Knights open state softball tourney against Chugiak

PALMER — When the Colony Knights step onto the diamond at Cartee Fields in Anchorage Friday afternoon, it’ll mark the Knights’ seventh straight trip to the state softball tournament. Colony will also be in search of its first state softball win since 2004 when the Knights meet the Chugiak Mustangs at 1 p.m.

The contest will be Colony’s third against Chugiak in state tourney play since 2009, but first of the season. Regardless, Colony head coach Brenda Rupp said she has confidence in her team.

“I’m not stressed. I hope my team isn’t stressed,” Rupp said earlier this week. “If my girls go out and play the best we can, and pull it together like we normally do, we’re going to be fine against Chugiak.”

Colony (15-4 overall) enters the tourney as the No. 2 seed from the Railbelt Conference. Chugiak is the Cook Inlet Conference’s fourth seed. The Knights have had success on the mound, led by ace Mackenzie Everett. They have also had timely hitting at the plate, and solid play in the field. Overall, chemistry has been the big key, Rupp said.

“They play together really well. They play like a family, and get along really well,” Rupp said. “They’ve really meshed as a team. They like each other and can really depend on each other.”

Everett, who was named All-Railbelt Conference alongside teammates Cassidy Evans and Chelsea Friesen, has been a standout for Colony.

On the mound, Everett finished the regular season 13-3 with 101 strikeouts and a 1.51 earned run average.

“She’s just solid. Nothing shakes her,” Rupp said of Everett. “She wears that poker face. She doesn’t let anything rattle her.”

Everett also has the skill set to add to those intangibles.

“She has more than just a fastball, which is really nice,” Rupp said. “She can throw a lot of different things. That helps immensely.”

Rupp said the Knights have also had players step into new positions, which has solidified the lineup. She noted Friesen and Courtney Simmons in particular. After only seeing minimal time behind the plate at the junior varsity level, Friesen has stepped up to become Colony’s everyday catcher. Simmons, a freshman, earned the nod at second base.

The 2014 large-schools state tournament bracket features six teams, four from the CIC and the top two from the Railbelt.

Two-time defending state champion East Anchorage, winners of 57 straight games, shares the bottom side of the bracket with Colony and Chugiak. The Colony-Chugiak winner meets East Friday at 3:30 p.m. The loser falls back into the consolation round.

This will mark the third straight year, and the fifth time since 2009, that Colony sees Chugiak in the state tourney. The Mustangs edged Colony 5-3 in consolation round action last year. Colony has also played East in each of the last two tournaments.

Colony is searching for its first state tournament win since beating Homer 10-7 in 2004. Colony finished 2-2 in the tournament that year. The last state softball tournament win by a Valley team came in 2007, when Wasilla edged East 5-4.

Valley athletes honored

A handful of Valley softball players were named All-Railbelt Conference following the regular season.

Mackenzie Everetty, Chelsea Friesen and Cassidy Evans represented Palmer on the team. Wasilla’s Johnna Elkins and Alyssa Simmons, and Palmer’s Chihiro Hatayama and Taylor Ledger were also named all-conference.