By Cambria Roth
Struggling with early season losses and feeling as if they lacked cohesiveness, the Silverton High School softball team didn’t begin the season in its groove.
“We were faced with a really big challenge being number two when we were used to being number one,” senior Rebecca Merrell said. “We realized we had to step it up a few notches if we wanted a good season.”
The Lady Foxes battled back with a 13-5 record in the Mid-Willamette Conference and 16-6 record overall as of May 11. The team is peaking before playoffs as many teams begin to falter. With renewed confidence, the team is vying for a second place finish in conference and a state playoff berth.
“We got to a point where we knew we had to make a change to better our season,” senior first baseman Jillian Dreher said. “We were inspired because we knew we were defending league champs and we owed it to ourselves to go further.”
Last year, the Foxes finished first in league, but lost to Pendleton in the second round of state playoffs.
Team members are seniors Jillian Dreher, Taylor Kuenzi, Rebecca Merrell, Shelbie Stocker and Amber St. Paul; juniors Maureen Fennimore, Christine Hatley, Bethany Ross, Kelsey Simmons and Rianne Towery; sophomores Hailey Hibbs, Shelby McIntire, Lilly Ann Hall, and freshman Mirah Scharer.
“We know were strong enough as a team to compete against some of the best teams in the state,” Dreher said. Going into a series against West Albany, the Lady Foxes were considered underdogs and not expected to win. The team’s offense and defense were solid and after a first-game loss, they won the second game, 3-2.
“After losing that first game, we knew we couldn’t take away their (league) championship, but we could take away their perfect season.” Dreher said. In the third game of the series, the game was tied 3-3 in the seventh inning. West Albany scored in the bottom of the tenth to win the game, 3-4, but did not take the girls’ dignity.
“They expected to dominate because they overpowered every other team in league, but we gave them a run for their money.” Hatley said. Hatley is the only pitcher on the Silverton softball team and is essential for success. She was second team All-State last year and has a record pitch of 65 miles per hour.
New approaches for hitting the ball and getting on base have been key to the team’s success this year.
“Our new hitting coach Freddy Quintero has helped us out a lot,” Hibbs said. “We are a lot more aggressive on offense and our hitting fundamentals have grown.”
With their newfound confidence on the field and their sheer determination to win, the Lady Foxes are aiming to hit this season out of the park.
