Softball | 2/16/2010 5:05:23 PM

Introduction
Since having its final series of the 2009 season cancelled because of an H1N1 scare, the Western Oregon University softball team has been itching for the opportunity to get back on the field, and while every year hope springs eternal before the season, this could be a special team in the history of the WOU softball program.

The Wolves return 14 letterwinners, including five which earned all-conference honors, as they search for their first-ever outright Great Northwest Athletic Conference title.

Western Oregon will bring back three pitchers and starters at every position but catcher. The veteran squad will be highlighted by 2009 GNAC Player of the Year and All-American honorable mention selection Tyler Sutherland but WOU head coach Pam Knox takes time to go through position-by-position to talk about her 2010 squad.

Pitching Staff
The Wolves will bring back three members of their 2009 pitching staff and will add two talented freshmen to give coach Knox and pitching coach Jami Strinz their deepest pitching staff in years.

"Right now all five members of our pitching staff are going to be able to contribute for us," Knox explained. "We have three returning pitchers and two freshmen who can hold their own: so nobody is going to outpitch us. We are going to have one of the best pitching staffs in the region."

Leading the way in the circle will be returning second team All-GNAC selection Jessica Wood. Last season, she finished sixth in the conference with a 2.98 ERA and second with a .204 opponent batting average.
Coach's quote: "Wood brings power and a different looking being left-handed. She has proven herself by earning second team all-conference last year. She is very competitive and is hard to hit because of her movement and velocity."

Jessie Lessard will return for her senior season after going 8-5 with a 3.44 ERA as a junior. She also registered two shutouts versus GNAC foes including a complete game, five strikeout performance against Montana State Billings.
Coach's quote: "Jessie brings good and speed movement to our pitching staff."

Brittany Reeves joins the Wolves out of Crater High School, where she was Oregon's 5A Pitcher of the Year and two-time all-conference selection.
Coach's quote: "Brittany will bring raw power."

Kelsey White comes to Western Oregon out of South Salem High School after earning third team all-state honors. She also pitched a perfect game as a junior against Redmond.
Coach's quote: "Kelsey mixes up her pitches and has very good movement.

Stephanie Albrecht returns after pitching in 20 games for the Wolves last season. She was the GNAC Pitcher of the Week for the week of Mar. 2-8.
Coach's quote: "Stephanie is a combination of all four of our other pitchers. She has good movement and speed, and can be difficult to hit."

The uniqueness and different qualities that each pitcher possesses is why Knox feels this could be a very good pitching staff. "The thing that makes our staff so strong is they all have different speeds and all have different pitches to work the different plains of the zone," Knox said. "We can pitch someone that throws really hard, and then we can bring in someone who is slower and has a lot of movement: so we are going to be very effective that way."

Knox would continue on the advantages of carrying five starters this season versus the three has had in seasons past. "All the pitchers know at some time they are going to come in and pitch, so it takes the pressure off the pitchers because if they don't have it one day someone else is going to step right in and it's no big deal," continued Knox. "We have five pitchers that can contribute and not just rely on one."

So while the pitching staff will count on contributions from veterans and freshmen, the same can also be said about their battery mates.

Catchers
WOU brings back three-year letterwinner Miranda Little and will add freshman Ellen Bogardus to the catching corps.

Miranda Little posted a .381 on-base percentage as a sophomore and registered a perfect fielding percentage last season while starting 16 games and playing in six others.
Coach's quote: "Miranda has three years of experience and can hold her own back there. She has played in the big games and can throw runners out. She can hit and may even be our designated player some games."

Ellen Bogardus joins Western Oregon out of Bothell, Wash., and should see time at catcher as a freshman.
Coach's quote: "Ellen is a great receiver and will be starting behind the plate. She calls a good game, does a good job framing pitches and is a smooth receiver."

Emily Kenagy may also see some reps behind the plate in addition to her outfield duties.

So while catcher is a position with some uncertainties for the Wolves, there should not be any surprises in the infield, where WOU returns starters at every position around the horn.

Infield
The infield was one of the strengths of the 2009 Western Oregon softball team with three members of the starting infield earning all-conference honors for a group that made over 30 starts together. The infielders were also big contributors on the offensive end accounting for nearly half of the team's home runs and RBIs.

"(This year) is really exciting (going into the season) because our infield is so strong," noted Knox.

Back at first base will be Tierra-Lyn Cuba. The junior had a .987 fielding percentage and a .344 on-base percentage last season while batting primarily out of the No. 2 hole.
Coach's quote: "Towards the end of last year Tierra started hitting really well, and she has picked up where she left off (this season). She is hitting really well right now. It is going to help us in the lineup with a strong left-handed hitter."

Second team all-conference selection Bailey Rueck will be back at third base but we will not be the only Wolf seeing time at the hot corner. Sasha Koki and Alyssa DesBiens will also get reps at third giving WOU versatility and flexibility.

Bailey Rueck hit .347 as a freshman to finish sixth in the GNAC batting average race. She finished her first year with two home runs, 20 RBI and a .385 on-base percentage.
Coach's quote: "Bailey is holding her own at third. She will bat in the middle of the line up for us and is one of our best clutch hitters. She was a second team all-conference pick last year so she will be contributing with the bat."

Sasha Koki played strong defense at third last season. She also added one home run and eight RBIs.
Coach's quote: "Sasha is working her way back from injury. She is almost back but the injury caused her to lose some range. She can still hit though."

