The time is now for the Kentridge High fastpitch team.
The Chargers enter the season with a senior-dominated bunch plenty capable of making some noise in the wide open South Puget Sound League North Division.
“I am definitely looking for us to move up in the rankings this year,” said coach Julie Simonson.
Of course, if the Chargers, who finished 7-9 in league last year and fell a single win out of the playoff mix, are going to return to elite status, they’ll need to make one big correction from last spring. That correction will be in reversing their fortunes in close games.
More than any team in the North last spring, the Chargers were devastated by 1, 2 and 3-run losses. In fact, eight of Kentridge’s nine league losses came by three or fewer runs. Three of those were by just one run. Had the Chargers scratched out a couple more wins, they no doubt would have advanced.
“It was frustrating losing to the top teams in the league by such a small margin, and then missing the playoffs by one game,” said pitcher/shortstop Kelli Suguro. “It was very tough.”
Indeed. The margin between first-place Kentwood and sixth-place Kentridge wasn’t a wide one last spring. In fact, gave the Conquerors and Auburn Riverside – the only teams in the North to advance to state last year – hefty challenges last year, but were unable to escape with anything to show for it.
Things will change this spring, Simonson said.
“I don’t want to get ahead of myself,” Simonson said. “But I have the confidence in my girls.”
And with good reason. Kentridge returns more talent to the diamond this spring than most of its SPSL North foes. Suguro is a strong part of that foundation. A first-team All-SPSL North utility player last spring, there may not be a better pitcher in the league. Suguro brings an assortment of pitches and can changes her velocity like a veteran. But the Chargers are hardly a one-and-done team as Suguro will have plenty on her side, including seniors Danielle Orvella (pitcher/infielder), Natalie Spadafora (outfielder/catcher), and Nicole Barger (third base) among others.
Orvella was among the league leaders last year in stolen bases (4) while Barger was among the elite in runs scored (6).
“I feel like this could be Kentridge’s best year since I have been here,” said Suguro, who ranked third in the league last spring with a .513 batting average. “We didn’t lose too many people. A lot of other teams lost their players, and were still pretty strong.”
The key, however, likely revolves in the one-two punch of Suguro and Orvella and the circle and supplying enough clutch hits to erase memories of losing tight games a year ago. If the Chargers can do that, then there’s no reason this bunch shouldn’t challenge for their first league championship since 2002.
Kentridge took steps toward a strong beginning last week, when it handled Todd Beamer and Federal Way in succession, 7-3 and 7-0 respectively.
“We were in every single game we played last year,” Simonson said. “It was either we lost by 1, 2 or 3 runs or we lost by 1, 2, or 3 runs. Now we have one more year of confidence and knowing that we’ve played together for a year, that’s huge.”
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