SOFTball 2026 Season Recap: BUILDING a Season to Remember

When Coach Mo Rezkalah looks back on the 2026 season, the word that comes to mind is “roller coaster.”

It was his first year leading Rancho Christian Softball, and in many ways, the program was starting from the ground up. There were questions about the roster, questions about positions, questions about the field, and questions about what kind of season this team could become.

“It was a little bit of a roller coaster coming in first year,” Rezkalah said. “At the end of the day, it all turned out great. All turned out well.”

That may be putting it lightly.

This season, Rancho Christian Softball became league champions, advanced to the CIF Southern Section playoffs, jumped all the way into Division 5, and gave the school one of the most memorable seasons in program history.

But before the wins, before the playoff berth, and before the championship celebration, there was work. A lot of it.

Coach Mo was not only coaching. He was training, fundraising, painting, preparing the field, and helping build the basic foundation of a program that could give Rancho Christian’s softball student-athletes the kind of experience they deserved.

“We had to do a lot of manual labor to the field to get it ready for a game,” Rezkalah said. “We had girls out there painting wood boards instead of practicing some days.”

There were practical needs everywhere. Field improvements. Fencing. Dugouts. A home run fence. A locker room. Equipment. A game day environment. A sense that this was not just a team trying to get through a season, but a program being built with intention.

The goal was bigger than wins and losses.

“I said, I can’t promise you that this stuff is going to be there, but my goal is to get everything,” Rezkalah said, recalling an early conversation with one of the team’s families. “The field, locker room, and an atmosphere and an experience for the girls, whether we win or lose. We want to have a good experience where these girls feel special.”

By the time Rancho hosted its first home game, all that work began to take shape.

The field looked different. The team looked ready. The stands were full. The excitement around the program was real. Nearly 200 people came out to support the Lady Eagles, and for Coach Mo, it became one of the first defining moments of the season.

“I purposely didn’t coach third base,” he said. “I let my son do it. I sat back in the dugout and just watched. Let me just soak it all in.”

As he looked around, he saw a crowd, a team, a dugout full of energy, and a group of student-athletes beginning to understand that something special was happening.

“I said, this is kind of now we’re here,” Rezkalah said. “We’re ready to go. Let’s do this.”

That moment mattered because the beginning of the season had been anything but simple. The Lady Eagles had to forfeit an early game because they did not have enough available players. The roster was thin, the schedule was uncertain, and the team was still figuring out who would play where.

Then something shifted.

After that first home game, more students wanted to join. They saw the energy, the atmosphere, and the joy surrounding the team, and they wanted to be part of it. Suddenly, Rancho had more depth, more flexibility, and more belief.

“That took us another level,” Rezkalah said. “Now we actually have a team, a squad.”

The schedule also began to intensify. Coach Mo had planned a lighter preseason because of the uncertainty around the roster, then built a heavier league schedule once the team had more players available. The result was a demanding stretch of games that helped the Lady Eagles grow quickly.

At first, the goal was modest: compete well, maybe battle for a playoff spot, and build toward the future.

But as the season continued, expectations changed.

“We got going, and it was like, hey, wait a minute, we’re beating some good teams,” Rezkalah said. “We’re playing against some good teams and battling. I think we have a shot at this.”

One of the biggest wins of the season came against Temecula Valley, a larger cross-town program with an established softball history. For many of the Rancho players, it was also personal in the best way. They knew the athletes on the other side, had grown up with them, and understood the significance of the matchup.

“To be able to go up and play against an established program, a big school, and play well, that was big,” Rezkalah said. “The girls played really well, and I think that was a big win that they’re going to really savor for a while.”

As the Lady Eagles moved into league play, the team kept gaining confidence. Different players stepped up. The offense produced. The defense settled in. The dugout stayed connected. A roster that had started with uncertainty became a team that believed.

Then they won league.

Undefeated.

For Rancho Christian Softball, it was more than a championship. It was history.

“My understanding was the school hadn’t been to the playoffs ever in the history of school,” Rezkalah said. “We’re a league championship, so we’re in uncharted territories. I’m telling girls, you’re making history here.”

Because of their success, Rancho Christian was placed in CIF Southern Section Division 5 for the playoffs, skipping several lower divisions entirely. The challenge was significant, but for Coach Mo, the placement also showed how much respect the program had earned in one season.

“We skipped all these divisions, so that says CIF thinks that we could have won all these divisions,” he said. “They put us in a division that’s going to challenge us.”

The Lady Eagles ultimately came up short in the playoffs, but not without fighting to the final inning and putting together a comeback effort. Even in the loss, there was pride in the way they competed.

