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