SPORTS PREVIEW
Mook golfers swing into the spring season PAGE A8
Long drives, tricky chips and slippery puts are all part of the game this spring for Tillamook High School's golf team. And this year's team has the kind of kids who can make those tough shots and will look to throw up some extremely low numbers on the course. Especially the boys team. Tillamook's boys are led by last season's Cowapa League Champion Tyler Udenby who easily has the potential to repeat as league champion this spring. Besides Udenby, Tillamook has other returners who will place right at the top of the league. Juniors David Waud and Brandon Roehl will be Tillamook's second and third best golfers unless one of them catches Udenby and with three excellent golfers at the top of the roster, Tillamook's boys have a good chance at a league title. “I think we have as strong top three golfers as anyone in the league,” said THS golf coach Wil Duncan. “What we’ll need for a title chance is to get a good fourth and fifth guys to step up and fill in with some low scores.” Golfing is scored by each team choosing its five best golfers and then taking the four lowest scores as the team score. With three solid golfers up top, it's going to be up to either Taylor Cham, Jarred McKibben, Bryton Dorland, Brandon Delanoy or an unexpected younger golfer to fill the final scoring spot. “We have about 13 kids out this year which is very cool,” Duncan said. “We're going to have a very good JV team no matter what happens because we have so many kids.”
“The goal for this team is to be in the top two teams in the league and I think it's really reasonable that this team could finish in the top 10 at State. “I'm excited about my team’s potential. My guys are troopers and they just go out there and play golf.” Tillamook's girls team didn't have nearly as many kids come out, and coach Danielle Weber is working with two girls hoping to watch each of them improve. “I have Dani Hiatt and Natalie Zuercher who’ve both participated in Tillamook junior golf camps since they were little, and we’ve built a relationship,” Weber said. “They're both great girls and they're willing to learn about the game in depth. Maybe we won't be super competitive this season, but we have the potential to be in the near future.” Besides the boys, girls and coaches involved in Tillamook's golf program, there are other huge contributors who have gone out of their way to
Tillamook Softball Schedule Mar 13 Mar 13 Mar 22 Mar 28 Mar 28 Apr 2 Apr 9 Apr 12 Apr 12 Apr 15 Apr 16 Apr 19 Apr 19 Apr 23 Apr 26 Apr 26 Apr 30 May 3 May 3 May 7 May 10
3:30pm 5:30pm 5pm Noon 2pm 5pm 5pm 4pm 6pm 5pm 5pm 4pm 6pm 5pm 4pm 6pm 5pm 4pm 6pm 5pm 4pm
vs Taft vs Taft vs Gladstone @ Warrenton @ Warrenton vs Willamina vs Scappoose @ Seaside @ Seaside @ Willamina @ Y.C. vs Astoria vs Astoria vs Banks @ Scappoose @Scappoose vsSeaside vs Y.C. vs Y.C. @ Astoria @ Banks
From left, Brandon Roehl, David Waud and Tyler Udenby might not look the part, but the three of them will try to lead Tillamook to a Cowapa League championship.
help the program. “I really want to thank the golf team boosters and the local businesses involved with dona-
tions and helping support the team,” Duncan added.
