2015 State A Softball Preview

| May 21, 2015 12:56 PM

by John Heglie

The 2015 rendition of the Polson Lady Pirates enter the State A foray having compiled a 16-7 record thus far. Team LP went 5-3 in NWA divisional play, 3-1 at the jamboree format Belgrade “First Pitch” Softball Invitational, 1-1 at the Frenchtown Invitational, 4-0 at the Butte “LaVerne Combo” Softball Invitational and 3-2 against other regular schedule nonconference competition.

Factor out a quintet of cross classification contests would adjust their record to 14-4. Of that quartet of losses, two were against top-seeded teams Frenchtown and Hamilton, another to NWA third-seed Libby and the fourth was against NWA Columbia Falls, which was locked out of the tournament after leading the conference until the final two weeks of the schedule.

Among their 16 wins are included a trio of favorable decisions over top tier opponents: 7-6 over Belgrade, 5-4 over Billings Central and 4-3 over Frenchtown. The Lady Pirates have accrued a 9-3 record against teams featured in this year’s state tournament, which statistically bodes well for them advancing to play another day at the very least.

While the Lady Pirates returned a core of senior leadership at the beginning of the season, they were relatively young and untested at other positions in their early going. As the schedule has progressed, the team has added to their recipe the seasoning that comes from experience and reforged their identity into a more cohesive group as they have gained confidence in each other to adjust to meet the challenges posed by their opponents. This assessment would seem to be borne out by a comparison of the two halves of the schedule. The earlier rendition of team LP were 9-6 as of the end of April, but they are 7-1 during the course of the month of May.

2015 POLSON LADY PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES

SEASONED SENIORS

volleyball all-state, thrice all-conference (1st-tm 2014-13, 2nd-tm 2012) and softball 14U ASA 2011 state champion, all-conference 1st-team senior centerfielder Jaiden Toth (36H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 20RBIs, .429AVG, 28R) has honed versatile switch hitting capabilities into her batting repertoire, allowing her slap-bunt her way on base from either side of the plate. Her acceleration may not ripple the air like the the Flash of comic strip lore, but her wheels churn fast enough to place this speedster on board soon enough, often beating out the defensive coverage to put her on the basepath.

J.Toth MHSA 2015-12 career (4yr) - .352AVG, 86H, (10)2B, (2)3B, 59RBI, 76R

J.Toth ASA 16U 2013-12 career (2yrs) - .463AVG, 63H, (8)2B, (1)3B, 20RBI, 47R with Polson Purple Rain

Playing first base is 14U ASA 2011 state champion, all-conference 1st-team senior infielder Kaelen Wall, whose strong arm and quick reflexes often factor into the fortunes of the Lady Pirates in either half of an inning. A sampling of her offensive prowess was on display at the Butte Tournament last season during which she hit 11-14 from the plate that included a half dozen extra base hits along with 15RBIs.

K.Wall MHSA 2015-13 career (3yrs) - .386AVG, 78H, (9)2B, (6)3B, 11HR, 64RBIs, 68R,

K.Wall ASA 16U 2012-13 career (2yrs) - .394AVG, 43H, (5)2B, (4)3B, 27 RBIs, 32R with Polson Purple Rain.

Shoring up the left quadrant of the infield is 14U ASA 2011 state champion, all-conference 2nd-team, Dawson Community College-bound senior third base infielder Taylor Brackey (.400AVG, 32H, 5 2B 1 3B, 1HR, 17RBI, 29R) whose golden glove capabilities and accurate throwing arm have erased numerous potential extra base hits. Taylor sometimes seems capable of shifting gears into the equivalent of an altered state of consciousness when she morphs into what some have dubbed “Brack-attack” mode, elevating the level of her game to match the level of the competition like when she uncorked a pair of home runs against AA Kalispell Glacier pitching last season.

T.Brackey MHSA 2015-13 (3yrs) - .347AVG, 61H (10)2B, (4)3B, 3HR, 41RBIs, 61R

T.Brackey ASA 16U 2014-12 career (3yrs) - .390AVG, 71H, (14)2B, (1)3B, 1HR, 49 RBIs, 54R with Polson Purple Rain.

Behind the plate is 14U ASA 2011 state champion senior catcher Sarah Rausch (.387AVG, 24H, (5)2B, 3HR, 29RBI, 19R), who provides the Lady Pirate lineup with a seasoned component of their crucial pitching battery. Renowned for her defensive capabilities and versatility as a utility player over previous seasons, the offensive punch of Rausch has been on the upward ascent this season, more than doubling her number of hits that include an exponential increase for those going for extra bases.

S.Rausch MHSA 2015-12 cumulative (4yrs) - .299AVG, 43H, (7)2B, 4HR, 51RBI, 47R

S.Rausch ASA 16U 2014-13 career (25gms) - .275AVG, 14H, (1)2B, 7RBIs, 12R, 51AB.

