First Pitch

Local squads hit softball diamond

April 29, 2007

By JEREMIAH BARTZ

Frontiersman

MAT-SU VALLEY - The three local prep softball squads have at least one thing in common. Each team is eager to get out of the gym, onto the diamond and back into the state tournament.

Colony and Wasilla were the first to get back onto the field, each hosting Monroe Catholic in their season openers on Friday.

Palmer will have to wait until Tuesday when they face the Valley-rival Warriors.

Like most athletes competing in local spring sports, the Mat-Su softball players spent much of the early portion of the season practicing inside school gymnasiums.

&#8220Everybody is getting kind of antsy being in the gym,” longtime Colony head coach Mike Stewart told the Frontiersman in April.

But Friday, the first pitch signaled the start of the local prep softball season. And local teams will have a month to play about 17 games, and prove they deserve a spot in the state tourney.

Palmer and Wasilla are each looking for their first state tourney berth since the 2005 season, and Colony hopes to return after finishing 1-2 in three state tourney games last year.

Colony's state tourney hopes will likely rely heavily on the bat of junior Desi Diselrod and the arm of senior Michelle Stratton.

Stewart said Diselrod was one of the top hitters in the Railbelt Conference last season, with a .450 batting average.

&#8220She's one we're expecting to step up,” he said.

At shortstop, Diselrod will also lead a veteran group of infielders.

Stewart expects Stratton to handle much of the pitching load. The lone senior on the squad will also see time at third base.

Like Colony, Wasilla also has a certain ace - senior Anne Wesser.

Sue Allen, returning for her second season as the Warriors' head coach, said experience will be the key to a much improved defense.

Wesser is one of 10 players returning to the squad.

Allen said the Warriors are also moving a pair of players to new positions to help improve the defense.

Catcher Jordan Elkins is moving to first base, and Taylor Teeling is now in center field.

Allen said Teeling's speed and arm strength should be a huge asset to the defense.

Joining Elkins in the infield are Ashley Enderson, Zandra Christensen-Vavalis and Samantha Porreca.

Also in the outfield are Krystal Munroe, Christina Aubrey, Mary Russell and Kala Downs.

New to the squad is senior Jessica Carter, who is joining the Warrior softball squad for the first time in her career. Allen said despite her inexperience, her athletiscm and toughness will be an asset to the team.

Confident about the improvement of the defense, Allen said the Warriors have been focusing more on the offense, hoping to put more runs on the board and take pressure off Wesser and the defense.

Another plus for Wasilla this season is the addition of a junior varsity squad. Allen said this is the first time in several years there has been enough interest to warrant a junior varsity team.

Wasilla opened its softball campaign with a 5-0 win over Monroe Friday in Wasilla.

Senior Anne Wesser was the big star for the Warriors, pitching five scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and striking out nine.

Wesser also helped her own cause at the plate with a triple and a run scored.

Allen said her squad was impressive in its first outing of the season.

&#8220I was really pleased with our defense,” she said. &#8220When you have a pitcher who throws so many strike outs, it's easy for the defense to get back on their heals and not anticipate well.”

While Wasilla has a cast of 10 returning players, Palmer is fielding a much younger team.

First-year Palmer coach Joann Frohling said 12 of her 17 players are freshmen.

The Moose have one senior, catcher Elise Frohling, and five juniors.

While a few Palmer players have cemented themselves in set positions - most notably Frohling and pitcher Geneva Ratcliff - Joann Frohling said the Moose are still trying many of the players out in different spots.

&#8220A lot of them have played a few different positions,” the Palmer coach said.

Ratcliff is expected to be Palmer's top pitcher, and one of the top players at the plate for the Moose.

&#8220She's a good all-around athlete,” Frohling said. &#8220She stands out in almost every sport she plays.”

Frohling also expects third baseman Haley Brown to be a top offensive talent.

&#8220Haley Brown is just a phenomenal hitter,” Frohling said.

Brown will also help anchor an infield that should also be solid.

Also on the infield are first baseman Whitney Lee and shortstop Christina Richardson.

Leading the Moose in the outfield is right fielder Marjorie Gearing.

Frohling said the Moose have a large group of freshman, that collectively, is progressing well. Many are participating in their first season of fastpitch softball, but should contribute in the future.

The three local squads will play an average of three games a week for the next four weeks. Four teams from the Railbelt Conference advance to the state tournament, slated for June 8-9 at the Cartee Fields in Anchorage.

Things get underway Tuesday, when Wasilla and Palmer square off at Wasilla, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:45 p.m.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.