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Archive for the ‘Softball’ Category

Sluggers swing for state glory!!

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on February 23, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Junior first-baseman Veronica Crownover is a key bat in a Wolf softball lineup chock full of big-time sluggers. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

One strike.

That was how close the Coupeville High School softball squad came to advancing to the state tourney a season ago.

But, after a long road trip, then playing four postseason games in less than 24 heat-drenched hours, and winning two of them, the Wolves were denied at the very end.

It could have been a crusher, but instead, it has become the spark which has kept the fire burning deep in the heart of every CHS player this off-season.

Now, “spring” has arrived, and with it, the Wolves are ready to launch a new assault on the school record book and opposing pitchers.

“Our goals for this season are the same as always,” said CHS coach Kevin McGranahan. “Above all else, have fun and gel as a team; compete for the league championship every day;  advance to state and make sure they knew Coupeville was there by upsetting some teams.”

Coupeville went 19-5 last year, the second-best record in 39 years of Wolf softball, losing to just two teams.

Three tough losses, two on the road, to Chimacum, denied them an Olympic League title by the slimmest of margins.

Then, two defeats to perennial power Bellevue Christian at districts, packaged around wins over Vashon Island and Seattle Christian, ended the Wolves season.

Both Chimacum and BC absorbed substantial losses to graduation, while Coupeville, for the most part, is returning the core of its squad.

Second baseman Jae LeVine and left fielder Tiffany Briscoe graduated, while slugging shortstop Mikayla Elfrank is sitting out her senior season as she recovers from a devastating leg injury suffered during basketball.

While the trio will be missed, the Wolves will still be a very deep, very talented squad, with most positions manned by veterans.

Seniors Katrina McGranahan (P), Lauren Rose (3B) and Hope Lodell (CF) have been All-Conference players year in and year out, with McGranahan the reigning Olympic League MVP.

Junior catcher Sarah Wright has been a star from day one, launching moon shots and gunning down would-be base stealers, while junior first baseman Veronica Crownover is a threat to clear the fences every time she swings a bat.

Toss in sophomore jack-of-all-trades Scout Smith, who blossomed as a star during last year’s playoffs, and the Wolves can stand with just about anyone.

There is plenty of depth as well, with a mix of returning bench players and a talented group of freshmen headed up by former little league standouts Mollie Bailey and Chelsea Prescott.

“I feel that we are strong again as a team and that together these girls can all be the top returning player any given day,” Kevin McGranahan said. “All of them will be pretty much interchangeable on the field.

“We have a big freshmen class coming in,” he added. “So we will be strong in the future and will have to see how they look as practice takes shape.”

In the race for a league title defending champ Chimacum “will be a wild card,” while Klahowya, led by D-1 recruit Amber Bumbalough, “will be strong again this year.”

Port Townsend is mired in a 51-game losing streak dating back to 2014, but the RedHawks made huge strides in the second half last season and looked like a squad about to break through.

Instead of focusing on their rivals, the Wolves will look inward.

“Mental toughness is and always will be something a team needs to constantly work on,” Kevin McGranahan said. “The little things on the field will take care of themselves through practice.

“Our team strengths will be our team speed and the girls playing for each other and not playing for themselves.”

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A slice of diamond history!!

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on February 21, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Hope Lodell will be in center field when a new softball season begins. Her aunt, Teresa Terry, was a starter in 1978. (Mike Lodell photo)

One family, 40 years, a ton of history.

When Coupeville High School senior Hope Lodell charges out to center field this spring, she’ll be following in the footsteps of her aunt.

Lodell, a four-year starter who has multiple All-Conference honors to her name, is keeping alive a family tradition.

Her aunt, Teresa (Lodell) Terry, was a freshman who started in the very first softball game in CHS history.

That came back on Mar. 16, 1978, when the Wolves battled through extra innings before falling 20-17 against Island rival Langley.

Coupeville and South Whidbey actually open the 2018 season against each other, with the Wolves traveling down Whidbey Saturday, Mar. 17 for a non-conference game.

If school officials were as obsessed with anniversaries as I am, they’d bump the game up a day to fall on the 40-year anniversary.

Hint, hint.

Anyways, that first game for CHS softball was a doozy, at least from the (very) limited recap in the newspaper of the time.

Slow-pitch was the game back then, with the Wolves not becoming a fast-pitch team until 2002.

