2A Softball: W.F. West a Contender Going into Final Weekend

Posted

The Bearcats are carrying a lot into this weekend’s State 2A Softball Tournament.

The target on their backs as the defending state champion. The pressure that comes with owning one of two undefeated records left in the state at this point. The expectations that accompany years of continued success and 13 straight state tournament appearances and two championships in the last four years.

If any team’s ready to let its play do the talking, though, it’s W.F. West. The 23-0 Bearcats open State 2A tournament action at noon on Friday against Forest Ridge/Bear Creek, a first-year combination program with what’s likely considered the most unlucky draw of the opening round.

It’s not the same Bearcat lineup that edged White River, 3-2, for last year’s state title — not by a long shot. W.F. West had to replace last year’s senior battery (pitcher Ali Graham headed to Oregon Tech and was recently named the Cascade Collegiate Conference Player of the Year; catcher Caitlin Reynolds played 13 games this year for the University of the Pacific Tigers) and lost Boise State-bound shortstop Jessica McKay to a knee injury three months before the season started.

And yet, the Bearcats didn’t miss a beat. Sophomore catcher Kindra Davis, who missed her entire freshman year with a torn ACL, has been a monster at the plate, hitting .571 with a 1.195 slugging percentage — which, put in simple terms, means she was good for 1.2 bases every trip to the plate — with 11 home runs and a whopping 48 RBIs. Center fielder Roni Braun hammered 11 home runs, and sophomore O.J. Dean moved into the shortstop role and hit .493 with 37 runs. Six different players hit at least two home runs, and W.F. West outscored its opponents 259 to 67.

Six-foot-2 junior Lexie Strasser went 12-0 in the circle with a 1.60 ERA, and sophomore Ashlee Vadala was 10-0 with a 1.46 ERA.

Forest Ridge/Bear Creek squad beat Highline (18-0) and Kingston (5-1) to qualify for state, and with cancelled games took the No. 4 seed out of District 2/3. Colleen Campbell leads the pitching staff, with a five-inning perfect game against Ingraham in late April, and slugger Maya Shipway leads the team at the plate.

Here’s a quick look at a few other notable teams in the state bracket:



R.A. Long: The District 4 runners-up boast an 18-5 record, led by pitcher/slugger Maddie Cathcart and outfielder Hileigh Todd. Cathcart was the GSHL 2A MVP, and both players pack batting averages over .500. The Lumberjills open with White River (12-10), the team W.F. West beat in last year’s championship game — and 15-1 back on April 8 in a nonleague game.

Port Angeles: The 23-0 Roughriders are led by junior pitcher Nizhoni Wheeler, who owns a 12-0 record and has pitched at state every year of her prep career. Hope Wegener (10-0) is the No. 2 option in the circle, and the Roughriders boast a speedy lineup, led at the plate by Wheeler, second baseman Natalie Steinman and center fielder Sierra Robinson. On the opposite side of the bracket as the Bearcats, the Roughriders open with Lynden.

Othello: On the opposite side of the bracket from the Bearcats, Othello (20-2) has outscored its opponents by an average margin of 13 to 2. Pitcher/infielder Madison Martinez (11 home runs) leads the way, and CWAC MVP Niki Martinez has hit eight homers. Leadoff hitter Kirsten Quigley has also hit six homers. The Huskies open with Sequim.

Tumwater: Veteran ace Jocelyn Glasgo (3.63 ERA) leads the 15-8 Thunderbirds, which finished second in the EvCo and third in District 4. The T-Birds open with Ellensburg.

Ellensburg: Carissa Burgess has a 1.19 ERA and 72 strikeouts to lead the Bulldogs’ pitching staff, with a .538 average, 40 RBIs and four home runs. Shortstop and leadoff hitter Darian Olin is hitting .567 with 39 RBIs. Ellensburg (18-4) finished second to Othello in the District 5/6 tournament.

Fife: The Trojans (23-1) are in state for the fifth straight season, with their lone loss coming to 4A Puyallup on May 11. Juniors Margaret Crist and Kaitlynn Gain lead Fife at the plate, and senior Anna Kasner has done the bulk of the pitching. The Trojans beat Sequim and North Kitsap, 8-0 and 17-0, to reach state, and open tournament play with Orting — in the same half of the bracket as W.F. West.

East Valley (Yakima): The Red Devils (18-6) are a bit shorthanded after losing their top hitter — sophomore Rachel Vance, packing a .700 average — to a knee injury in the first game of the District 5/6 tournament. East Valley opens with Sedro-Woolley.