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Saddleback College Athletics

Garcia headlines All-OEC selections

Saddleback has four named to All-Orange Empire Conference Team

A celebratory graphic for Ka'ui Garcia, named OEC Player of the Year. The image shows Garcia in a batting stance on the left, with the Orange Empire Conference logo and a bobcat mascot logo on a maroon background.
April 27, 2026

The Saddleback softball team finished up the regular season as Orange Empire Conference (OEC) champions for the first time in 38 years and will open the playoffs this Friday at Citrus College.  The coaches in the OEC convened this past weekend to determine an all-conference squad and the Bobcats were represented with four players.

Ka'ui Garcia was the headliner for Saddleback, earning Conference Player-of-the-Year status after a record-breaking season.  Garcia set the program record on the final day of the season when she went 2-for-3 to up her batting average to .553 in conference play, which broke the record of .551 set by Jessica Angulo in 2015.  In addition, she broke the program record for RBI in conference play with 34 and now has the program record with 51 RBI for the year. 

Joining Garcia on the first team is Ehva Cifuentes-Zombulovic, who also had a crazy season at the plate.  Cifuentes-Zombulovic led the team with 10 home runs during the season, which was the best home run total for the program since Sarah Ditommaso hit 10 in 2013.  She now has 19 home runs for her career, which is one short of the program record set by Christina Bolin in 2011-12.  In addition, Cifuentes now has 50 RBI, which is one shy of Garcia for the program record heading into the playoffs.

Saddleback had two second team selections in Colette Howren and Millie Maher, who both would have been excellent choices for the first team. 

Howren finished 17-5 overall, leading the conference with 13 wins.  She also led the conference with 88 strikeouts and WHIP (1.21) for those that pitched at least 30 innings in conference play.  In addition, Howren defeated Fullerton College in three straight games, which essentially vaulted the Bobcats into first place and put Saddleback in the driver's seat for a first conference title in 38 years.

Maher was equally dangerous on the basepaths throughout the season.  She broke the program record for runs-scored in conference play with 33, shattering the old record of 24 by Christina Pantages in 2014.  The 33 runs-scored led the conference and her 14 stolen bases in OEC play was double her closest competitor (7). 

Saddleback will open the playoffs at Citrus College on Friday.