ORANGE, Calif. — A once in a generation team. 

That is how Chapman softball's head coach Janet Lloyd describes the 2025 team. Lloyd has been the program's head coach for 41 years. 

The current senior class, most of whom have played for Lloyd and her staff for four years, will go down as one of the most dominant in program history. The class includes: Miranda Murphy, Ilianna Serna, Grace Fosselman, Jordan Westerfield, Jillian Kelly, Lily Rasmussen, Mo Lynch, Morgan Lastinger, Samantha Kennedy, Ashley Hester and Taylor Corcoran. 

Murphy, Serna and Kelly were all most recently named to the 2025 SCIAC All-Conference first team. The three of them have made a combined 10 all conference teams in four years at Chapman.

Murphy, a center fielder, has become the program's all-time leader in walks while also maintaining batting average of .402 in 2025. The team's lead off hitter sets the tone offensively in every batting rotation. Kelly is one of the team's starting pitchers, and will go down as one of the most consistent athletes in the program's history. With just a 2.07 ERA in 2025, Kelly had 12 wins on her season. Serna, the team's third basemen, is one of the best defensive players and vocal leaders the team has. 

At the end of a recent practice, Lloyd called the team into the huddle before breaking for the evening. Serna rather sternly yet smoothly commanded the 30 person roster. Vividly frustrated by her team's efforts at practice, she spoke up. 

"We can and must do better," Serna said with 60 eyes focused on her. "We have the potential to do something special, but that doesn't happen if we are not giving full effort in practice." 

The entire team erupted, clapping in agreement as Serna nodded her head and rejoined the outside of the circle. The following weekend, the Panthers won their final regular season series against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and firmly secured the No. 2 seed heading into the SCIAC Tournament. Suffice it to say, the talk may have worked. 

But, the team is far from satisfied and far more defined by by how they've bonded off the field the last four years.Those bonds have contributed to on field success. 

Kelly, who is studying to become an elementary school teacher, grew up playing in similar circles along side Lastinger and Serna. While she had multiple division I programs offering her an opportunity to play, Lastinger showed Kelly 'why DIII' and all that Chapman had to offer. Now, Kelly says she likely would not have come here, if not for her teammate showing it to her. Now, she could not imagine life any other way. 

"The first few nights of college, all of the freshmen on the softball team hung out together," Kelly remembers fondly. "We all clicked instantly, and we have not looked back since." 

In 2022, the then freshmen at the time won the SCIAC Tournament title, In 2023 and 2024, they made it to the tournament finals. In between then and now, Westerfield, a local product from Santa Ana Community College, joined the team and became the starting first basemen. 

The six foot infielder used to be a pitcher, and utilizes her prior knowledge to predict where the ball maybe hit before the pitcher even releases it. When she makes big plays, Westerfield knows it's getting her team one step closer to a title run which would mean everything not just for her, but the history of the program. 

"You want to do it for those who came before you," Westerfield said. "I want it for myself, but more so, I want it for my fellow seniors and those who paved the way before I arrived." 

One of them is Chapman softball's athletic trainer Gabrielle Leveratto played from 2014-16. The two-time Panther graduate was a two year starter in the outfield with a .303 batting average. After graduating, she moved to Seattle, Wash. to start her career. In 2021, the former player returned to her Alma Mater. Thus, Leveratto has grown with the seniors attending practices, games and everything in between the last four years. The players embrace her as one of their own, often times involving her in drills to shag loose balls, upkeep of the field, or even fielding and hitting drills with the pitching machine. As the team stares down the barrel of SCIACs, Leveratto gave some valuable perspective on their program impact. 

"They have set the standard, for how Chapman softball should be conducted," Leveratto said. 

The Panthers will begin conducting business in the SCIAC Tournament on Friday, May 9 against Pomona-Pitzer in the semi-finals, which will be hosted at Redlands. If Chapman wins the tournament, the Panthers will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals. Despite the pressure of past success, Fosselman describes her team best: 

"We are a bit unhinged," she said jokingly. "The most unserious serious softball team ever." 

Leveratto agrees. 

"They want to win, they've put the work in... when they are doing that and having fun, the sky is the limit," Leveratto said.