Patrolling the corners of the outfield is basketball all-conference honorable mention and softball 14U ASA 2011 state champion senior outfielder Skyla Krantz (.385AVG, 25H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 22RBI, 23R), who has a good eye at the plate and quick acceleration on the base path. One highlight reel play of the season entailed beating out a dropped third strike against Frenchtown with two out, which allowed a bonus run to cross the plate that would have otherwise been negated.

S.Krantz MHSA 2015-12 cumulative (3yrs) - .370AVG, 37H, (5)2B, (1)3B, 24RBI, 29R

S.Krantz ASA 16U 2014-12 career (3yrs) - .380AVG, 62H, (3)2B, 2HR, 22RBIs, 37R, 163AB with Polson Purple Rain.

CRUCIAL COMPLEMENTARY CONTRIBUTORS

Shoring up the infield is 10U ASA 2009 state champion, all-conference (2nd-tm ut 2013) junior infielder Hannah “HP” Potter (.439AVG, 25H, 9 2B 3HR, 22RBI, 24R), a gem of a fielder with a glove that seems like it possesses vacuum cleaner-like suction capability for intercepting the trajectory of potential hits. The initials which derive from her name provide a multiple entendre acronym associated with some of her capabilities - the hefty punch she packs with her bat, the hammerin potential of any given swing or being awarded a base on account of being hit by a pitch. Potter has further honed the quality level of her play by supplementing her season with summer ASA softball. The status of Potter’s participation in the tournament remains questionable on account of unanticipated developments that sidelined her the final week of the regular schedule.

H.Potter MHSA 2015-13 cumulative (3yrs) - .380AVG, 70H, (16)2B, 10HR, 66RBI, 80R .

H.Potter ASA16U 2013 season (1yr) - .300AVG, 21H, (2)2B, 1HR, 12RBIs, 20R with Polson Purple Rain.

Roving among the corners of the outfield is 14U ASA 2011 state champion, all-conference honorable mention junior outfielder Lydia Dupuis (.295AVG, 18H, (3)2B, 13RBI, 27R), a speedy slap bunter whose proficiency has been on the upward ascent. Dupuis’s quickness is an asset both in the field at the defensive end of the spectrum and on the base paths when the Lady Pirates want to push the pace.

L.Dupuis MHSA 2015-14 season (2yrs) - .310AVG, 35H, (7)2B, (1)3B, 23RBI, 47R

L.Dupuis ASA 16U 2014-13 cumulative (2yrs) - .278AVG, 30H, (2)2B, 7RBIs, 22R, 108AB

Whether freshman shortstop Kaelyn Smith (.386AVG, 22H, 5 2B, 2 3B, 14RBI, 24R) has spent much time around cats is an unknown, but she sometimes seems to exhibit some of their qualities such as quick eye-paw reflexes, range and acceleration speed. One of the more memorable highlight reel plays of the season involved Smith launching into an airborne dive to reach first base ahead of the coverage after batting the ball into play during a scoreless tie against Frenchtown, just beating out the infield defender with her reach in a manner that would have done justice to some of the stunt sequences that will likely be featured on the upcoming CBS TV show Supergirl.

K.Smith ASA 16U 2014 season (21gms) - .491AVG, 28H, (2)2B, 1HR, 16RBI, 12R

Sophomore pitcher Camas Renault (12-3) enjoyed playing catcher in earlier seasons because those players get more chances to throw people out. Consequently, Renault embraces her role on the mound because the position provides ample opportunity to throw a lot more people out when one is hitting their spots and painting the corners. Renault further enhances her mound work with a penchant for defensive acumen, fielding the ball back after releasing her a pitch for 29 put outs.

C.Renault LPJV 2014 season (1yr) - .362AVG, 17H, (3)2b, (1)3B, 19R.

Sophomore pitcher/utility Haley Fyant (.375AVG, 9H, 1 2B, 1HR, 13RBI, 4R) is a versatile utility player who can supplement the Lady Pirate lineup at multiple positions, but lends greater depth with her pitching capability from the mound. Fyant was part of the roster of the14U Missoula Lady Osprey Delridge squad which finished 2013 State ASA runnerup that season.

H.Fyant ASA 16U season (1yr) - .244AVG, 10H, (2)2B, 7RBI, 4R

H.Fyant LPJV season (1yr) - .417AVG, 20H, (3)2B, (1)3B, 17R.

ALTERNATES & AUXILARY RESERVES

Sophomore utility Hannah Fryberger (.391AVG, 9H, 1 2B, 4HR, 17RBI, 14R) has played chiefly in a reserve capacity in relief of starters due to her versatility, but the proficiency she has exercised has raised her stock value as the season has progressed. Fryberger has drawn a trio of starting assignments this season and has clocked a home run in each of those outings. She was among a trio of junior varsity players last season who hit north of a .500 average and tied for second most extra base hits.

