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Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Softball Preview – Fall 2008
Eastern Oklahoma, OK
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By: Eric Fox
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Photo(s) By: Jerry Palmer
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As the heat of summer reaches its peak, athletes are gearing up for the competition that begins even before the first school bell rings. Area teams which earned a trip to the state tournament last softball season include programs like Owasso, Broken Arrow, Bixby, Skiatook, Coweta and Claremore Sequoyah just to name a few. HSSTM tracked down a few area coaches to take a sneak peak at what the fall might bring for some of these talented athletes and the teams they hope to return to the tournament with.
Skiatook
You’ve heard the saying, “Tradition never graduates.” Coach Scott Dean returns for his eleventh year as head coach and hopes that continues to be true for his program at Skiatook High School. This program has made an appearance at the state tournament for fourteen years in a row and Dean says he has seen this group of players’ determination in the summer to make it fifteen. It could be a tough challenge as the squad will replace six seniors lost to graduation and Dean admits he doesn’t have as large a number of athletes that some area programs will have. He likes the enthusiasm of his young players though and he likes the work ethic of the veterans coming back. Senior Rebecca Dillman has been a starting pitcher for three years and her experience will definitely come in handy. Coach Dean stated, “Rebecca knows what she’s doing and we’ll be moving some of our young players around to support and compliment her.” One of those youngsters will be sophomore Megan McEllan who also pitches. Dean will count on her along with the return of senior center fielder Megan Bly. “This community supports what we do. We won it (the state title) in ’91 and were runners-up in ’90. These girls know the expectation to make it to state and they don’t want to disappoint,” Dean said.
Owasso
Eighth year head coach Shane Eicher also knows about graduation. The Lady Rams lost three division I talents to graduation last year. They also know about high expectations as Eicher has guided his program to the state tournament 7 out of those 8 years and they’ve made it the last five years consecutively. “Each year our goal is to make it to state and we know that once we get there, anything can happen,” Eicher said. “We’ve had younger girls who had to wait their turn last year and they are ready to step up and continue the program in the right direction. They are ready to show what they can do.” Three seniors who have watched carefully and are prepared to fill leadership roles include first baseman Chelsea Kennedy, utility player Braelyn Mitchem and outfielder Bre Johnson. These athletes will combine with underclassmen and Eicher is very excited about some of the athleticism he sees in his sophomore class. “We try to make it fun each year. We’ll take the kids to a tournament in Atlanta and let them experience that. I’m really blessed to work with such a great group of girls. They are role models on and off the field and they know that with teams like Enid, Union, Sapulpa, Claremore, and Broken Arrow around, they’ll have a chance to prove what they’re made of each time they step on the field.”
Broken Arrow
Coach Randall King will be counting on experience this fall to give them a chance to get back to the championship they won in 2006. Three seniors have started all four years – a rare feat at the largest high school in the state. Pitcher Chelsea Lion, firstbase Stephanie Brewer and catcher Kelsi Hilderbrandt helped win the gold ball as sophomores, but also remember an early exit from the state tournament in 2007. Junior shortstop Megan Sullivan has also started since her freshman year. King will depend on Sullivan who had the best hitting average last season as well as the other members of the squad to produce more offense to give them the best chance to make a run for it. “We need more hitting. We all need to do a better job at the plate and be more consistent.” King likes the way the summer workouts have run. “Our seniors have really demonstrated to the others how to get it done in the weight room and how to do the right things. They’ve played in a lot of big games since they stepped up as freshmen and that experience should help.”
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