Jae LeVine is on the hunt for a league title. (John Fisken photos)
Hope “The Surgeon” Lodell is ready to carve up rival pitching.
Mikayla Elfrank returns for a second season of anchoring the infield at shortstop.
Veronica Crownover is one of four returning First-Team All-League players for CHS.
The gang’s all here.
With no seniors on last year’s team, the Coupeville High School softball squad returns virtually every starter from a team that roared out to a 6-1 start and finished with nine wins, the best showing by the program in years.
As Kevin McGranahan rambles into year two at the helm of the Wolves, the only regular he won’t have back is senior first-baseman Kailey Kellner, who’s taking time off to rest after basketball.
Everyone else returns, however, and, in a testament to the continued youth of the program, at least two-thirds of the projected starting lineup will again be underclassmen.
Heading them up is junior pitcher Katrina McGranahan, who is one of four returning First-Team All-League players for the Wolves.
Juniors Lauren Rose (3B) and Hope Lodell (OF) and sophomore Veronica Crownover (Designated Player) were also honored by league coaches last season.
Other returning starters include sophomore Sarah Wright (C), junior Mikayla Elfrank (SS) and seniors Jae LeVine (2B) and Tiffany Briscoe (OF).
Senior Robin Cedillo and sophomore Tamika Nastali both saw plenty of time in the outfield last year, while sophomore Nicole Lester, winner of Most Improved, rounds out the returnees.
“For the most part the team will look the same as last year with a few tweaks here and there,” Kevin McGranahan said. “The players showed a great deal of growth last year and I am really looking forward to pushing them even further this year.”
Joining the core is a group of four fab frosh and junior Kyla Briscoe, who started at first base as a freshman but sat out last year with an injury.
The young guns are Scout Smith, Emma Mathusek, Melia Welling and Mackenzie Davis.
The first three in that group arrive equipped with experience and a winning attitude, having led their Central Whidbey Little League juniors squad to a 13-3 record last spring.
“The freshmen are fitting in with the veteran players well and learning fast,” Kevin McGranahan said. “They will be the future of the program and we look forward to watching them grow.”
The Wolf softball guru has a strong support crew, with assistants Justine McGranahan and Ron Wright being joined by two new volunteers, Greg Thomas and Stephanie Henning.
As he eyes the schedule — CHS has 12 home games, including a rare doubleheader versus Blaine — Kevin McGranahan sees challenges, and opportunity.
“We have a tough schedule this season and will be very tested with our non-conference opponents,” he said. “This should definitely help us when we get to the postseason tournaments.
“Areas we will be working on this season will be mental toughness and our ability to have short memories and to move on to the next game and not dwell on past games, win or lose.”
Having a solid core of battle-tested players, many of whom play travel ball as well, is a huge bonus.
“The strengths of this years team will be our veteran leadership and continuity as a team,” Kevin McGranahan said. “We will be strong defensively and much improved on the offensive side as well.”
Of Coupeville’s three foes in the Olympic League, Chimacum is the two-time defending champ while Klahowya boasts a two-time league MVP in junior Amber Bumbalough.
Port Townsend, on the other hand, enters on a 37-game losing streak.
The RedHawks have not won a game in the first two seasons of the 1A Olympic League and you have to go back to April 28, 2014 to find their last victory.
The Wolves finished 9-11 overall, 3-6 in league play last year and want to ramp up those numbers.
“Our goals for the season are to improve on last year and win the Olympic League,” McGranahan said. “Of course the goal to win state is always out there, but we are keeping our eyes on the league title and then we can attack districts and state.
“I am very excited about the season and to see how this team performs.”
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