At which point Ashley Ellsworth-Bagby, Sarah Mouw, Lindsey Tucker and crew promptly won four of five games at the state tourney, claiming a third-place finish in their first try at the quicker version of the sport.

In 1978, Kris Severns was the coach, and players in the first lineup included Teresa Lodell, Laurie Estes, Cheri Cass, Micki Boettger, Yvonne Jameson and slugging freshman Pam Jampsa.

Jampsa bashed a home run and a pair of doubles in the first game, as Coupeville turned an early 3-0 deficit into a 16-8 lead after five innings.

Then, the offense which had racked up five runs in the second inning, and another eight in the third, cooled off, letting the dastardly South Enders rally.

Langley plated seven runs in the sixth, then scraped out one more in the seventh to forge a 16-16 tie and force extra innings.

Both teams came up empty in the eighth, before Langley put four across in the top of the ninth to make things dicey.

Coupeville got one run back in the bottom half of the inning, but fell short of an Opening Day miracle.

But, while a win wasn’t in the cards, that game set the table for what has turned into a successful four-decade run for the Wolves on the diamond.

Last year’s squad went 19-5, the best record since the immortal 2002 team, and came within a single strike of earning Coupeville softball’s third trip to state.

With virtually their entire lineup back, the 2018 Wolves are intent on joining the 2002 and 2014 teams in punching a ticket to the big dance.

Whether it happens or not, the past and present of CHS softball will come together frequently during this 40th season, whenever Teresa Terry pops by to cheer for her niece.

One family creating a ton of diamond memories.

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Clip ‘n save!!

Posted in Baseball, Boys Soccer, Girls Tennis, Softball, Track, tagged , , , , , , , on February 5, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Wolf track stars Lucy Sandahl (8) and Mallory Kortuem are back to kick off spring sports. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Die-hard Coupeville High School spring sports fan? Gas up the car and get ready to enjoy ferry life.

All five Wolf teams have more road games than home contests during their final spin through the Olympic League, with softball getting the shortest end of the stick.

The CHS sluggers, who went 19-5 last season and came within a strike of making the state tourney, are scheduled to play 12 of 20 regular-season games away from their home field.

Baseball (11 of 20 on the road), girls tennis (9 of 17) and boys soccer (8 of 15), have it slightly better, while track, as usual, spends 98.2% of its season away from home.

The Wolves do host one high school track meet (Mar. 28 vs. Port Townsend, Klahowya and Chimacum), which will be the first one to go down in front of the school’s new grandstand.

Boys soccer gets to debut the new stadium, when it hosts 2A non-conference foe Olympic Mar. 10.

Will there be cake to celebrate the debut of the shiny new grandstand? We can only hope!

Another milestone is set to arrive May 7, when the Wolf softball squad plays its final regular-season game.

Chimacum is the foe that day, and the bout is the last regular-season conference game in any sport Coupeville will play against a 1A Olympic League opponent.

After a four-year run in their current league, the Wolves jump to the new six-team North Sound Conference with the start of the 2018-2019 school year.

As you peruse the schedules below, remember, weather, ferries and other assorted problems can, and will, likely rip them to shreds at some point.

For up-to-date info, try either http://www.olympicleague.com/ or http://coupeville.tandem.co/

Varsity schedules (* = Olympic League game):

BASEBALL:

Sat-Mar. 10 Lynden Christian — 1:00
Wed-Mar. 14 Chimacum (*) — 4:00
Thur-Mar. 15 Sequim — 4:00
Sat-Mar. 17 @ South Whidbey — 1:00
Mon-Mar. 19 @ Bremerton — 4:00
Fri-Mar. 23 North Mason — 4:00
Sat-Mar. 24 @ Vashon Island — 1:00
Mon-Mar. 26 @ Sultan — 4:00
Wed-Mar. 28 @ Klahowya (*) — 3:30
Fri-Mar. 30 Port Townsend (*) — 4:00
Mon-Apr. 2 @ Friday Harbor — TBD
Sat-Apr. 7 Cedarcrest — 1:00
Wed-Apr. 11 @ Chimacum (*) — 4:00
Mon-Apr. 16 @ Sequim — 3:30
Thur-Apr. 19 @ La Conner — 4:00
Fri-Apr. 20 Klahowya (*) — 4:00
Wed-Apr. 25 @ Port Townsend (*) — 3:30
Fri-Apr. 27 Chimacum (*) — 4:00
Mon-Apr. 30 @ Klahowya (*) — 3:30
Wed-May 2 Port Townsend (*) — 4:00

