Coach: Brittany Arredondo
Home Field: Ferndale High School
Last Season: 3-15 (2-10 Conference)
Key Losses: Shelby Hall (.226 OBP, 8 RBI), Sydney Randall (.429 AVG, .467 OBP, 4 RBI).
Top Returnees: P/IF Mackenna Holtrop, C Kendal Smith, CF/2B Lauren Bredeson, P Hannah Mattingley, IF Nicole Richards, UTL AnaReece Weston, OF Alyssa Willett.
Pitchers and Catchers: The Golden Eagles return junior Hannah Mattingley (51 IP, 35 K’s) and senior Mackenna Holtrop (37 IP, 35 K’s) from last year’s team, and they should also get a boost in the circle from freshman Payton Akers. Senior Kendal Smith (.302 AVG, .464 OBP, 12 R, 3 2B, 12 RBI, 12 BB) has great leadership skills and will play a big role in communicating with the different pitchers. Sophomore Vanessa Whitaker (.214 OBP, 4 R) will also log a fair share of innings behind home plate, which will free Smith up to play all over the diamond.
Infield: One of the things that excited Coach Arredondo about this year’s squad is the flexibility of her athletes. She has a lot of players that can fill in at a lot of different spots, so you might not always get the same infield every game. Junior AnaReece Weston (.268 OBP, 8 R, 2 2B, 6 RBI) was a vital part of last year’s team, and she is more than capable in the infield. Senior Nicole Richards (.250 AVG, .372 OBP, 8 R, 7 RBI) should return at first base, and Holtrop (.326 AVG, .446 OBP, 9 R, 4 2B, 7 RBI) will likely be at third base when she’s not pitching. Senior Kylee Reimers will be at second base.
Outfield: Sophomore Lauren Bredeson (.351 AVG, .385 OBP, 8 R, 4 RBI) had a strong freshman season, and she returns to center field, and might also get a look at second base. Senior Alyssa Willett (.313 OBP, 9 R, 6 RBI) is another returner that should be in left field, and the final spot in the outfield will likely be filled by whoever is swinging a hot bat at the time.
Final Analysis: Ferndale is a team that I feel will have one of the biggest improvements from last season to this season, record-wise. The biggest key will be throwing strikes, and timely hitting.
