Spring has sprung, at least for high school athletes
March 16, 2010
By Christopher Huber
Even as the late-winter rainstorms soaked the plateau, the spring-season teams took to their respective fields to finalize their rosters and get in some practice before the regular season hits full throttle.
Fastpitch
Eastlake
Coming off a .500 season in 2009 league play, the Eastlake fastpitch team returns a core of seven girls with experience to lead the team to greater success in 2010.
Ace pitcher Nicole Guptil will take the mound this year, looking to lead the Lady Wolves through a difficult KingCo 4A league. Lindsi Augenstein, a catcher, pitcher and third-baseman committed to play for Central Washington University next year, will join Guptil as a captain.
Among the key returners are outfielders Morgan Conover, Katie Brinton, Jenna Eggleston and shortstop Kathryne Staudinger.
Mercedes Bass, a senior newcomer and three-sport athlete, will look to add her all-around talent at shortstop and in the outfield. Other newcomers, like sophomore Stephanie Clay, Kelly Cote and Kelsey Dempsey will help Eastlake in its quest for a playoff birth.
Games to watch: Redmond at Eastlake, 4 p.m. April 6 and Eastlake at Redmond, 4:30 p.m. May 5; Bothell at Eastlake, 4 p.m. April 21; Woodinville at Eastlake, 4 p.m. April 30 and Eastlake at Skyline, 4 p.m. April 14 and Skyline at Eastlake, 4 p.m. May 10.
Skyline
Skyline seems to be building a new team for 2010. New coach Alison Mitchell likes what she sees so far in the Lady Spartans. The team went 7-15 overall (6-10 league) in 2009 after losing too many close games decided by one bad inning, she said.
But with a deep line-up of experienced seniors and juniors, Mitchell said Skyline should be more competitive against the likes of perennial powerhouses like Bothell, Woodinville and Lake Washington.
Key returners include senior pitchers Elizabeth Stromquist and Lauren Richards, as well as catcher Lauren Wolfe, first-baseman Amy Ziegler, shortstop Lindsey Nicholson and second-baseman Amanda Nemiroff. Senior outfielder and junior third-baseman Anya Kamber round out the returning roster.
“I think we’re going to surprise a lot of teams,” Mitchell said. “They really want it this year.”
Skyline might do so with stronger hitting and a focus on endurance conditioning. Mitchell said the team spends the last 45 minutes of each practice running. Communication will play a huge role in Skyline success this season too, she said.
The key to winning will be, “timely hitting, and the kids are going to have to be aggressive with their bats,” she said. “On defense, they really gotta know how to protect the short game.”
Games to watch: Skyline at Issaquah, 4:30 p.m. April 6 and Issaquah at Skyline, 4 p.m. May 5; Eastlake at Skyline, 4 p.m. April 14 and Skyline at Eastlake, 4 p.m. May 10, and Skyline at Lake Washington, 3:45 p.m. April 19.
Girls Golf
Eastlake
The Eastlake girls golf team is coming off a 7-2 season and brings back a handful of successful golfers from 2009. Emmie Schwartz, Dana Mydland, Tera Stenhouse and Megan Wotherspoon will lead the Lady Wolves in the charge to beat league rival Redmond and vie for a state title. Kenzie Carlson is among the five starters looking to give Eastlake that extra boost in 2010.
Head coach Pat Bangasser said each golfer improved in the off-season and Eastlake should be able to send four to state.
Newcomers Sophia Palescar and Taylor Finlon round out the roster for Eastlake.
Games to watch: Redmond at Eastlake (Sahalee), 3:30 p.m. April 27 and Skyline at Eastlake (Sahalee), 3:30 p.m. April 13.
Skyline
The girls of Skyline come off a 5-4 2009 season and will have to be focused in a league such as KingCo.
Head coach Betsy Gaines brings back a slew of experienced upper- and lower-classmen for 2010. Kacy Cunningham, Shirley Chung, Layla Hiramoto and others will join captains Emily Baldwin and Ashley Young as they lead the Lady Spartans on the course this season.
Newcomers Bryalynn Vowels, Zahra Rehmat, Jamie Klavano, Sonya Garber, Lisa Gaviglio and Mary Alice Peng round out the order for Skyline.
Games to watch: Interlake at Skyline (Plateau Club), 3:30 p.m. March 22; Liberty at Skyline (Plateau Club), 3:30 p.m. April 15 and Issaquah at Skyline (Plateau Club), 3:30 p.m. April 29.
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.
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