Thu Mar 21, 2013 10am - 5pm BG @ Scappoose Inv. Calendar: Golf - Boys Tue Apr 2, 2013 11am - 4pm VBG (H) Tillamook Inv. Where: Alderbrook Calendar: Golf - Boys Mon Apr 8, 2013 2pm - 6:30pm GG (H) ScappooseWhere: Alderbrook Calendar: Golf - Girls Tue Apr 9, 2013 1pm - 6pm BG @ Scappoose Calendar: Golf - Boys Fri Apr 12, 2013 11am - 5pm VBG @ Astoria Invitational Calendar: Golf - Boys Tue Apr 16, 2013 1pm - 6pm BG Astoria Dismiss @ 11:30 AM Where: Alderbrook
Calendar: Golf - Boys Thu Apr 18, 2013 11am - 5pm JVBG Tillamook JV Inv. Where: Alderbrook Calendar: Golf - Boys Mon Apr 22, 2013 11am - 5pm GG @ Astoria Invitational Where: Astoria CC Calendar: Golf - Girls Tue Apr 23, 2013 2pm - 6pm GG Seaside Where: Alderbrook Calendar: Golf - Girls Wed Apr 24, 2013 2pm - 6:30pm BG @ Seaside Calendar: Golf - Boys Fri Apr 26, 2013 11am - 6pm JVBG @ Astoria JV Inv. Calendar: Golf - Boys Mon Apr 29, 2013 11am - 5pm VBG @ Seaside Inv. Calen-
dar: Golf - Boys Tue Apr 30, 2013 1pm - 6pm BG Banks 11:30 AM Where: Alderbrook Calendar: Golf - Boys Mon May 6, 2013 11am - 5pm BG @ Districts - Alderbrook Where: Alderbrook GC - Tillamook Calendar: Golf - Boys 11am - 5pm GG @ Districts - Astoria CC Where: Astoria CC Calendar: Golf - Girls Tue May 7, 2013 11am - 4pm BG @ Districts - Gearhart Where: Gearhart Calendar: Golf - Boys 11am - 5pm GG @ Districts - Q. Valley Where: Quail Valley GC - Banks Calendar: Golf - Girls
The biggest loss from last year's team was All Leaguer Sara Strang's pitching and her timely hits. Without that, Tilamook will need to manufacture runs in other ways, but should have the pitching covered. Tillamook will march to the circle Tessa Streeter, Taylor Woods and Shayla Hayes this spring. Between the three of them, the Lady Mooks should be okay in the pitching department. “Our pitchers will all rotate in this season and they're all capable of throwing strikes so we're not too worried about that,” Seidel said. The one thing Seidel did note that the team needs to get better at will be their excution with the bat. Especially in clutch situations. “Our offensive execution has a long way to go,” Seidel said. “We need to bunt better and be good situational hitters. If we need a girl to hit behind a runner, we should be able to do that. If we need a clutch bunt, we should be able to get it down. Right now, I’m not confident in the entire team’s ability. It's definitely our biggest weakness at this point.” On the other hand, one of Tillamook's greatest strengths this season is they’re retuning
All League catcher, Kaylin Hammond. Hammond was a rock for the Cheesemaker defense last season as a freshman. She'll need to keep that up to help her team and add some big hits in big spots. “we're looking for her to take a more vocal leadership role on the team this season,” Seidel said. “She did a great job taking on that role during basketball season and we're hoping she will step up for this
team and continue to lead. We know she can do it.” The team has an earlty hurdle to overcome this season besides it's opponents. The head coach Jack Colleknon will be out for surgery only a few days before league starts so Seidel and the rest of the assistant coaches will have to fill in. They've all been with the program for years prior to this season so there shouldn't be any major issues with the coaching change.
Tillamook Golf Schedule
lost a small portion of last season's team to graduation, so the kids on the team have experience. Plus, the addition of baseball minded assistant coach Mike Fossbind will help the kids understand a few of the game's finer points. The middle infield should be anchored down by seniors Sean Rumage and Deal Klugh with Eddie Barajas playing ball hawk in center field. Mitch Baertlein and Garret Armstrong are also filling in as where they're needed as senior leaders. If Tillamook had one thing to really look forward to this season, it would be the return
A solid defense led by senior Dean Klugh and good pitching will keep games close all season.
HEADLIGHT HERALD • MARCH 20, 2013
Tillmook track has contenders
From left, Kaylin Hammond and Taylor Woods are going to be the main battery for the Lady Mooks this season.
Tillamook baseball turning around under Brown
Mook baseball is in its second season under the leadership of head coach Josh Brown. Last year, the team was head and shoulders better than it had been the year before Brown took over, and it's very reasonable to think this year's team will be even better than that. “I still think we're capable of winning the Cowapa League, but to do that we're going to have to get mentally stronger because we have the physical ability. ” Brown said. Brown has good reasons to be confident in his team. There are eight seniors on the roster this season and Tillamook only
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SPORTS@ORCOASTNEWS.COM
Markus Pullen takes a quick break from his typical sprinting events to have some fun at the high jump.
