TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (January 9, 2020) – The Salt Lake Community College softball team has long been one of the top programs in the country, becoming an annual fixture at the NJCAA tourney in St. George.
 
The Bruins returned to the top of the heap in 2019, earning the Scenic West and Region 18 titles on their way to the tournament after taking a brief pause in 2018. After falling early in the tournament, SLCC is focused on returning to the top once again and continuing the program's climb towards a long-anticipated national title.
 
In preparation for opening January practices, SLCC coach Cyndee Bennett said her program is ready for the 2020 season after a strong fall season.
 
"We had a lot of growth and learning opportunities through the fall," she said. "We had the opportunity to play eight Division-I schools that this . The fall really helped prepare us for this spring."
 
Part of the reason behind Salt Lake's confidence is due to the number of returners who were strong contributors on the 2019 squad. Those players include Mallory Barber, Mackenzy Richins and Tarni Stepto. Several high-profile signees have also added the program's already-high levels of talent.
 
"I am very excited for our returning All-American Mallory Barber," Bennett said. "She has recently signed with BYU and I can't wait to see her play her sophomore season with us.  We have a transfer pitcher from UVU in Brylee Marziale.  She will be an immediate impact player for us.  We have a strong returning sophomore class with a lot of returning starters in Savanna Montoya, Mercedes Call, Rylee Harris, Mia Cullimore, Mackenzie Richins, and Brenna Adams.  We also have a transfer pitcher from New Zealand in Brittany Terrey."
 
Meshing all of the talent together can be tricky depending on how it is done but the Bruins have become accustomed to ensuring player chemistry is a constant focus of offseason team activities.
 
"We always enjoy our Halloween costume party," Bennett said, referring to the team's chemistry-building experiences. "This year's offseason activities did not disappoint. Our annual 'Bruin Challenge' is always a highlight as well as our 'Bruin World Series'."
 
SLCC opens the season on Jan. 31 in a tournament hosted by the College of Southern Nevada, playing five games in the season-opening tourney. Additionally, Salt Lake plays a Florida-based preseason tourney before opening Scenic West Athletic Conference play on February 28 against Colorado Northwestern Community College.
 
Bennett said the team's goals in the January conditioning and practice period are focused around improving for the long road ahead, which includes several nationally-ranked foes in the preseason.
 
"Our goals this January are to shore up the little things we need to do to be successful," she said. "We enjoy this time indoors where we can really break down all of the fundamentals of the game so that we are ready to come out at the end of January in our first tournament in Las Vegas and be successful."