-4. The two teams remained neck and neck up until the fifth inning when the Mustangs scored eight unanswered runs to close the game.

During the offseason, the girls worked on becoming tighter as a unit. According to Davies, the girls played on travel teams and worked with Marine drill sergeants. He also said that the team learned to come together in times of struggles through these experiences.

Although Davies has CIF aspirations, he recognizes the fact that the girls are pegged to finish last by their league competition. With having the pressure to succeed, Davies said that the team must be ready to embrace the challenges put forth by the other teams in league.

“We’re trying to build a program that can sustain itself for years to come, and we do that day by day,” Davies said.

The girls faced Glendora in their second league game yesterday.