Alyssa DesBiens earned her spot on the team after a strong fall. This will be the first season of collegiate softball for the sophomore from Roseburg.
Coach's quote: "Alyssa is playing behind Bailey at third but can also play the outfield to give us versatility. If she hits she will be in the lineup."

In the middle of the diamond lay one of the Wolves' greatest strengths with two returning all-conference seniors. Tyler Sutherland will be back to anchor the defense as the shortstop, while Amanda Fleer will once again be patrolling second base.

Knox says that she feels very comfortable having Sutherland and Fleer out there because of the experience they have playing together. "(They) have been playing with each other for three years so they know how to read each other and communicate," said Knox. "We probably have the best middle infield around."

Tyler Sutherland was a Daktronics honorable mention All-American and the GNAC Player of the Year as a junior. She led the league in batting average (.420), on-base percentage (.503) and slugging percentage (.760).
Coach's quote: "Ty is right where she left off last year. She will be our leadoff batter and will get on base as usual."

Amanda Fleer earned a first team all-conference selection after ranking 13th in the league with a .323 batting average to go along with seven home runs and 22 RBIs.
Coach's quote: "Amanda is our leader. She brings great composure and keeps everyone focused. She also does a good job cutting off the middle defensively."

Andrea Bailey is expected to be the backup to both Fleer and Sutherland. She earned all-state honors in softball as a junior and senior at Gresham High School.
Coach's quote: "Bailey is a very, very good infielder and can be very versatile with the bat. She can slap and hit, and is very fast."

Knox would continue and say that she did not feel the team's strength up the middle stopped at the edge of the outfield grass. "Our middle infield is very strong and our team strength is up the middle with first team all-conference players at second, short and center. If you talk about the middle infield you have to talk about Jessica Hallmark as well."

Outfield
All-West Region selection Jessica Hallmark highlights the Wolves outfield which will also include four returners with a year of experience under their belts.

Jessica Hallmark is already tied for the school-record with 18 career home runs in just two seasons played. Last year, she hit .331 on the season and had 10 home runs and 38 RBI. She will be the top returning player in the GNAC in both run producing categories.
Coach's quote: "Right now Hallmark is going on all cylinders. Her arm is good to go and she is the best outfielder we have. If she stays injury free and healthy she should have a very good year this year."

Flanking Hallmark in left field will be Kendra George. As a freshman, George hit .272 but was batting .341 before ending the season on an 0-for-21 spell.
Coach's quote: "Kendra has been consistent for us in the fall. Both she and Hallmark have great range, strong arms and good bats. As long as Kendra is hitting she will be in the lineup."

Emily Kenagy is penciled in to be the starter in right. She started 24 games a sophomore and scored 11 runs.
Coach's quote: "Emily has been working hard and has improved a lot since last season."

Rocky Knuth will also see time in the outfield and has the ability to play all three outfield spots. Last year, she hit .286 with .419 on-base percentage, the third-best mark on the team.
Coach's quote: "Knuth is a slapper and is fast. She will put the ball in play."

Chelsey Grigsby was utilized primarily as a pinch runner last season and scored three runs in that role. This year, she will provide depth and versatility in the outfield.
Coach's quote: "Grigsby will see some time in right. She is very fast and can put the ball in play."

Even with the team having expected starters in the season-opener against Corban, that doesn't mean it will be the defensive alignment Knox will use all season. "We have versatility in the outfield, so it comes down to who is hitting is going to play," explained Knox.

Squad size
Coach Knox will have the luxury of more depth at every position this year with the roster size up to 19 student-athletes after carrying 16 last year. "We kept the people we felt they would be able to contribute," Knox said. "We are happy with the team we have because we have a lot of players which are versatile like Alyssa DesBiens.

"It is really going to help us to get people in the game (which will help us win). If we are struggling with the bat we have people that can step up with the bat and then stay in to play defense. I think the depth that we have at each position is one of our strengths, and we have set ourselves up to have depth next year as well."

Offense style
Last season, Western Oregon outscored its opponents by more than one run per game, but this season it hopes to feature even a more dynamic offensive attack.

"We have more people that can run this year so we are going to have more speed in our lineup," commented Knox. "We can use our short game or long game this year."

The depth the Wolves have assembled on defense is also trickling down to the lineup. "(Another) of our strength this year is that I don't think we have weak spots in the lineup," continued Knox. "We are going to have more power hitters throughout our lineup instead just at the three-four-five spots."

GNAC
The WOU softball team's experience and talents was also recognized in the league, when the team was picked as the co-favorites in the GNAC preseason coaches poll. However, coach Knox and her staff know it will be the Wolves' ability to perform consistently which will determine their success in the league.

"Our goal this year is to be consistent and go out each game expecting to win," said Knox "We have to get off the bus ready to play."

Coach Knox also doesn't take any GNAC team lightly. "I don't think there is a weak team in the conference this year; everybody can beat everybody," she said. "MSU Billings will be strong but you can't forget Western Washington and Central Washington. But Saint Martin's and NNU also have the ability to beat anyone at anytime so you have to bring your 'A' game for every conference game."

Conclusion
The WOU 2010 softball has the talent and experience to capture the first GNAC championship in the history of the program: it is now just about performing consistently and realizing that potential.