H.Fryberger LPJV 2014 season - .286AVG, 12H, (1) 2B, 14R in 16U ASA 2014 / .509AVG, 31H, (7)2B, 25R in JV)

Sophomore utility/designated hitter Ashley Benson (.286AVG, 12H, 3 2B, 4RBI, 16R) had the highest batting average on the junior varsity squad last season and the second highest average at the plate last summer. A.Benson MHSA 2015-14 partial (2yr) – .271AVG, 23H, (5)2B, 11RBI, 30R

A.Benson ASA 16U 2014 season (1yr) - .339AVG, 20H, (5)2B, 11RBI, 12R.

A.Benson LPJV 2014 season (1yr) - .551AVG, 27H, (6)2B, (1)3B, 23R.

Freshman outfielder Laurel Bitterman (.333AVG, 3H 1 2B, 4RBI, 18R) injects the lineup with a dose of high-octane speed on account of the acceleration she can exhibit when distance needs to be covered quickly.

L.Bitterman ASA 16U season (1yr) - .229AVG, 11H (1)2B, (1)3B, 6RBI, 8R.

Freshman utility Quinn Motichka (.600AVG, 3H, 3RBI, 2R) is another versatile player who can play multiple positions as well as injects the basepaths with another dose of speed.

TOURNAMENT ANALYSIS & OUTLOOK

Veteran 28th year head coach Larry Smith, 5th year assistant coach Don Toth and volunteer assistant coach Abby Connolly endeavor to navigate the Lady Pirates through the turbulent waters of postseason play as they steer this voyage around potential perils and pitfalls in pursuit of the coveted treasure of championship hardware. Despite the challenges, Smith remains optimistic about Polson postseason prospects: “The girls are coming together…. They’ve started believing in themselves as well as each other, which is important. We’re playing better ball at this point of the season and can only get better since they haven’t reached their peak as of yet.”

One barometer which weighs in favor of Polson having a productive outing at State is their preceding performance at the Butte tournament two weeks earlier. The quartet of top tier NWA division teams went a combined 15-0 against mainly Eastern and Central opponents, collectively outscoring those teams 156-38. Tournaments teams likely breathed a collective sigh of relief that only three teams gain berths to compete at State, factoring one of those teams out of the equation by process of elimination. The Lady Pirates themselves outscored their opponents 45-7 on the strength of 57 hits that included 15 for extra bases, generating a cumulative 39 RBIs over that weekend. Granted, one of their opponents is not represented among State tourney entrys, which would reduce their numbers somewhat to 25-7.

In comparison to preceding tournament performances, the Lady Pirates cumulatively outscored their opposition in 2014 by a margin of 55-5 on the strength of 63 hits, in 2013 by a margin of 56-7 on 57 hits, in 2012 by a margin of 53-6 on 76 hits and in 2011 by a margin of 53-14 on 48 hits. Those numbers are sufficiently comparable to defensibly project that Polson should be in the mix in the latter going of bracket progression.

The Lady Pirate have played a dozen games against teams represented at this year’s tournament. Their record after regular scheduled encounters stands at 4-0 against Central A teams, 1-0 against an Eastern A representative, 2-1 against SWA teams and they split 2-2 against NWA Division opponents. Scoring-wise, the head-to-head run ratio stands at 33-10 over Central A teams, a 5-4 nail biter over their Eastern A opponent, a close 31-27 over SWA teams, but a negative 13-17 run differential against fellow NWA contenders. The Lady Pirate record against top-seeded teams only stands at 3-2 in their favor with a run differential of 32-42 going the other way. Their trio of wins were within a single run, whereas the pair of loses were by larger margins, although it should be noted that both of those games were played earlier in the schedule before the team began to hit its stride.

What an analysis of these numbers suggests is supportive of what most softball followers already know. The Northwestern A Division fields a strong trio of contenders and that clashes between top seeds or top seeds versus NWA teams are liable to be the least predictable as to their outcome.

But it would be inadvisable to overlook the intangibles, such as a team gelling at just the right moment in conjunction with team underperformance or surprises of an unexpected nature. In the 2013 tournament, eventual champion Frenchtown was almost relegated to the consolation bracket, trailing by a run in their opener against Anaconda in the bottom of the seventh. Morgan Ray at the plate hit a hard liner into the outfield, which was initially heading right into the glove of the outfielder for an out, but rather ricocheted off the leather and over the fence for a two run homer and the walkoff win. Such plays can tilt the outcome another direction and swing the hinges of fortune from triumph into predicament in the blink of an instance. It is the unpredictable nature of such dynamics that provide the rationale for why fans look forward to the playing of such contests rather than concede the outcomes to teams who look statistically better on paper.