BOYS SOCCER:

Sat-Mar. 10 Olympic — 1:00
Tue-Mar. 13 @ Chimacum (*) — 4:30
Fri-Mar. 16 @ Sequim — 3:45
Wed-Mar. 21 @ North Mason — 4:00
Sat-Mar. 24 Klahowya (*) — 3:00
Tue-Mar. 27 @ Port Townsend (*) — 6:15
Fri-Mar. 30 Chimacum (*) — 4:00
Mon-Apr. 2 Vashon Island — 4:00
Sat-Apr. 7 Forks — 3:00
Tues-Apr. 10 @ Port Angeles — 5:00
Mon-Apr. 16 @ Klahowya (*) — 4:00
Fri-Apr. 20 @ Port Townsend (*) — 6:15
Tues-Apr. 24 Port Townsend (*) — 6:00
Fri-Apr. 27 @ Chimacum (*) — 4:30
Mon-Apr. 30 Klahowya (*) — 5:30

GIRLS TENNIS:

Mon-Mar. 12 Port Angeles —  4:00
Tue-Mar. 13 @ South Whidbey — 3:30
Thur-Mar. 15 @ Sequim — 3:15
Thur-Mar. 22 @ Klahowya (*) — 4:00
Mon-Mar. 26 @ Olympic — 4:00
Tues-Mar. 27 Granite Falls — 3:30
Fri-Mar. 30 Kingston — 3:15
Mon-Apr. 9 North Kitsap — 3:15
Wed-Apr. 11 @ North Mason — 4:00
Fri-Apr. 13 Chimacum (*) — 3:15
Sat-Apr. 14 @ Friday Harbor — TBD
Mon-Apr. 16 @ Sequim — 4:00
Tue-Apr. 17 @ Klahowya (*) — 4:00
Tues-Apr. 24 @ Chimacum (*) — 4:00
Wed-Apr. 25 South Whidbey — 3:30
Thur-Apr. 26 Klahowya (*) — 3:15
Thur-May 3 Chimacum (*) — 3:15

SOFTBALL:

Sat-Mar. 17 @ South Whidbey — 1:00
Fri-Mar. 23 North Mason — 4:00
Sat-Mar. 24 @ Vashon Island — 1:00
Wed-Mar. 28 @ Klahowya (*) — 4:15
Fri-Mar. 30 Port Townsend (*) — 4:00
Mon-Apr. 2 @ Blaine (Doubleheader) – 1:00
Fri-Apr. 6 Meridian — 4:00
Sat-Apr. 7 Forks — 1:00
Wed-Apr. 11 @ Chimacum (*) — 4:15
Sat-Apr. 14 @ Friday Harbor — 12:00
Thur-Apr. 19 @ La Conner — 4:00
Fri-Apr. 20 Klahowya (*) — 4:00
Sat-Apr. 21 @ Lynden Christian — 4:30
Wed-Apr. 25 @ Port Townsend (*) — 4:15
Fri-Apr. 27 Chimacum (*) — 4:00
Mon-Apr. 30 @ Klahowya (*) — 4:15
Wed-May 2 Port Townsend (*) — 4:00
Thur-May 3 @ Sequim — 4:00
Mon-May 7 Chimacum (*) — 4:00

TRACK:

Thur-Mar. 15 @ Island Jamboree (Oak Harbor) — 3:30
Thur-Mar. 22 @ North Mason with Port Townsend, Olympic — 3:15
Wed-Mar. 28 HOME MEET with Chimacum, Port Townsend, Klahowya — 3:15
Thur-Apr. 12 @ Olympic with Port Angeles, Kingston — 3:15
Sat-Apr. 14 @ Cashmere Invitational — 12:00
Wed-Apr. 18 @ Sequim with North Kitsap, Olympic — 3:20
Thur-Apr. 26 @ Sequim with Port Angeles, Port Townsend — 3:20
Sat-May 5 @ Olympic League Championships (North Kitsap) — 10:00
Mon-May 7 @ JV Championships (Kingston) — 3:15
Fri/Sat-May 18-19 @ Districts (Renton) — 3:25/10:00
Fri/Sat-May 25-26 @ State (Cheney) — 10:00

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“I couldn’t be more proud of her!!”

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on January 23, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   CHS senior Katrina McGranahan signed a letter of intent Tuesday to play softball for Everett Community College. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

McGranahan was already a slugger back in her Little League days.

