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Lady Jacks look to move up conference ladder
Kurtis J. Wood/Post-Register
Shelan Lybbert dives for a ball during softball practice on Tuesday. Lybbert is slated as the team's shortstop.
The Lady Jacks softball team is going to have to play more inspired defense this season if it plans to move up from the eighth place it occupied at the end of the 2009 season. In their defense, the Lady Jacks brought a 4-15 league record into a loser-out contest against Prosser (9-9) and won 12-10 to get in to the district playoffs.
They lost both their district games to league contenders Othello and East Valley, but they bring back the majority of the team that found a way to earn a district berth. The Lady Jacks lost just one starter from last season in left fielder Alyssa Castro. That gives coach Bill Gonzales more than a handful of players back with at least one season of CWAC varsity experience.
“Really, I’ve got everybody back,” Gonzales said. “I’m hoping to play in the middle of the league or the upper half this year. Last year what happened was kind of an up and down season. We had a lot of mental errors - both on the field and batting.”
The defense begins with junior shortstop Shelan Lybbert. She returns to a position where she found some success late in the season.
“I moved her in from outfield to short, because we needed somebody to replace Lisa (Hearst) and she looked like the best candidate for it. She’s real comfortable there and she did a lot of weight lifting in the offseason,” Gonzales said. “She’s more confident, she’s not hesitant and her throwing and defense has really improved. I think she is going to be our mainstay there.”
On her right will be either seniors Rachel Lindell or Christina Figueroa or freshman Cheyenne Hyer. Lindell and Figueroa each had shots at the corner last year, but never secured the role full time.
“Third base is probably Lindell or Figueroa, but the Hyer girl is making a good bid for it,” Gonzales said.
On the opposite corner, left-handed Adrianna Zamarron will play first base, while Amanda Rosales, Madison Petersen or Berniz Reyes will play second base. The mix on the right side of the infield depends on who is called to the circle.
“(Petersen) had a real good year last year as a freshmen - bat wise, aggressiveness and she maintains that this year. She had a year of seasoning last year, so she will be pretty good this year,” Gonzales said.
Rosales enters her fourth and final season as a Quincy pitcher and Zamarron enters her third season. Behind the plate will be Brenda Fregosa and backed up by Aurorah Davis.
“Amanda has been on our varsity squad pitching for the last four years and I am really looking for her to improve on last year's performance. She kind of was our bad luck pitcher last year. She would throw pretty good, but it seemed like the errors on our team would mount up. If we get our errors down and get more patient at the plate, we could be right there. We need to give our pitchers a fighting chance. We had too many games we should have won that we didn’t have that opportunity,” Gonzales said. “Amanda and Arianna are both pretty strong.”
In the outfield, sisters Dayanna and Marisol Lopez will be battlting for a position with Suzy Diaz and Areceli Serrano.
“The two Lopez girls are coming around in leaps and bounds. Last year was a learning experience, because it was their first year playing and it took them by surprise. But this year we have people to back them up,” Gonzales said.
The ability to play better defense and better overall softball is in the squad. Gonzales believes his team can make a little more noise in the CWAC this season.
“I’ve really been pleased with most of the kids this year. We aren’t teaching, we are carrying on from last year. We are going to be a pretty good little ball club,” he said.
“Hopefully we can surprise some people this year. Hopefully!”
