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Posts Tagged ‘Madeline Strasburg’

Sunny softball? Whidbey is the place!!

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on March 31, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Strasburg

Maddie Big Time is rockin’ the sunglasses with no rain in sight. (John Fisken photos)

Madeline Roberts jumps out of her shoes to spear a liner at short. (John Fisken photos)

Madeline Roberts jumps out of her shoes to spear a liner at short.

Monica Vidoni is pleased with the play.

Monica Vidoni is pleased with the play.

McKayla

McKayla Bailey gets nasty.

Roberts

No one runs away from Roberts.

King

  CHS coach David King, the ol’ gunslinger, keeps his game face on. Deep in his heart, however, he’s cheering the play.

Breezy

Try and run on Wolf catcher Breeanna Messner, and you’ll have plenty of time to regret the decision … while you sit on the bench.

Emily Licence corrals a popup down the third base line.

Emily Licence corrals a popup down the third base line.

Every game should be a home game.

It’s simple, really.

The Coupeville High School softball squad has had three road games — all rained out. Three home games — all played on beautiful, sun-drenched afternoons with NO RAIN and extremely limited wind (especially since the field sits on what is normally a wind-torn prairie).

Well, anyways, while you debate how to convince the other Cascade Conference athletic directors to sacrifice their home games and fire up the buses for frequent trips to Whidbey (it’s for the children!), you can also bask in the pics above.

They come courtesy travelin’ photo man John Fisken, and, if you like what you see, head over to the link below.

Use the coupon code EB58834962 and buy before April 14 and you’ll get 15% off your order. And, as always, a percentage of all sales goes to fund college scholarships for CHS student athletes.

http://www.cascadeathletics.com/index.php?act=view_gallery&gallery=5883&league=2&page_name=photo_store&school=0&school_year=2013-14&sport=0

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Know her name! It’s Maddie Big Time!!

Posted in A freakin' American hero, Girls Basketball, Happy birthday, Softball, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on March 24, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Madeline Strasburg, AKA Maddie Big Time. (Photos by Shelli Trumbull/John Fisken/Linda Hammer)

Madeline Strasburg, AKA Maddie Big Time. (Photos by Shelli Trumbull/John Fisken/Linda Hammer)

Madeline Strasburg gets visibly annoyed at times when she’s playing.

And that’s a good thing, because when she does, the Coupeville High School junior, who celebrates her 17th birthday today, generally responds by unleashing a butt-whuppin’ on the rival team that has just irritated her.

If she loses the basketball on one play, or gets a foul called on her by a blind ref, she slams down the court like a whirlwind the next and rams the ball right down the throat of the defense.

Twice last season, in back-to-back games that were two weeks apart thanks to winter break, she pulled off the same dazzling play from the very same place on the court — virtual mirror images reflecting Strasburg fully earning the nickname Maddie Big Time.

In both games, she capped the third quarter by stealing the ball, whirling around and draining LONG three-point bombs off the glass, shots that dropped through the twine a mere fraction of a second before the horn sounded.

Then, both times, she spun around, hands slapping her thighs like a gunslinger putting away their six-shooters.

Rival fans and coaches cried softly those days, while Maddie Big Time permitted a small smile to grace her lips.

Even then, it was the smile of a stone cold killer.

CHS has some very talented athletes, but Strasburg is a rarity.

At a time when everyone has been raised to be overly reverent and deferential to the players on the opposing teams, she’s a bit of a throw back.

Volleyball, basketball, softball. Pick a sport. She is here to kick your butt.

That’s a beautiful thing to see.

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Spring Sports Preview: Super Six sizzle!!

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on March 6, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Hailey Hammer

Hailey Hammer was First Team All-Conference last year as a sophomore. (Linda Hammer photo)

Breeanna Messner (John Fisken photo)

Breeanna Messner will cap her run as a four-sport athlete (volleyball, cheer, basketball, softball) this spring. (John Fisken photo)

The talent is there. Depth may be a question.

As they head into their third season of coaching fast-pitch softball at Coupeville High School, David and Amy King welcome back a strong core group of six players. It’s a group that boasts talent, experience and dedication.

Seniors Breeanna Messner (C/IF), Madeline Roberts (SS/OF) and Haley Sherman (LF) are joined by juniors McKayla Bailey (P, CF), Hailey Hammer (1B) and Madeline Strasburg (CF, C) to form the Super Six.

Hammer was a First Team All-Cascade Conference pick a year ago, while Strasburg was a Second-Teamer and Roberts and Bailey notched Honorable Mention selections.

“The returning six bring experience, speed and smart base running,” David King said. “They are very good defensively and offensively can put pressure on the other teams.

“There is a unity with this team that has already formed and will only get stronger.”

The key will be filling in the other starting spots and getting help from a bench that will be thin, both in bodies and experience.

Starters Maria Rockwell (the team’s winningest pitcher) and Bessie Walstad graduated and Chevy Reyes and Sydney Aparicio opted not to play.

With out those four, sophomore Emily Coulter (IF), junior Monica Vidoni (OF) and freshman Emily Licence (P, IF, C) are among the early leaders for playing time.

Other than Licence, who is expected to team with the fireball-chuckin’ Bailey on the mound, few of the freshmen who turned out have much playing experience.

But then again, everyone starts somewhere, and you never know where you’ll find a diamond in the rough.

“We need to get the younger players up to speed and comfortable on the field,” King said. “We have some work to do in a short amount of time.

“However, the players are eager to learn and want to get better,” he added. “They are putting in the work needed and everyone is focused on what is being taught. This attitude and commitment is something each of the players have demonstrated.”

While Coupeville will be facing fierce foes in its final season in the 1A/2A Cascade Conference (“this league from top to bottom is tough”), King sees no reason his squad can’t fight every single day.

“We are going to aim high. We want to finish in the top half of the league, get to districts and see how far we can go,” he said. “Some lofty goals, but the returners have the drive to improve their game and have already shown that they are more than willing to get the younger players up to speed.

“The day to day goals are to strengthen and improve the things we do well and to work on the areas that need to improve,” King added. “We want to be competitive every game and win or lose, know each and every one of us gave 100%.”

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