   Catching some Z’s with fellow Wolf softball star Lauren Rose on another long road trip. (Justine McGranahan photos)

   McGranahan puts pen to paper Tuesday during a signing ceremony which attracted a strong turnout of friends, family and fellow Wolf athletes. 

   McGranahan is joined by CHS softball teammates (l to r) Sarah Wright, Melia Welling, Scout Smith, Kyla Briscoe and Hope Lodell.

Killer Kat is taking her talents to Everett.

Coupeville High School senior softball standout Katrina McGranahan signed a letter of intent Tuesday and will join the Everett Community College sluggers next spring.

“This was the school she wanted and liked the best,” said CHS softball coach/dad Kevin McGranahan.

His daughter agreed, pointing to Everett’s proximity with Whidbey and the chance to be part of a tight-knit group as big factors in her choice.

“Everett has a great family atmosphere,” Katrina McGranahan said. “Every softball team I’ve been on has felt like a family, and I can’t wait to join the EvCC softball family.

“Everett is also really close to home; I am able to come back when I want,” she added. “Which is a plus! Because I would love to come back and support not only the (CHS) softball team but the volleyball team as well.

“Everett gives me the opportunity to continue my softball career and I couldn’t be more thankful.”

Before she pulls on a college uniform, the reigning Olympic League MVP has one more crack at leading her high school squad to the state tourney.

Coupeville, which fell just a single strike short of punching its ticket to the big dance in 2017, returns virtually every starter this spring.

Leading the way is McGranahan, who is a double threat, whipping strikes from the pitcher’s circle and thumping the heck out of the ball at the plate.

As a junior she went 18-5 as a pitcher, earning a save in the only game where she didn’t notch the decision.

McGranahan tossed 140 strikeouts in 144 innings of work, with 19 complete games, a no-hitter and a sparkling 1.56 ERA.

At the plate, she hit .524, piling up 33 hits, 34 runs and 37 RBI. That included five home runs, five triples and three doubles.

A two-sport star, McGranahan was also a league MVP during her junior volleyball season and was a major part of the Wolves winning back-to-back conference titles her final two seasons.

As a senior, she helped the CHS spikers return to the state tourney for the first time since 2004.

A serene superstar, a quiet leader who lets her skills do the talking, McGranahan shared Coupeville High School Female Athlete of the Year honors in 2016-2017 with Valen Trujillo.

McGranahan will be the second Wolf to make the jump to EvCC in recent years, as former Coupeville slugger Hailey Hammer just wrapped up a two-year run at first base for the Trojans.

Seeing his daughter prepare to strike out on her own, while pursuing her life-long love of softball, is big for Kevin McGranahan.

“From her father’s perspective –  I am extremely proud of her and excited for her opportunity to play at the collegiate level,” he said. “She has put in a lot of her own time during the off-season to make herself and her teams better and achieve her dream to play at the next level.

“I feel like it was only yesterday she picked up a softball for the first time and I saw her fall in love with the game,” Kevin McGranahan added. “No matter what happens from here I couldn’t be more proud of her.”

Having coached his daughter from little league through high school, Kevin McGranahan is justifiably proud of how she has grown during her time on the diamond.

“Katrina has always been there for her team and has done everything she can to help the team succeed,” he said. “She has a natural athletic ability that has been a pleasure to coach and mold her into the athlete and person she is today.

“Softball has always been her passion. To see her achieve her goal is awesome,” Kevin McGranahan added. “Incoming freshmen and future Coupeville softball players should understand the commitment and off-season work that goes into making yourself the best you can be.

“Softball doesn’t end, the season comes and goes, but it is a year-long sport just like any other, and if you put in the work you will see the results.”

When Katrina transitions to the college game, her dad will change roles.

“I am excited to just be dad next year and get to watch from the sideline,” Kevin McGranahan said.

“Of course, once a coach always a coach, and it will be hard to not try to coach her after the games,” he added with a laugh.

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To the bat cave … I mean dugout!!

Posted in Baseball, Little League, Softball, tagged , , , , on January 15, 2018| Leave a Comment »

   Mollie Bailey, who moves to high school softball this spring, is shocked to learn little league registration is already open. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

It’s never too early to think about spring, apparently.

It may be damp and chilly outside on Whidbey, but you can already hear the crack of baseball and softball bats far off in the distance.

Central Whidbey Little League has kicked off registration for a new season, and, if you jump in now, you can get an early bird discount.

For more info and to register, pop over to:

http://www.centralwhidbeylittleleague.com/

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