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Thursday, May 1, 2008
Bulldogs Back on Top
St. Paul, MN
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By: Tom Carothers
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Photo(s) By: Tom Carothers
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“We’ve been rebuilding for the past couple of seasons,” coach Dan Jameson said, “but that process is over now and I think we are in a very good position to compete for both the conference and section titles this season.”
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After a two-year State Tournament hiatus, the St. Bernard’s softball team is out to make 2008 the “Year of the Bulldog.”
“We’ve been rebuilding for the past couple of seasons,” coach Dan Jameson said, “but that process is over now and I think we are in a very good position to compete for both the conference and section titles this season.”
After helping earn the Bulldogs’ last State title in 2004, nine seniors said goodbye to the team following a runner-up Class A finish in 2005.
“It’s always hard when you lose that many good players,” Jameson said. “We suddenly became a very young team.”
However, at a school in which approximately 50 percent of the female population has taken up the sport, the process is more to do with reloading, rather than rebuilding. “For a small school, we do very well,” Jameson, who took over the reins as head coach in 2003, said.
For St. Bernard’s, who holds records for State softball tournament appearances (16), top-four finishes (12) and championships (seven), a return to prominence was never a matter of if, but when. “The goal here is always to go back to State,” Jameson said.
While the Bulldogs did not drop off the end of the softball world in 2006 and 2007, upstart programs from Visitation and St. Anthony ended St. Bernard’s run of dominance in the Tri-Metro Conference, as did a determined squad from New Life Academy in section play.
The Eagles, a runner-up Class A finisher last season, look to be the team the Bulldogs need to get past if they plan to return to State for the first time in three seasons.
“New Life is a very good team,” Jameson admitted. “They’ve returned pretty much everyone from last year and are again the team to beat.”
Not that the coach is throwing in the towel on his team’s chances this spring. “They’ve knocked us off twice, but I think we have a good shot this year,” he said.
The Bulldogs will be pinning much of their hopes on junior pitcher Kia Johnson, who earned an All-State honor last season after going 12-9 with a 2.056 earned run average, 105 strikeouts and hitting .339 at the plate.
“She’s been our pitcher since 2006 and I’ve worked with her since she was a fifth-grader,” Jameson said. “She’s our No. 1 and will be backed up by another very good pitcher, Christina Monsour.”
St. Bernard’s reigning Athena Award winner for excellence in female athletics, Cindy Caughey, returns for one more year at shortstop after batting .446 last season.
The middle infielder will likely make a good share of throws across the diamond to fellow senior captain Kari Veland, who will hold down first base after (last years stats). “Cindy and Kari are both very good players and leaders,” Jameson said. “They are both very important to this team.”
The Bulldogs return four seniors in total as Sam Adolph picks up at second base for her third and final season with the varsity and Amy Audette helps patrol the outfield grass.
“We’ve got a lot of experience,” Jameson said. “Our seniors are all exceptional players.”
In addition to the two senior captains, Jameson employs a junior captain to ease the transition from season to season. This year, that honor goes to third baseman Amanda Fagan. “I find it’s worked well to have a junior captain, that then becomes a senior captain,” Jameson said. “Amanda is a great all-around kid who can play pretty much any position except pitcher.”
While Amanda, who hit .345 in 2007, is listed as the team’s backup catcher, it is her younger sister Jaci who will backstop the Bulldogs in 2008 and beyond.
The freshman, who spent time in the well-respected North St. Paul traveling program, boasts both a powerful arm and swing. “As an eighth-grader, she was hitting shots over 200-foot fences,” Jameson said. “This year in a scrimmage, Jaci threw out two consecutive runners by wide margins.”
Well stocked for now as well as the future, St. Bernard’s looks to make its share of noise in May as they plan on once again punching their ticket for Caswell Park in North Mankato, the site of the State Softball Tournament.
“I’ve always been very proud of our girls,” Jameson said. “We’ve got a great program here.”
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