Coach: Jim Emerson
Home Field: Sehome High School
Last Season: 18-6 (9-3 Conference)
Key Losses: Savannah Smith (.280 AVG, .344 OBP, 17 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 19 W, 167 IP, 266 K’s, 1.72 ERA), Megan Hall (.580 AVG, .637 OBP, 36 R, 16 2B, 8 HR, 44 RBI), Natalie Zender (.454 AVG, .490 OBP, 39 R, 7 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 22 RBI), Parker McAtee (.321 AVG, .418 OBP, 22 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 29 RBI).
Top Returnees: P/SS Maryellen Burfeind, OF/C Rachel Zender, OF Jessica Melvin, P/C/1B Kaia Little.
Pitchers and Catchers: Everyone involved with fastpitch will tell you how important it is to have a great pitcher and catcher. Everyone in the Northwest Conference will also tell you that Sehome had the best picther (Savannah Smith) and catcher (Megan Hall) combo last season. Already faced with having to replace those great players, the next pitcher in line, senior Lilly Rasmussen, won’t be able to play this season due to an injury. Coach Emerson will have to dig deep into his bag of tricks to make it all work, and luckily he has senior Maryellen Burfeind, who can do pretty much everything on the diamond. Sophomores Kaia Little (.254 AVG, .290 OBP, 9 R, 9 RBI, 4 2B) and Rachel Zender (.278 AVG, .394 OBP, 22 R, 11 RBI 4 2B) are both quality catchers with bright futures.
Infield: Once the Mariners are able to develop a second pitcher, Burfeind (.409 AVG, .480 OBP, 25 R, 23 RBI, 4 2B) can move back to shortstop. Little will also be at first base when she’s not behind the plate. Junior Haley Henderson is an athletic second baseman with good speed. Junior Kaylee Wilson can play at shortstop when Burfeind is in the circle.
Outfield: Senior Jessica Melvin (.247 AVG, .360 OBP, 14 R, 12 RBI) has tremendous speed and can cover a lot of ground in center field. Zender will return to left field when she’s not catching, and Wilson will play a lot in right field. Sehome will also look to a good group of sophomores and freshmen to fill out spots around the diamond.
Final Analysis: It will be a bit of a rebuilding year for the Mariners, but there’s a good core of players that will be easy to build around. Developing a second pitcher will be the biggest key, as moving Burfeind back to shortstop can really help the rest of the defense.