Cheesemaker softball has their bases covered
Tillamook's softball team had some excellent players last season, and there was a strong feeling from the coaching staff that the team was better than it's record showed. This spring’s team has many of the same girls on the roster and might have just the right mixture of talent and chemistry to bang up the rest of the Cowapa League. “This team works and fights hard and they're really loud,” said Tillamook softball assistant coach Wes Seidel. “I think we're going to be a strong team defensively, but we still need to grow. I think we'll come around.”
SPORTS EDITOR JOSIAH DARR
of their pitching staff, especially junior Matt Strang. Strang did the majority of the pitching for Tillamook last season and to say he was outstanding would be a huge understatement. At times, Strang was untouchable. If he stays healthy, this season should be no different. Fortunately, the days Strang isn't pitching there shouldn't be much of a let down. Senior Damion Brown surpassed many expectations on the mound last season and there's no reason to think he won't continue to improve throughout this year. He's not a flamethrower like Strang and won’t tally as many strikeouts, but he does a very good job keeping the ball down and keeping the hitters off balance. Also, Tillamook has a pretty good catching staff with Ryan Trogdon back from surgery and AJ Harmon looking to take care of most the catching duties. If Tillamook's bats come alive, the Cheesemakers have all kinds of potential. “We're going to utilize the preseason to get some of the kinks out and get through the errors on defense, but I think
we're really going to see the guys mentally pull it together once they get back out on the diamond and remember what they're doing,” Brown said. “Astoria and Scappoose are both very good programs in our league but I want my guys going up to the plate this season knowing they're better than the pitcher and expecting to get hits. Physically, we can do it, we just need to mentally get there.”
Tillamook Baseball Scheduel Mar 12 Mar 15 Mar 21 Mar 22 Mar 23 Mar 26 Mar 26 Mar 28 Mar 28 Apr 2 Apr 4 Apr 9 Apr 11 Apr 16 Apr 18 Apr 22 Apr 24 Apr 26 Apr 29 May 1 May 3 May 6 May 8 May 10
5pm 4:30pm TBD TBD TBD Noon 2:30pm 1pm 3:30pm 5pm 5pm 5pm 5pm 5pm 5pm 5pm 5pm 5pm 5pm 5pm 5pm 5pm 5pm 5pm
vs Taft @Central @ (Seaside Inv.) @ (Seaside Inv.) @ (Seaside Inv.) @ Warrenton @ Warrenton @ Gladstone @ Gladstone @ Seaside vs Seaside vs Astoria @ Astoria @ Scappoose vs Scappoose @ Y.C. vsY.C. @ Banks vs Banks @ Seaside vs Astoria @ Scappoose @ Y.C. @Banks
Tillamook's track season is shaping up to be a good one, at least for a few of the best individuals. The team aspect of it will be tough for the girls team because they lost a few major contributors from last year's team, but the boys got a lot of their best athletes back and should turn some heads. “We have almost all of our top boys back this year led by Markus Pullen, Myron Moore, Jacob Wassmer, Westley Stirk, Nathan McRae and Aaron Josi.” said Tillamook track coach Mark Dean. “Girl wise, we're in a bit of rebuilding phase. We have small numbers out and some of our returners we thought were coming out, didn't.” While the girl's team numbers are down, there are still a few girls on the team who can compete at a very high level and coach Dean is looking forward to having these girls out there representing Tillamook. “The girls team is going to be led by the distance runners Sabrina Pullman and Kestrel Bailey,” Dean said. In the field events, Tillamook does have a long way to go, but they have good building blocks to work with moving forward. “We have some good young throwers out, but we're not quite sure how good they're going to be because in
many cases it's the first time they've ever been out for track,” Dean said. “They show a lot of potential in practice, but whether that potential becomes success, we're not quite sure. “We do have a good thrower in Ben Reeder coming back in the javelin and he had a really good toss towards the end of last year, so we're looking for him to be a leader among the throwers.” Besides the throwers and runners, Tillamook has one jumper in particular that might literally raise the bar higher than anyone ever has at Tillamook High School. “We're also led this season by Nathan McRae,” Dean said. “He's an excellent athlete. He runs high hurdles, triple jumps and high jumps. He could be one of the most athletic kids in the whole league.” With the low numbers, team scoring will be tough, but there might be enough boys to get them finishing towards the top of the Cowapa League. “For the boys, I think it'd be a very successful year if they finished in the top three in this very tough league,” Dean said. “There's always a lot of State champions coming out of the league and they're going to challenge our kids this season.”
