On April 10, in the top of the fourth inning, Palomar College sophomore Alexis Huey turned on a 2-0 pitch and drove it over the left-field fence at Mt. San Antonio College. After rounding the bases, assistant coach Mark Eldridge told Huey he saw her eyes “light up” as the pitch came in.
The shot sparked a seven-run inning and helped Palomar avenge a February loss to Mt. San Antonio, its only defeat in a 39–1 season.
The home run — Huey’s 18th of the season — set a new program single-season mark for Palomar softball, breaking a record that had stood for 37 years, set by Kenda Leffler. The kicker: Huey didn’t know she was even in contention.
“I had no idea how many home runs I had or that I was even close to the record before that game,” Huey, a Poway native, said. “It felt really cool to hear it from everybody after the game. I had been walked twice before, so I was just looking for a pitch I could drive hard.”
“None of us really focus on records,” head coach Lacey Craft said. “We’re focused on the team all the time. But as Alexis kept inching forward and hitting more home runs — especially around the halfway point when she already had quite a few — we were thinking, man, the pace she was on was kind of crazy.”
Craft added that Eldridge, an assistant coach — who has been with the program since its start nearly 40 years ago — began tracking the numbers more closely.
“We were laughing about it on the bus,” Craft said. “I asked him, what’s the record? Who has the most home runs?”
Huey, who plays first base, currently ranks second in the state with a .556 batting average, 67 RBIs and 21 home runs. She leads Palomar into this weekend’s 3C2A SoCal Super Regional against Antelope Valley after eliminating Ventura in the opening round of the postseason.
Comets pitcher Kiara Flaviani has been an anchor on the 39-1 Palomar College team. (Photo by Hector Flores)“When we started our scrimmages in the fall against four-year teams, we were really surprised by how we played,” Craft said. “I didn’t think we had their physicality or God-given talent, but once we got on the field, they really competed.”
The Comets are 15–0 at home and riding a 27-game winning streak, with a .975 winning percentage — the best in program history — a year after finishing as runner-up in the statechampionship. The California Community College system does not participate in a national championship tournament.
“We have a lot of power in the lineup and a little more speed this year than we’ve had in the past,” Craft said.
Comets pitcher Kiara Flaviani – a soft throwing and undersized 5-foot-5 sophomore from Encinitas who did not pitch at La Costa Canyon High School and saw only sparing action last season – has emerged as an unexpected anchor in the circle, going 34–1 with a 1.91 ERA — the most wins in California.
“I’m definitely location, not velocity,” Flaviani said. “In the fall we trained in the weight room and spent a lot of time in the bullpen working on different pitches, different counts, different batters, and then facing live hitters really helped me become more confident.”
“Kiara stepped in and earned a role as a starter for us,” Craft said. “And we just couldn’t take her out. We have a great pitching staff that can contribute, but she’s taken on a huge part of the workload. Her strength is balance — she works both sides of the plate, mixes speeds and can throw her off-speed in any count.”
Facing Huey in practice this fall also helped Flaviani sharpen her approach.
“If I’m facing one of the top hitters in the state, I can face anyone,” she said.
“She’s one of the best pitchers in the state,” Huey added. “If I can face her, I can face anybody I’m going up against.”
At the plate, Palomar has also gotten production from sophomore Lauren Doepping (12 home runs) and freshman Kristina Deal (8). Freshman outfielder Kailey Dain is second on the team to Huey with a .520 batting average.
“The whole team has helped out,” Huey said. “Even the girls who might not play as much help the team develop and get better.”
“We have a lot of depth,” Flaviani added.
A series win over Antelope Valley — which Palomar beat twice in the regular season — would send the Comets to the state championship tournament.
“They have a good offense and good power numbers, and that’s probably their biggest strength,” Craft said. “They also have depth in their bullpen, so on paper their pitching staff is a lot like ours. It’s going to be a good series. When we played them in February, things were obviously a lot different than where both teams are now. We’re just trying to prepare to play our best game on Friday.”
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