Kentwood senior Bailey Marshall has high expectations for the fastpitch team this year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Marshall, an infielder and co-captain, said the Conquerors need to be focused this season to accomplish their goals among them included going back to the 4A state tournament for the first time since 2009.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Kentwood will need to do considerably better than the 7-9 South Puget Sound League North division record it\u2019s posted the past two seasons.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
That starts this year with being focused, she said, and working as a team.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year what killed us was injuries,\u201d Marshall said. \u201cWe thought, \u2018This is was our year, this was our year.\u2019 So, we went all out and by the end of the year we had three or four stars who were injured.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Marshall was among the hurt players after she suffered a knee injury late in the season. She had surgery after the injury then needed to have surgery again in December so she is just returning to the diamond in recent weeks.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
She is also among a core group of seniors \u2014 Jalynn Rohweder, Kylie Goodwin, Bethany Pfaff, Marshall, Shian Kelly, Rachel Burr \u2014 who have played together for four years which includes co-captain and senior catcher Allison Newcomb.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a lot of talent this year,\u201d Newcomb said. \u201cWe have new talent this year, freshmen who we didn\u2019t expect this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
When Marshall and Newcomb were freshmen, both the junior varsity and varsity went 15-1, with the varsity winning the league title.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
That was the last time Kentwood went to state.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Getting back, Marshall said, is<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cdefinitely a goal.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Along the way, though, Kentwood will have to battle Thomas Jefferson and standout pitcher Katie Jackson.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
This season will look different than the past two in many ways, not just the possibility that the Conquerors will get back to state, but that the Raiders and the Conks will likely be battling it out for the SPSL North crown instead of Tahoma and Kentlake which shared the league title in 2010 and 2011.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited for us to be up there the whole season,\u201d Newcomb said. \u201cWe both have great pitching.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to note, Newcomb said, that Kentwood can\u2019t focus on Jefferson and overlook other teams in the North. She pointed out that Kentridge will be good.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all excited (to play TJ),\u201d Newcomb said. \u201cThat\u2019s going to be a good game. And so is Kentlake.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Marshall echoed that sentiment.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cYou definitely can\u2019t discount Kentlake,\u201d Marshall said. \u201cEven Tahoma, they\u2019re young, but they may surprise the league.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
And Newcomb is looking forward to playing Kentlake, which has a new coach this season, but returned a number of players.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
With the parity, it will be important for the team to work hard in practice, something Newcomb said she and Marshall are focused on this year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have new goals this year,\u201d Newcomb said. \u201cWe have different ways we plan to run practice and games. We have different drills. We\u2019re working harder inside when we hit. We need to have a mentality of wanting to go to state.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Kentwood lost two seniors to graduation so the team which nearly made it to state last year returns all of its core pieces with some new freshman talent.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been young,\u201d Marshall said. \u201cThis year, I think it\u2019s just unfinished business. This year will be a big year.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Marshall added that she learned a lot as freshman from the seniors she played with then.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThe senior class that year, honestly, they were intense,\u201d she said. \u201cBack when we were freshmen, we were scared of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
That intensity, though, the energy those seniors brought to the field was a key factor in the success Kentwood had then. Marshall thinks it could be the key for the Conks this year, too.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWatching last year, I got to see what worked and what didn\u2019t work,\u201d she said. \u201cThe biggest thing is energy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It helps, too, that one of the crop of \u201cstud freshmen\u201d is a pitcher who can allow senior Bethany Pfaff to take a game off from her duties in the circle once in a while, Marshall said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard having one pitcher,\u201d she said. \u201cSo, having options will be nice.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Newcomb said she is confident in what the Conks can accomplish this season.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to go far,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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