Tillamook Track Schedule
Date Meet Name Location Sat, Apr 6 Tillamook Invitational Tillamook, OR Thu, Apr 11 Tillamook at Seaside Dual Seaside HS, Seaside Sat, Apr 13 Meet of Champions Willamette Univ., Salem Thu, Apr 18 Astoria at Tillamook Dual Tillamook High, Tillamook Sat, Apr 20 Banks Invitational Track Meet Banks HS, Banks Sat, Apr 20 Oregon Relays Day 2 Hayward Field, Eugene Thu, Apr 25 Tillamook at Scappoose Dual Scappoose HS, Scappoose Thu, May 2 Yamhill-Carlton/Gaston at Tillamook Tillamook HS, Tillamook Sat, May 4 Toledo Twilight Toledo HS, Toledo Thu, May 9 Tillamook at Banks Dual Banks HS, Banks Thu, May 16Cowapa District Meet Day 1 Seaside HS, Seaside Fri, May 17 Cowapa District Meet Day 2 Seaside HS, Seaside Fri, May 24 OSAA 4A State Championships - Day 1Hayward Field, Eugene Sat, May 25 OSAA 4A State Championships - Day 1Hayward Field, Eugene
Busy tennis season coming The Tillamook tennis team will be extra busy this spring, but the girls are going to have fun while they compete.
The Tillamook tennis team led by head coach Allison Meyers has an interesting mix of young ladies coming out to the court this season. The team has a good number of girls at 13, six of which are back from last year's team. But, the team is also made up of seven girls who've never played tennis before. And to make things a little trickier, the team lost one of the top doubles teams in the league last year in Kaylee Atchison and Erin Bennett. With all these factors added in for Tillamook tennis, coach Meyers likes what she sees. “I'm excited about this team,” Meyers explained. “I have a lot of new girls but it's so nice to watch them from the beginning because you get to watch them learn, and they progress so fast. “The the girls who are a little more advanced and already have skills get back on the court and they take right off.” As for the doubles teams this year, it seems to be pretty clear cut what girls are going to be Tillamook's number one duo. “Yanderi Jimenez and Katie Richards will be my best doubles team,” Meyers said. Her singles number one and two players are still up in the air because both girls at the top are equally matched.
“Becqua Rogers or Lauren Cunningham will be my number one and two,” Meyers said. “The rest is totally open. We have to see where the girls end up, and I'll work on where to place them as the season progresses.” There is one major change this year in Tillamook's tennis schedule. The addition of Corbett to the league has added a lot more matches to the season and should give a young Tillamook team a lot more chances to improve. “With Corbett added to district, we've added Saturday matches to the schedule,” Meyers said. “It's going to mean a lot more reps for the girls which is a good thing. “It's gonna be a long season and we're going to have a long time to improve.”
