Academy of Art University softball certainly made 2015 a season to remember. Playing for one another embracing a family culture set by first-year head coach Sonja Garnett and her staff, the Urban Knights broke numerous records, were dominant at home, and did all this while achieving the program's best record since 2011.

"I am so proud of the women for all they accomplished this year," said Garnett. "I was blessed to step into such a passionate group of athletes, looking to improve, learn, and work hard. In the fall and spring, we sat down and created goals; they wanted to do better rather than just talk about doing better. They wanted to play well, pick each other up, have five hitters bat above .500 and do well academically. They put their heads down, worked hard, were coachable, and accomplished each one of their goals."
The weekend that followed marked the start of Pacific West Conference play down south in Azusa. Freshman pitcher Brenna Mitchell (20-12), who would go on to finish the season as the program's first 20-game winner, threw her first career complete game in an 8-6 win over Azusa Pacific to start the series and the Urban Knights proceeded to sweep the day two doubleheader for three out of four wins in the series. Graduate student catcher Nirana Singh was among the highlights and would be named PacWest Player of the Week for her two home runs, six runs batted in, and .545 average over the weekend.

"I think our games against Azusa set a tone for season," said Garnett. "We came out playing fearlessly, loud, and had a great time against a tough team. The result came naturally with our energy up and momentum strong. Throughout the year, we were able to use this as our baseline to get our hustle going and regain our confidence."

ART U's win streak became four consecutive games with a two-part sweep of Central Washington on Feb. 23 that featured big run-scoring doubles from Singh, senior infielder Taylor Thurman, and sophomore outfielder Jessica West. Though a four-game losing streak ensued on the road at Sonoma State and Stanislaus, Academy of Art bounced back by sweeping Holy Names on Mar. 7 in a doubleheader that saw 24 hits by the Knights including a grand slam from junior catcher Elise Oldham.

Academy of Art stood up to No. 19 Humboldt State days later on Mar. 9 and nearly pulled off the upset after scoring seven runs early in the opening contest. The Lumberjacks escaped with an 11-10 victory and went on to sweep, but ART U had shown it was unafraid of any challenge. Splits with Notre Dame de Namur (Mar. 13) and Dominican (Mar. 14) followed in a stretch where Mitchell earned PacWest Newcomer of the Week honors after allowing just one earned run over 19.0 innings with 15 strikeouts and her first collegiate shutout against the Argonauts.

The tough nationally-ranked teams in the PacWest Conference were up next and, though the Urban Knights did not back down, road games at No. 13 California Baptist and No. 5 Dixie State over a three-day span proved to be a tall order. The Lancers, eventual NCAA Division II Super Regional qualifier, and Red Storm, eventual runner-up in the NCAA National Championship title game, swept ART U but Academy of Art built momentum heading into Stanislaus' Tournament of Champions with two victories over Chaminade on Mar. 24. Mitchell and Alexa Peters (7-10) provided a one-two punch with complete games in the circle on that day as the Knights prepared for seven games in three days in Turlock.

On Mar. 27, ART U started the Tournament of Champions with two difficult losses to Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington then finished the day on a positive note with a 2-1 win over Western Oregon in extra innings. Day two saw senior outfielder Haily MacDonald set the new single-game program record with five stolen bases in a 7-2 victory versus Simon Fraser before a hard-fought 3-1 loss to Montana State-Billings. The Urban Knights added one more win over Chaminade on Mar. 29 with a dramatic 13-3 run-rule result that included MacDonald's first career grand slam, solidifying her spot on the Tournament of Champions All-Tournament Team. She would also be named PacWest Co-Player of the Week after hitting .560 and going 10-for-10 in stolen bases during the weekend.

"We hit a very tough patch mid-season where we lost seven straight," said Garnett. "Those games tested our character and heart. Our fourth game against Dixie we played our best, hitting three home runs against a pitcher that had no-hit us the day before. We came back and did well against Chaminade then had our best result ever at the Tournament of Champions. At that point, I knew we would finish strong and the special group of athletes we had. We played hard and steady our final stretch of games even though we knew our season was coming to an end. I am incredibly proud of them."

Academy of Art would remain in the Bay Area for its final 16 games of the year, beginning that stretch with a split hosting UH Hilo on Mar. 31. MacDonald set new program records in the twinbill, becoming the leader in both career triples and single-season steals. Two losses on the road at Dominican were soon a memory as ART U swept SF State on Apr. 6 behind 9.1 shutout innings from Mitchell and a new single-game doubles record (six) for the team set on Klune's game-winning hit.

That brought the Knights to their season-ending homestand which included 10 home games all as part of PacWest Conference play. An Apr. 11 rematch with Holy Names had Mitchell's signature on it after she struck out the second-most batters in program history (14) as part of a shutout and later picked up her first career save in game two. She earned PacWest Pitcher of the Week honors for her efforts.

On Apr. 14, ART U started a four-game stint against BYU-Hawaii by scoring 23 times in a doubleheader sweep that featured back-to-back homers by Thurman and Oldham as well as a six-run inning in game one then a program record five-RBIs from senior infielder Kamyle Glover in game two. The Knights went yard back-to-back once again on Apr. 15 with Singh and senior infielder Jasmine Dickenson homering in a 5-4 victory as part of the day's split with the Seasiders.

As the year drew to a close, games remained as exciting as ever with a 6-4 victory powered by Curtis' dramatic home run coming in a split against Hawaii Pacific on Apr. 19. One week later, ART U honored its four seniors, Thurman, Dickenson, Glover, and MacDonald, prior to a sweep of NDNU on Senior Day. Mitchell and Peters combined to allow one run on a day that carried deep meaning for the Knights who played with fallen teammate Briana Williams in their hearts. In the end, Academy of Art would win 10 of its last 12 games, finish 15-5 at home, and complete the year 28-26 overall (18-14 in PacWest).

"We have such great energy at home with our parents, fans, and some of the local community coming out to games this year," said Garnett. "Having those individuals along with our support staff at the games makes the women feel important and want to fight."

When all was said and done, ART U set single-season team records for hits (446), doubles (84), total bases (619), slugging percentage (.429), and fielding percentage (.952) with a core of seniors who led the way. Highlighting the quartet, MacDonald finished the season on the All-PacWest First Team, Capital One Academic All-District Team, and just the third Urban Knight to earn Daktronics All-West Region honors. Additionally, post-season selections came for Klune (Second Team), Mitchell (Third Team), and Singh (Third Team) to tie for the most in program history.

"Our seniors were undoubtedly a huge piece of the puzzle for us this year," said Garnett. "For everything they gave us on the field, they were equally crucial behind the scenes, making sure the team was organized, prepared, and on board with the coaching staff each step of the way. I am excited to see how the young ones carry this responsibility in the future. They learned how to lead by example with integrity and with a voice."

A debut season for the record books was only the beginning, however, as Garnett and the Urban Knights now move forward determinedly toward 2016.

"As great as this year was, right now we are rebuilding," said Garnett. "We have lost four important starters and voices, but with at least nine new athletes coming in next year, we will have to continue to shape the culture and raise the standards. This year, we have to stay the course and increase our depth. The next big step for us will be getting wins over ranked teams. It is important this year to not be cocky, complacent, or overly anxious. We need to move forward steadily and maintain balance for our artist-athletes."