Softball is said to be a game of failure, and Carmella Muccilli and Mariah Montalvo have both endured their share.

Despite their struggles, however, the two players have each found ways to contribute to their respective NCAA Division I teams’ success this season.

Muccilli, a Soquel High graduate, was the starting center fielder for Nicholls State University in Louisiana. Montalvo, who attended St. Francis High, is a reserve catcher/third baseman at Santa Clara University. Both players are juniors.

Things went so rough for Muccilli during her first two seasons at Nicholls State that she found herself in the NCAA’s transfer portal. Her now-former coach had decided to cut her loose.

“I got mad, and I became determined,” Muccilli said.

Thus, when the Colonels’ first-year head coach, Ron Frost, invited Muccilli to come back after the school promoted him from the assistant coaching job he’d held for three seasons, she jumped at the opportunity. Frost had spent two seasons working with Muccilli and believed her struggles had prepared her to finally contribute regularly as both a hitter and outfielder.

“It takes a while to get acclimated to this level,” Frost said. “Sometimes it takes a while to get ready for the moment.”

That was certainly the case for Muccilli: As a freshman and sophomore, she played in a combined 55 games but garnered just 22 total at-bats, hitting .136 with only three RBI over those two seasons. A designated player usually batted in her spot in the lineup, and when she did get to hit or run the bases, it was usually as a pinch hitter or pinch runner.

“Pinch hitting is generally hard to do,” Muccilli said. “For anybody to come in after not playing in the game and get a hit, get on, or do something is pretty hard.”

This season, by contrast, Muccilli was in Nicholls State’s everyday lineup. She finished the season with a .250 batting average — more than 100 points higher than her career average from her first two seasons. She also smacked four doubles and a triple, drove in 13 runs and scored 21.

Muccilli had one of her best games of the season in the Southland Conference Tournament on May 3, going 2 for 3 with an RBI and scoring twice in Nicholls State’s 11-1, five-inning win over Stephen F. Austin University of Texas.

“The biggest reason we decided to run with her and give her the opportunity to be out there is that there are very few at-bats in which she does not compete,” Frost said.

Muccilli was no slouch on defense either, according to Frost.

“She gets really good reads on balls,” the coach said. “She’s willing to dive and lay out for balls. She’s a leader who communicates well with her teammates. She gives everything she’s got — she’s fearless.

“When the ball comes off the bat, you can guess right, or you can guess wrong. She doesn’t guess wrong very often. She gets a jump on the balls and takes the right angles.”

Her fielding percentage reflects that: Muccilli made just two errors in 88 fielding chances.

Montalvo, meanwhile, has been part of a historic season at Santa Clara: The Broncos qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history, advancing to the regional round after winning the West Coast Conference title.

“It’s crazy to think about,” the St. Francis grad said. “I never thought I’d be in that spot — not just to make the regional, but to make school history. It’s just crazy, and it’s something I’m going to remember forever.”

Unlike Muccilli, Montalvo spent this season in a more limited role: She appeared in just 13 games for SCU, starting five. She hit .067 in 15 at-bats, collecting one hit, one run and one RBI after batting .218 through her first two seasons.

As dismal as those numbers might seem, Santa Clara coach Gina Carbonatto believes Montalvo is poised for a breakout season as a senior — especially since the Broncos are losing their starting catcher. Not only does Montalvo have “an absolute cannon for an arm,” Carbonatto said, she’s displayed a fair amount of power at the plate in practice.

“She wants to play more, and I hope she does,” Carbonatto said. “She puts the work in and takes her opportunities when she gets ’em.”

Muccilli is majoring in a unique area of study: maritime management.

“I love to be by the water,” she said. “Down here in southern Louisiana, the shipping industry and the oil industry are huge. They’re always looking for help, especially from women, in that field.

“I wanted to do something different. That’s why I got attracted to it.”

Montalvo is majoring in engineering at Santa Clara. She hopes to design buildings someday.

“She didn’t sign up for anything easy, I’ll tell you that much,” Carbonatto said.

Each player has one season of college softball remaining. Both hope to spend it proving that their failures do not define them.

“Failure is not the end of the world,” Muccilli said. “I might strike out in one at-bat, but I’ve found that you can’t dwell on the past — you’ve got to focus on the present. It’s a lot easier when you can constantly be there for your teammates (mentally) and play together.”

Montalvo believes the arc of her playing career can follow a trajectory similar to Muccilli’s.

“It’s all about finding confidence in yourself, even though you might not be ready now,” she said. “Just be in position when you get your shot. … Accept that your time will come and be ready when it does.”