Tillamook Tennis Schedule
Mar 14 Mar 16 Mar 21 Apr 2 Apr 4 Apr 6 Apr 11 Apr 15 Apr 17 Apr 20 Apr 23 Apr. 25 May 3 May 4
@ Cobett @ Riverdale vs Westside Christian vs Oregon Episcopal School @ Catlin Gable vs Valley Catholic vs Corbett @ Oregon Episcopal School vs Riverdale P.U.D. TRUCK WASH vs Catlin Gable @ Valley Catholic Districts Districts
Lady Cats power into spring Injury free Pirates bouncing back
Headlight Herald - Tillamook, Ore., Wednesday, March 20, 2013 - Page A9
The Nestucca Bobcat softball team is absolutely loaded with returners this season with 10 girls coming back from last year's team, three of which are seniors. With that kind of experience, the rest of the Northwest League should be shaking in their cleats. Pitching for the Bobcats this season will be a number of girls, but for the most part, Jasmine Boisa and Kycie Richwine will be called into the circle. That's a good thing for Nestucca, considering they've both handled the responsibility before and Boisa was a First Team All League player last season. The rest of the Nestucca defense is very well rounded and should be able to make the plays they need when they need them. It's on the offensive side of the ball where the Bobcats really shine with power hitter and First Team All League returner Emiliy Menafee leading the way. “Our hitting looks to be up right now in the cage,” said Bobcat softball coach Jeff Schiewe. “We have about eight of our girls who are really lacing the ball and in our first game, we weren't striking out. Almost all our outs were on contact so we're putting the ball in play. “We do need to be a lot more patient and have a lot bet-
The 2013 Bobcat softball team has the pitching and the power to contend for a Northwest League title this spring.
ter pitch selection though.” Last season the Lady Cats were right in the thick of the playoff hunt and ended up taking fourth in the league, and they 10-runned Vernonia in the playoff to finish in third after losing to Knappa. They have all the potential to finish even better this season. “This is a good league and it was a pretty tight race last year and I think it will be pretty tight this year too,” Schiewe explained. “I think we're going to be good this year when it's all over. I’ve got a good core group of girls and they're goal is to make the playoffs. They can accomplish that.”
Nestucca Softball Schedule Mar 11 Mar 13 Mar 15 Mar 19 Mar 22 Mar 22 Mar 27 Mar 27 Apr 1 Apr 2 Apr 5 Apr 5 Apr 9 Apr 12 Apr 12 Apr 13 Apr 16 Apr 23 Apr 27 Apr 27 Apr 30 May 7 May 10 May 10
4:30pm 4:30pm 4:30pm 5pm 3pm 4:30pm 1pm 3pm 4:30pm 4:30pm 3pm 5pm 4:30pm 3pm 5pm Noon 4:30pm 4:30pm Noon 2pm 4:30pm 4:30pm 3pm 4:30pm
vs Warrenton @ Sheridan @ Willamina vs Vernonia @ Vernonia @ Vernonia @ Santiam [JV] @ Santiam [JV] vs Sheridan @ Neah-Kah-Nie vs Neah-Kah-Nie vs Neah-Kah-Nie @ P.C. vs P.C. vs P.C. @ Toledo vs Amity @ Gaston vs Gaston vs Gaston @ Amity vs Knappa @ Knappa @ Knappa
Big sticks leads Bobcat baseball
There are dozens of different ways to describe a baseball making perfect contact off the bat as it goes screaming into the field. Line drive, frozen rope, laser, a shot and so forth. This season, those are all terms that should be surrounding the Nestucca Bobcats baseball team and the potent offense they're bringing to the diamond. “Everything I've heard about this team and have seen so far says these guys can swing the bats,” said first year Bobcat baseball coach Clint Sisco. “I'm speaking after only having a couple of days of practice, but we shouldn't have to play a lot of small ball out there this season. Hopefully we can just step out there and hit the ball around.” The offense doesn't look like it's going to be a big problem with the Bobcats baseball team with guys like Jacob Menefee, Joey Chatelain, Max Kirkendal and Zack Welch in the lineup. The questions lie with the Cats defense, pitching and whether or not the team chemistry is there and the guys stick together. “I think we do a pretty good job fielding the ball and we don't have any major holes out there,” Sisco explained. “What I do want to work on day by day is team chemistry. We need to be a tight knit group and and I want our guys to focus on the team and not themselves.” The pitching staff for the Bobcats shouldn't have to be flawless with the offense’s ability to put up runs, but they're going to need to keep other teams at bay, and the Cats have the staff to do it. Sophomore Brian Anderson
is a soft tossing lefty hurler who does a good job keeping the ball down and keeps hitters off balance. Jacob Menefee is the hardest thrower the Cats have and with a good off-speed pitch to go with the heater, should be very successful. Cody Chance, Austin Woods, Joey Chatelain and Max Kirkendal will also get some innings for the Bobcats. “I want pitchers this year, not just throwers,” Sisco said. “If we can hit spots, we'll be doing a good job.” Other than Woods, Kirkendal and Jay Downs, the Cats aren't an extremely fast team, but look to have the tools needed to do much better than last year's 8-15 team and Sisco says his guys need to come out hot. “I'm excited to get right after it,” Sisco said. “It's a short
season and we need to get going right out of the gates.”
