It seems the softball team will have to rely on its younger players after losing their star seniors to graduation, said assistant coach Dave Gragnola, referring to players such as last year’s MVP Nicole Gragnola.

But the team looks to benefit from freshmen such as Hera Tang, one of the pitchers, who can “already hit balls over the fence,” Gragnola said.

“The freshmen help a lot because they have energy and a lot of experience playing club ball,” Gragnola said. “This team has been lacking players that play full time the last several years. Now we have a lot of more experience, so overall we have better pitching and hitting.”

Senior pitcher Megan Brading is a key player as No. 1 starting pitcher and senior Heather Gummow looks to be a strong hitter. The girls are in the El Camino Division in the Santa Clara Valley Athletics League.

The Falcons’ major rival is Gunn High School, who has one of the best pitchers in the county. Another rival is Santa Clara High School, but Saratoga expects to beat them after a strong performance against Santa Clara last year.

The first league game was Feb. 25 against Lincoln High School.