2023 BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL PREVIEWS

year starter behind the plate.

Expectations: We have really beefed up our schedule the last couple of years, in hopes of being ready for the postseason. The Sangamo Conference has added Olympia into an already deep conference. There will not be an easy night in this conference. We have our Spring SLAM event scheduled for April 1 with 22 teams playing this year. We look to be competitive in every game with our pitching and building toward the postseason. We still have spots that we are unsure of, and it may take several games to see who secures them.

Pleasant Hill Softball

Coach:

Ryan Lowe

Last year’s record: 18-10

Returning starters: Ava Wombles, who started at third or pitched; Kali VanStrien, who started at third or first; Hannah Hill, who started at shortstop; Maddie Daniels, who started at second; Jade Peebles, who started at first or outfield; Maddie Sidwell, who started in the outfield; Emma Henderson, who started in the outfield; Danni Lewis, who had to sit out last year due to injury (she started in the outfield her freshman year); Makenna Winchell, who started as our catcher; and McKinley Lowe, who started the most games for us last year.

Key newcomers: We have three new faces. Freshmen Lilly McElfresh and Abi Henderson both are capable of playing good defense, and are coming around with the bat nicely. It should be fun watching them adjust to high school softball. We also have Hailey Myer-Mowen, who came out for the first time and is a senior. It has been fun watching her get better every day in practice.

Pitching: McKinley Lowe and Ava Wombles will do the bulk of the pitching for us. Both ladies throw hard and have good spin. They combined for 269 Ks last year and walked only 34.

Hitting: We had five girls hit over .350 last year, and we had 26 home runs for the team. I hope we can continue to hit for power and put up some big numbers. Fielding: Our fielding is pretty solid at every position. We have some very athletic girls who can play multiple spots. Right now our coaching staff is trying to figure out who to put where, to make our team the best defensively.

Season outlook: We hope to come out strong and build on our skills every week. Last year’s upset loss in the regional seems to have our girls hungry here early on. I hope the girls stay hungry and positive all season. Our current and former athletic directors have done an excellent job building us a very competitive schedule, adding many bigger schools. The season is going to be a real grind, and it is important for us to stay positive and healthy so hopefully we can make a run in the postseason.

Routt Baseball

Coach: Ryan Turner

Last year’s record: 21-10-1

Returning starters: Senior pitcher/infielder Ryan Oswald (3-2 record, 2.54 ERA, 76 K, 41 IP/.371 BA, 3 HR). Ryan started almost every big game for the Rockets over the past three years and has potential to be one of the more dominant pitchers in our area. WIVC All-Conference last year. He also has potential to be a power hitter.

We are expecting a great season from him offensively and defensively.

Senior center fielder Daxton Baptist (.400 BA, .495 OBP, 36 H, 19 SB). Dax is our captain of the outfield and can track down balls at a high level. He should be a top contributor to our offense with his speed and stolen bases.

Junior shortstop/pitcher/ catcher Nolan Turner (.415 BA, .584 OBP, 5 triples, 23 walks, two-year WIVC All-Conference player). Nolan is one of the most agile/athletic infielders in our conference. He is our leadoff hitter and our catalyst on offense. We are looking forward to a big year offensively and defensively from him.

Senior pitcher/catcher/infielder Ethan Walker (4-1 record, 4.10 ERA, 45 K, 31 IP/.344 BA, 32 hits). Ethan is our team captain this year and is a very talented catcher. He will also be giving us several innings on the mound.

Junior pitcher/first baseman/ outfielder Conrad Charpentier (.348 BA, .459 OBP, 24 RBI/1.54 ERA, 66 K, 59 IP). Conrad is our smooth lefty. Highly effective on the mound. He is always calm and in control. WIVC All-Conference last year. Offensively, he is a threat as well, with big RBI potential.

Junior infielder/catcher/pitcher Isaac Long. We are really excited about having Isaac join our team this year. His knowledge for baseball and how he plays the game will help make our team even better. He is a versatile player that can play infield, catch and pitch. He hit six home runs for his team last year, so we are looking forward to big things out of him at the plate.

Sophomore Brock Runyon (IF/P). Brock has continued his