Nestucca Baseball Schedule Mar 11 Mar 13 Mar 15 Mar 19 Mar 22 Mar 22 Mar 29 Apr 2 Apr 5 Apr 5 Apr 9 Apr 12 Apr 12 Apr 23 Apr 27 Apr 27 Apr 30 May 3 May 3 May 7 May 10 May 10
4:30pm 4:30pm 4:30pm 4:30pm 3pm 5pm 1pm 4:30pm 3pm 5pm 4:30pm 3pm 5pm 4:30pm Noon 2pm 4:30pm 3pm 5pm 4:30pm 3pm 5pm
vs Warrenton @ Sheridan @ Willamina vsVernonia @ Vernonia @ Vernonia @ Toledo @ Neah-Kah-Nie vs Neah-Kah-Nie vs Neah-Kah-Nie @ P.C. vs P.C. vs P.C. @ Gaston vs Gaston vs Gaston vs Faith Bible @ Faith Bible @ Faith Bible vs Knappa @ Knappa @ Knappa
Pirate track team small but mighty
The Neah-Kah-Nie track squad has few fairly major holes going into this spring. Besides losing the Porter twins who were a huge part of the program for four years, they also lost the irreplaceable Alex Anderson, an athlete whoes leaping ability was unmatched by almost the entire state. And with only 16 kids coming out to the track team this spring, there aren't many new faces to score points for the team. “It's going to be hard to compete as a team with so few people,” said NKN track coach Cynthia Grelck. “We don't even fill half the events, but we do have a few individuals who could do very well at Districts and maybe make it to State.” One of those athletes who has a legit shot at a State is Nathan Imholt. Imholt finished third third last year in the discus, one spot away from a State birth. Luckily, one of the kids who finished ahead of him graduated leaving the spot open for the taking. Christina Burdick and Tasha Mabe-DeRoast will both be back for the Pirates this season and hopefully throwing like they did last season. Both girls were in the top 5 at Districts in throwing events and with a little good
luck, hard work and peaking at the right time, either could earn a State birth this season. The brother and sister combination of freshman Annie Romig and junior Logan Romig will make some noise this season too. Both of them are playing baseball or softball and running track this spring. Annie will be helpful in the Pirates relays races as will Logan, but Logan's main focus will be the 1500m. Also playing dual sports is Brad Watson. Watson, when not playing baseball, will run the 100m and 200m. He's very likely the fastest kid at Neah-Kah-Nie High School and may be one of the fastest in the District. “We have a very young team this season with only six upperclassmen, but we have some good freshman and we'll see what happens,” Grelck Tasha Mabe-DeRoest will be a said. big part of the Lady Pirates
Neah-Kah-Nie Track Schedule track team this season.
Date Thu, Mar 14 Thu, Mar 21 Sat, Apr 6 Thu, Apr 11 Thu, Apr 18 Thu, Apr 25 Thu, May 2 Tue, May 7 Thu, May 9 Fri, May 17 Sat, May 18
Meet Name Nestucca vs Sheridan,Willamina Daily Astorian Track Invitational Tillamook Invitational Yamhill Carlton @ Astoria NWL Meet at PC NWL Dual Northwest League Meet Warrenton 4-Way NWL Meet at PC 1A-1 and 2A-1 District Meet 1A-1 and 2A-1 District Meet
Location Nestucca HS, Cloverdale Seaside HS , Seaside Tillamook, OR Astoria HS, Astoria Portland Christian, Portland Neah Kah Nie , Rockaway Beach Nestucca, Cloverdale Warrenton Grade School Portland Christian, Portland Portland Christian, Portland Portland Christian, Portland
Pirate baseball is turning the corner
With his speed and quick bat, Jay Downs will hold down the leadoff spot for the Bobcats this season.
