Last year’s Skyline fastpitch team was so close, but finished the season so far away from where it wanted to be — the playoffs.
“From what I heard, for some reason, they just had some kind of mental letdown, whether it was at the plate or in the field,” first-year Spartan coach Alison Mitchell said.
That’s something Mitchell, who is the fourth head coach in the last five years, thinks will play to the Spartan’s advantage this season. Skyline, which finished 6-10 last year and one spot out of the KingCo 4A playoffs, returns 10 athletes, including six seniors.
“That’s our biggest asset — is this team is really out to prove that they should be one of the teams to beat in KingCo — that’s what they want to do,” she said.
Leading that group of returners are senior pitchers Lauren Richards and Elizabeth Stromquist. The pair ranked among league leaders in ERA last year at 3.47 and 2.55, respectively.
“I tell them they’re kind of like my Felix Hernandez and my Jamie Moyer,” Mitchell said, noting Richards can bring the heat and Stromquist has a great off-speed repertoire.
Skyline also returns senior catcher Lauren Wolfe and senior first baseman Amy Ziegler, along with seniors Emily Skrobecki and Margo Erwin. Other key returners include juniors Anya Kamber, Lindsey Nicholson, Amanda Nemiroff, and Emily Caditz.
The team also has several fresh faces, including freshman center fielder Michaela Dunn-Blad. Sophomore Kylie Gacek along with freshmen Megan Burris and Jillian Windsor also join the lineup.
Mitchell is pleased with the quick start Skyline has gotten off to, going 3-0 in their first non-league games. Defensively, the team has been rock solid. Offense has struggled at times, but appears to be on the upswing.
“It’s just breaking down that mental barrier,” Mitchell said. “Go out and take your cuts and see what happens.”
As for the overall goal of reaching the state tournament, Mitchell thinks her team will be in a great position to achieve it — as long as they don’t get ahead of themselves.
“I’ve been telling them all season, just take it one game at a time,” she said. “We’ll handle our little universe and deal with everything else when it comes.”
