Welcome to
Lady Trojan Softball 2008
2008
preview-
The 2007 Lady Trojans had a strong season anchored by an
experienced group of senior athletes. The 2008 Trojans will
have to rely on younger players with less experience, but
are again led by a good group of senior leaders. Stepping
back in the circle for the Trojans is Katy King who had 15
wins for the Trojans last year. Katy was a first-team all
league pitcher for the second year in a row and an
honorable mention all-state pick as well. Katy had a 1.75
era and also had three saves during the season. Her .426
league batting average was second on the team. Katy is a
four-year starter for the Trojans and has already helped
the volleyball and basketball teams to state playoff
appearances this year. Also taking on the leadership roles
are returning senior starters Nikki Rocco and Amanda
Harris. Both are beginning their third varsity seasons and
will help the Trojans both offensively and defensively.
Nikki plays right field and second base and has hit second
in the line-up the last two seasons. Nikki is one of the
best slap hitters and bunters the Trojans have had in
several years. Amanda Harris found herself playing outfield
much of last season because four-year starter Kati Quimby
was
finishing
career at catcher for the Trojans. As a consequence, Amanda
was a first-team all-league and second-team all-state
outfielder. Amanda's .408 batting average was one of the
tops in the state for outfielders and her fielding
percentage was nearly perfect. She will move to her natural
position at catcher this season. Other returning starters
for the Lady Trojans are Courtney Bush, junior first
baseman who had a .333 batting average and Jessica Case,
sophomore infielder/outfielder who hit .375 last year. Also
helping Kati in the circle this year are Kenzie Dahl and
Jocee McKillip who both pitched well for the Trojans last
year. Both won critical games for the Trojans including 5-1
win for then freshman Jocee McKillip against number 1
ranked South Umpqua. Kenzie Dahl, who is a junior, will
also be an outfielder for the Trojans. Jordyn Senn, a
junior outfielder/infielder, also has varsity experience
and will help the Trojans on the bases. Kimmy Mintz, a
junior infielder, will probably spend most of her time at
the third base spot vacated by her sister Kristen who
graduated last year. Newcomer Anna Pleich is a transfer
junior who will help the Trojans both in the outfield and
infield. Kisha Harp is a junior outfield who may also see
time at other positions as well. There are also a number of
younger players who may help the team out before the
season's end.
The
loss of all-state players like Cassie Bishop (now playing
softball at NW Christian College) and Kati Quimby and key
players like Ciara Odem, Lynn Marlow, and Kristen Mintz
will leave a big hole, but there are some good young
players who look to fill the voids. The Far West League
look strong this year again. South Umpqua returns almost
the entire team and will be ranked in the top two or three
teams in the state once again and Sutherlin returns a
strong team that was young last year. Of course, North
Bend, Siuslaw, and Brookings are always tough games, so the
Trojans will have to play hard every game to get into the
hunt for another state playoff appearance. It looks like
another exciting year for the Lady Trojans.
Final
Note 2007-Once
again the Trojans find themselves in postseason play. This
year the team finished one game behind number one ranked
South Umpqua and five games ahead of third place teams
Sutherlin and Brookings. The Lancers handed the Trojans two
defeats on the season, but every game was exciting. In the
final game of the series freshman Jocee McKillip held the
Lady Lancers to just one run until the fifth when Katy King
came in and closed out the final three innings. The result
was a 5-1 win over the Lancers. The Trojans won eleven of
their last 12 games, including a big 5-4 win over 5A
playoff bound Ashland in eight innings.
The
eleventh-ranked Trojans continued their quest for a
championship on May 22 by traveling to number 2 ranked
Central of the Valco league. The Trojans were trying
recreate the afternoon they had when these park photos were
taken. They piled up 36 hits in a doubleheader against
league opponent North Bend and wanted to rattle the bats on
Central's home field. The Lady Trojans came up just short
of a trip to quarterfinals when they were downed by the
eventual state champs 4-3 in an exciting game. The girls
gave Central their toughest game of the playoffs and hit
them harder than anyone up to that point in the season.
Cassie Bishop's solo dinger might have been the biggest hit
of the season. (To see see the 4A playoff bracket
click
here.)
The Trojans lost five great athletes off of the 2007
playoff team, but have several young players who are
ready to step it up. Katy King will be one of the
strongest pitchers in the state and there others who can
step into the circle as well. Players who got varsity
time last year include Katy King, Amanda Harris, Nikki
Rocco, Courtney Bush, Kenzie Dahl, Jessica Case, Jordyn
Senn, and Kimmy Mintz.
Map to Central
