Sean C. Morgan
The varsity softball team returns seven players this season and a lot of experience, along with a new but experienced coach.
Shane Cochrane has coached American Softball Association teams ages 10 through 18 for 14 years, teams that included this year’s Huskies.
“I’ve been around them since they were little babies,” Cochrane said. “No one in the district was interested, so I stepped in. It’s great. I’m having fun – glad I have the position and looking forward to starting games.”
He begins the year with three returning seniors. They include Katie Virtue, Emily Marchbanks and Molly Dadey.
Virtue and Marchbanks are four-year varsity players. Virtue will handle centerfield, and Marchbanks is the starting pitcher. Dadey is in her second year of varsity and will play left and right field.
Virtue and Marchbanks have already signed to play college softball, Virtue with Oregon Institute of Technology and Marchbanks with Clackamas Community College.
“We’re going to be looking for those two players to really step it up and bring their game,” Cochrane said.
They are joined by senior Kourtney Dixon, who will play outfield.
Returning juniors include McKenzie Cochrane at catcher, Natalie Thorpe at second base, Caytlin Gillespie at shortstop and Sierra Thayer in left field. All four are three-year members of the varsity.
“These juniors have been playing for a long time very competitive softball, and we’re looking for a lot of them to bring their game and knowledge,” Shane Cochrane said.
Joining varsity are sophomores Mackenzie Virtue at pitcher and left field, Maddee Hawken at right field and Molly Fisher at catcher and third base. Freshman Sarita Zanona will play at third base, and freshman Madi Barringer will play at first base.
They’re experienced, even the newcomers, Cochrane said. “They all know each other on and off the field. They get along great. They’ve got a lot of good team dynamics and character.”
They’re loaded with strengths and are tough on offense and defense, he said. They’re aggressive at the plate and running bases.
They have two power hitters and are working on a third, he said. “We’re stacked with speed.”
Marchbanks is looking really good at pitcher right now, Cochrane said. “She’s improved a lot in the last couple of years. She’s a top-ranked pitcher.”
“A couple of younger players who have starting positions will have to learn the pace of a varsity game,” he said, but they already have a lot of tournament experience in the ASA, and they’re playing alongside juniors and seniors who are experienced on the varsity field.
Last year, the Huskies finished fourth in league and won their play-in game at Douglas but lost a tight game to Henley in the first round of state playoffs.
Cochrane is looking for bigger things out of this team, he said, although the Sky-Em League will provide some challenegs.
“There’s a few teams we’re going to have to bear down and show up to play hard,” he said. The teams to beat will be Junction City and Elmira, but the Huskies are confident this year.
“We’re going to handle them,” Cochrane said. “We’re going to beat them.”
Sweet Home is better, older and more experienced than both of these schools, he said.
The Huskies have two goals this year, Cochrane said. “One of them is to make sure our team dynamics and our infrastructure stays intact. We perform as one solid team and we build off each other’s positives and negatives.”
Second, they intend to sweep the league, winning three times against each opponent, including Sisters, La Pine, Junction City, Elmira and Cottage Grove, for the league championship.
After league, “I think we’re close to being in the hunt,” Cochrane said. “It’s a shy possibility. Obviously, once playoffs start, we’ll take care of that business.”
Cochrane said he intends to continue coaching the team into the future and provide stability to the program.
The Huskies have had two different coaches over the past two years. The Sweet Home Softball Association will continue building the program through its traveling teams.
Cochrane is assisted by Steve Thorpe. Karyn Hartsook is coaching the junior varsity. She is assisted by KayDee McDaniel.
The junior varsity includes Sierra Douglas, Kiana Linases, Ciarra Tressel, Mikayla Spencer, Alex De Jonge, Lola Wingo, Kaitlynn Autry, Kaitlyn Poteet, Kira Long, Morgan Arreguin, Kallie Bertolet and Aaliyah Ruggiero.