Knights headed to state

PALMER — The Colony Knights are making another trip to the state tournament.

Colony will make its fifth straight appearance when the Knights open play against Dimond during the first round of the ASAA/First National Bank Large Schools State Softball Championships at Cartee Fields in Anchorage on Friday.

“We seem to be peaking right in time,” Colony head coach Mike Stewart said of the Knights, who face Dimond Friday at 11 a.m. at Cartee Fields.

Colony is the fourth seed from the Railbelt Conference and Dimond is the No. 1 seed from the Cook Inlet, but Stewart said both conferences have been competitive this season. He also sees Railbelt teams once again making noise in the tournament.

“Probably the top team or maybe the top two will come out of our conference,” Stewart said. “Juneau and Lathrop have a pretty good shot at taking it.”

Juneau has been a perennial power, winning six state titles since 2002. The Crimson Bears have finished outside of the top-4 just once since 2002. The Malemutes have also been solid, recording back-to-back top-4 finishes at the state tournament.

“Lathrop is a strong team, probably as strong as anyone we’ve played,” Stewart said.

Juneau is the top seed from the Railbelt and opens against West Anchorage (CIC No. 4) Friday at 11 a.m. Lathrop (RC No. 2) plays Chugiak (CIC No. 3) at 9 a.m. The East Anchorage (CIC No. 2) and West Valley (RC No. 3) is also slated for Friday at 9 a.m.

The state tournament does use a true double elimination bracket and teams can work their way back into the winner’s bracket after a loss.

Colony has played Dimond once before this season, losing 12-6 in the Valley. Stewart said things have changed since that game.

“We’re playing a lot better since that game,” Stewart said.

Colony’s sophomore battery of pitcher Olivia Martin and catcher Sam Everett has been key to Colony’s success. Martin is undoubtedly the ace on the Knights’ squad.

“She has pitched in every major game,” Stewart said of Martin, who threw in three of Colony’s four games during a recent trip to the Interior.

Everett has been solid behind the plate and with the bat. She hit her second home run of the season during the Fairbanks trip.

Stewart said a combination of young and veteran talent has helped lift the Knights into the postseason once again.

Senior first baseman Karli Dryer, senior second baseman Teanna Pallas and junior shortstop Devan Clark has helped lead the team. Dryer is among the top hitters on the team, with a .400 average.

Colony has also had younger players step into the lineup. Freshmen Cassidy Evans and Sadie Willardson have earned starting lineups in the outfield.

“They’ve done an outstanding job,” Stewart said. “We lost pretty much all of our outfielders last year. They’ve stepped in and done a great job.”

Looking at the team as a whole, Stewart praised his team’s work at the plate.

“They’ve been hitting pretty solid most of the year. It’s kind of unexpected. I didn’t expect us to hit all the way through the lineup,” Stewart said. “We’ve had good production at the plate. Everybody’s executing, doing what they need to do. We’ve got a chance to surprise some people.”