Nestucca looking good on track and in field
When it comes to Track season in Tillamook county, there aren't many people who've been coaching and highly involved in a program longer than Nestucca's Athletic Director and track coach John Elder. This season, Elder to looks forward to coaching and a few who have so much potential, there's no limit to how good they can be. “We have some really good throwers this season for the boys,” Elder said. “Drace Moeller took second place for us last season in the shot put at State and we have Brett Elder, Zack Langly, and Austim McKillip so I feel we're going to be very stong on the boys side in the throwing events.“ They compete with each other every day and because they're all talented, they push each other to get better in practice.” As a whole, the Bobcats do have a lot of kids this season who don't have much experience, but those kids are eager to learn and with Elders coaching ability, they’ll learn fast. On the girls side, the Bobcats are a bit shy of their usual numbers, but they still have some very good girls coming back off of last season's team. “We have a light turnout this season for the girls and definitely not as many as usual, but Courtney Ahn is returning as the 3000m district champ and so it Rebbecca Whittles, who was only a few steps behind Ahn,” Elder said.
Neah-Kah-Nie's Lady Pirate softball team was completely crippled last year almost immediately. Not only figuratively, but also literally when the top two pitchers Taylan McKinney and Emily Marugg went down early in the season with leg injuries. “It was just about as bad as it could get with so many walks,” said NKN softball coach Jacquie Vandecoevering. “We were giving up 10 From left, Emily Marugg and Hayley Felix are veteran Pirates runs in the first inning without anchoring down the left side of the infield this season. the other team even swinging the bat. Without our pitchers potential turn-around season we weren't even competitive.” for the Pirates. Neah-Kah-Nie Softball Schedule All those walks should Another thing the Pirates Mar 16 Noon @ Sheridan change this season with 3pm @ Sheridan have going for them this sea- Mar 16 Mar 19 4:30pm vs Knappa Marugg and McKinney back son that they didn't have last Mar 22 3pm @ Knappa in the line-up and more excityear is the sheer number of Mar 22 4:30pm @ Knappa ed than ever to get out there girls. Last year's team only Mar 28 Noon @ Valley Catholic and play ball. had nine or 10 players at Mar 28 2pm @ Valley Catholic The Pirates did lose Apr 2 4:30pm vs Nestucca many of the games leaving 3pm @ Nestucca Rachael O'Quinn, Katlin PonVandecoevering with very few Apr 5 5 5pm @ Nestucca der from last year's team, but options. This season there are Apr Apr 23 4:30pm @ P.C. those holes can be filled with currently 16 girls out for the Apr 26 3pm vs P.C. some of the girls who are team. Granted, many of them Apr 26 5pm vs P.C. returning. 4:30pm vs Gaston are freshman, but Vandecoev- May 7 3pm @ Gaston Besides the pitchers, the ering has a few girls to choose May 10 May 10 4:30pm @ Gaston Lady Pirates have multiple from this season when it be a pretty good team, and other returners from last comes to filling up her roster. we're certainly going to be a year’s team who have plenty “This team has a lot more lot more competitive than we of skill to catapult the Pirates strengths than we've had in were last year.” back into contention in the the past,” Vandecoevering “The girls who haven't Northwest League. said. “We are still learning a played before are all very Brittany Skull, Halie lot about the game and what willing to learn and the more Fields, Taylor Winder and to do in certain situations, but that learning progresses, the freshman Annie Romig are all once the girls get a grasp of going to be big parts of this the game mentally, this should better this team will be.”