“To me, I’m like, you know what, yeah, it would have been nice to win the whole thing,” Rezkalah said. “But the fact that they gave us that much respect says a lot. I think we’re on the map now.”

A major part of the season’s success came from leadership. Coach Mo pointed to three juniors, Sophia Rezkalah, Brooklyn Bateman, and Shayla Williams, as experienced players who helped carry the team not only with their talent, but with their maturity.

They had played competitive softball at a higher level, but instead of separating themselves from less experienced teammates, they brought others along.

“They really kind of put them under their wing,” Rezkalah said. “It’s not just us three trying to carry everybody. It’s let’s make everybody else, let’s take them and make this a good experience for them in the locker room, on the field, in the dugout.”

That leadership showed up in quiet ways. A word of encouragement after a strikeout. A tip in the dugout. A teaching moment in the field. A teammate helping another teammate understand the game.

For Coach Mo, that was one of the most meaningful parts of the season.

“I’ve coached for many, many years, and this was one of the years we had zero to maybe one percent of any sort of drama,” he said. “Everybody meshed together, and I count that to those three leaders really stepping up on the field and off the field.”

That unity helped define the team.

Rancho Christian Softball was not just talented. It was joyful. Players celebrated together after games. They laughed, smiled, learned, and grew together. Some were experienced players. Some were brand new to the sport. But by the end of the season, they had all shared something meaningful.

Coach Mo wanted every player, no matter her role, to look back and say the season was worth it.

“At the end of the season, I want every player to say, win, lose, or draw, this is a fun ride,” he said. “We did this, we did that, it was a good thing.”

Faith also played a central role in the life of the team.

One of the biggest blessings of the season was the team’s new locker room, which gave the Lady Eagles a place to gather, worship, pray, and prepare before games. Coach Mo described walking into the locker room before games and hearing Christian music playing as the team worshiped together.

“I’m like, oh, it’s like church in here,” he said.

Before taking the field, the team would gather, talk, pray, and often connect a biblical story to the challenge in front of them. On one day when the team was short on players, Coach Mo shared the story of Gideon, reminding the team that numbers do not define what God can do.

The locker room became more than a physical space. It became a place of peace, focus, and identity.

“The fact that we’re able to have our own space, where they can unwind and listen to their music, and we pray together, everybody goes in there and everybody comes out together, that’s huge,” Rezkalah said.

That faith shaped the way the Lady Eagles competed, handled adversity, and represented Rancho Christian.

“Our mannerisms and our actions in the dugout and on the field reflect that,” Rezkalah said. “We have to work a different way.”

Coach Mo was quick to point out that the season was a team effort in every sense. He expressed gratitude first to Jesus Christ, then to the school leaders, coaches, parents, families, volunteers, and student helpers who made the season possible.

He credited Athletic Director Waheed Mitchell for helping drive the field improvements and supporting the vision for the program. He also expressed gratitude for Pastor Scott and the school administration for their support in providing resources, including the locker room and field improvements.

He also named team moms and family volunteers who helped with snacks, drinks, senior night, the end-of-season party, field preparation, and game day details. One volunteer, Lila’s grandfather Glenn, came before every home game to help drag, water, and prepare the field.

He also recognized Andrew Murphy, the team’s head manager, as a key part of the team’s daily rhythm.

“That young man is amazing,” Rezkalah said. “Game day, practice day, bus rides, he’s like my right hand.”

Also, Coach Mo thanked his talented and committed coaching staff, who really made an impact on the athletes individually and the team collectively with their consistent presence and encouragement.

For Coach Mo, all of it came together as what he called “a perfect storm of blessings.”

“I can’t do it all. The kids can’t do it all,” he said. “We need that village to come in, and we sure had it this year.”

Now, with a league championship, a playoff appearance, and a strong foundation in place, the future of Rancho Christian Softball looks bright.

Coach Mo is already thinking ahead. Weight room work. Summer training. Fall development. Camps for younger athletes. Middle school growth. Potential JV opportunities. The goal is not just to enjoy one great season, but to build a lasting program.

“If you want to get better, I’m going to be there,” he said.

He has already started hosting camps for younger students, introducing elementary and middle school athletes to the sport and helping build a pathway for the future.

The hope is clear: retain students, attract new families, develop younger players, and continue building a faith-based softball program where athletes can grow, compete, belong, and have fun.

“I see us being competitive to where people are going to go, hey, we love the school, we want faith-based education, we love the community, we love Rancho, and this softball thing is not bad,” Rezkalah said.

This season proved that Rancho Christian Softball is no longer a question mark.

It is a program with a field, a locker room, a culture, a championship, a future, and a team of Lady Eagles who made history together.

A fun ride. A faithful foundation. A season to remember.

Wings Up!