2/14/2008 - PREVIEW: Bruins to Rely on Talented Freshmen and Improved Defense in 2008
NEWBERG, Ore. - Bolstered by a group of incoming freshmen that head coach Mark Vergets calls "awesome" and a defense that appears much-improved, the George Fox University Bruins enter the 2008 softball season with expectations of making an impact in the Northwest Conference race.
"We aren't ready yet to challenge for the top spot in a league that has the defending national champion (Linfield College) and another that might have won it if they had been given a chance (Whitworth University)," admits Vergets, "but I do think we got picked low (seventh) in the pre-season conference poll. Of course, we'll have to go out and prove it."
The Bruins finished seventh in the NWC last year with a 5-23 league mark and were 7-29 overall in Vergets' third year as the team's head coach. Three starters, including honorable mention All-Conference third baseman Nikki Morrison, and All-NWC Second Team pitcher Kayla Winkler are gone, but the Bruins do return seven letterwinners, six of whom started regularly.
Two of them were honorable mention All-Conference honorees in catcher Kerstyn Tsuruda (Jr., Waimanalo, Hawai'i / Kalaheo HS) and first baseman Ashley Olson (So., Silverton, Ore. / Silverton HS). Tsuruda, who hit .222-0-7, led the team in triples with two, and tied for the lead in doubles with seven. She is a versatile player who can play the infield, catch, and will even pitch a little in relief this year. Olson went .289-2-10 and also hit seven doubles.
"Kerstyn will do anything and play anywhere to help the team," notes Vergets, "but it appears we will probably have to use her behind the plate again, since two other catchers who were with us in the fall decided not to come back for the spring. Ashley will be back at first with some solid defense and will probably be our cleanup hitter."
Amber Philliber (Jr., Battle Ground, Wash. / Bethel HS), last year's starter at shortstop, will look to improve her offensive numbers of .048-0-0 as she shifts to second base, giving way to rookie Serena Lee (Fr., Rogue River, Ore. / Rogue River HS). "Serena, who is hands-down the fastest player on the team and will bat lead-off, gives us the best range and arm at short that we have had in a long time," observes Vergets. "She and Amber should give us a solid double-play combination."
Taking over at third base will be Ashley Peterson (Fr., Beaverton, Ore. / Jesuit HS), whose older brother David was an All-American for the George Fox baseball team in 2004 and now plays in the Texas Rangers' organization. "Ashley is an aggressive fielder with the potential to become one of the best third baseman ever at George Fox," Vergets says.
Backing up the infielders is Kristen Griffith (Fr., Walla Walla, Wash. / Walla Walla HS), whom Vergets calls "a very talented glove who would probably start if she was healthy; she is just getting over a recent illness that put her in bed for 10 days and is only now returning to practice."
The Bruins return two outfielders in Haley Harnish-Stadden (So., Sumner, Wash. / Cascade Christian HS), who hit .188-1-3, and Erin Lee (So., Edmonds, Wash. / Edmonds-Woodway HS), who went .177-0-1 . "Erin is the better contact hitter, while Haley has more power," notes Vergets, "but we need both to step up their offensive production."
New to the outfield are Camille Jeffris (Fr., East Wenatchee, Wash. / Eastmont HS) and Shelby Briske (Fr., Spanaway, Wash. / Bethel HS), both of whom are all-around players with good offensive and defensive skills. "They have the potential to produced Halvorson-like numbers," says Vergets, referring to the Bruins' best player in recent years, Cassie Halvorson, who was a four-time All-Conference center fielder from 2003-06.
All four outfielders are capable of playing all three outfield spots, but Vergets expects to open with Jeffris in left, Briske in center, and Harnish-Stadden in right, with Lee as the likely designated hitter.
Collectively, Vergets expects his new lineup to be a significant improvement over last year's defensive unit, and anything they provide offensively will be a bonus. "This will be the best defensive infield we have had since I've been here, and our outfield will be dramatically better," the coach predicts. "Our pitchers shouldn't be afraid to let the ball be put in play any more."
Replacing Winkler, who was 5-16 with a 4.58 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 130 innings, will be a challenge. RHP Torey Weatherman (So., Bend, Ore. / Bend HS), who was 1-9, 14.93 with 18 strikeouts in 40.1 innings, is the Bruins' most experienced hurler, while RHP Megan McCleery (So., Roseville, Calif. / Oakmont HS) went 1-3, 8.15 in 28.1 innings. McCleery, however, has been hampered by bone spurs in her feet most of the year and is questionable for the season, although she will be around as a team leader and captain.
The Bruins may therefore be relying heavily on newcomer RHP Natalie White (Fr., Yamhill, Ore. / Yamhill-Carlton HS) to shoulder a significant portion of the pitching load this spring. "Asking a freshman to be a staff ace is asking a lot," admits Vergets, "but I think she is tough enough to do it. The main thing we need to do as a pitching staff is throw strikes, cut down on the walks, and let our improved defense do its job."
The season begins for the Bruins with six games in the Priscilla Benham Tournament in the Bay Area of California Feb. 15-18, starting with a game at Patten University in Oakland on Friday at 10:00 a.m. The first home games for the Bruins will be March 1 when they host Pacific Lutheran University for a pair at 1:00 p.m. in their Northwest Conference opener.