“Rebbecca ran really well in cross country last fall, so I expect her to really come on.” Kycie is another Lady Cat who should do very well this season. Richwine was the third place finisher last year in the Northwest League and missed a spot at state. Unfortunately, the two fastest girls in the state are both in the Northwest league. Other good Lady Bobcat athletes out this season are Monica Chatelain who will likely run the 8000m and throw as well as fellow thrower Trisha Hopkins. As a whole the Bobcats numbers will hurt their team scores, but they have some great individuals who should have great seasons if things work out. “We have a lot of new people and I'm excited about what they can do,” Elder said. “There are some really good athletes and almost all my kids are very coachable and enjoyable to be around.”
If there was one thing the Neah-Kah-Nie baseball can do this season, it's improve. The boys were a dismal 1-16 last season and were coming off a winless season prior to that. So, this year's team has no where to go but up and judging by their early season practice and looking at their roster, the future looks bright. “We only lost one senior from last year's team and we're returning a ton of kids who played summer ball last year and really looked like they sharpened their games,” said Pirate baseball coach Leo Lawyer. “We have our ace pitcher back in Mike Nelson, and we have our All League catcher back in Brad Watson. I'm feeling good about this year.” Last season the Pirates linked up with the Nestucca Bobcats to make a summer ball team played between 15 and 20 games giving all the players a lot more reps and more live experience that can't
be duplicated in practice. The Pirates have a good team coming back. Tanner Repass had knee surgery last year and didn't get to play but he'll be ready this year. Nick and Andrew Smith will be hustling around the bases and the infield for the Pirates this year with versatile seniors James Tice and Shonte Young helping out where they're needed. Not to mention Craig Grasseth filling in wherever he's needed. Overall, if the Pirates can wake up their bats and play better defense, they're going to find themselves on the winning end of the scoreboard more often than not. “I think we might have the fastest team in Oregon as far as team speed,” Lawyer said. “But last year it was our defense that let us down. I think our defense is already better than it was two-thirds of the way through last season and we're only going to get better as we practice and play
a few more games.” If the Pirates defense can stiffen up, the offense won't need to do much more than it did last season. Losses came from poor defense more than poor offense and with the speed the Pirates have getting around the bases, Neah-KahNie baseball might finally turn the corner this season and turn some heads in the Northwest League.
Neah-Kah-Nie Baseball Schedule Mar 12 Mar 16 Mar 16 Mar 19 Mar 22 Mar 22 Mar 27 Mar 30 Apr 2 Apr 5 Apr 5 Apr 16 Apr 19 Apr 19 Apr 23 Apr 26 Apr 26 May 7 May 10 May 10
4pm Noon 3pm 4:30pm 3pm 5pm 1pm 1pm 4:30pm 3pm 5pm 5pm 3pm 5pm 4:30pm 3pm 5pm 4:30pm 3pm 5pm
@ Clatskanie vs Catlin Gabel @Catlin Gabel vs Knappa @ Knappa @ Knappa @ Lincoln [JV] @ Toledo vs Nestucca @ Nestucca @ Nestucca vs Faith Bible @ Faith Bible @ Faith Bible @ P.C. vs P.C. vs P.C. vs Gaston @ Gaston @ Gaston
Nestucca Track Schedule Date Thu, Mar 14 Thu, Mar 21 Sat, Apr 6 Thu, Apr 11 Thu, Apr 18 Thu, Apr 25 Thu, May 2 Tue, May 7 Thu, May 9 Fri, May 17 Sat, May 18
Meet Name Nestucca vs Sheridan,Willamina Daily Astorian Track Invitational Tillamook Invitational Yamhill Carlton @ Astoria NWL Meet at PC NWL Dual Northwest League Meet Warrenton 4-Way NWL Meet at PC 1A-1 and 2A-1 District Meet 1A-1 and 2A-1 District Meet
Lucas Leslie will be a big part of a very good throwing squad for the Bobcats this spring.
Location Nestucca HS, Cloverdale Seaside HS , Seaside Tillamook, OR Astoria HS, Astoria Portland Christian, Portland Neah Kah Nie , Rockaway Beach Nestucca, Cloverdale Warrenton Grade School, Warrenton Portland Christian, Portland Portland Christian, Portland Portland Christian, Portland
If the Pirates remained focused they could find themselves in a postion to fight for a playoff spot at the end of the Northwest League season.