Fast Improving Outlaws are right on track
Some coaches might
not be happy with a record of three wins and eight losses, but Sisters High
School varsity softball coach Tom Mauldin wasn’t looking for wins and losses
during the team’s recently-completed pre-league schedule. He was looking at
player development.
“I was looking for competitors and we were developing fastpitch softball
skills,” said the first-year Outlaw coach. “We started the season timid, a step
slow, a little short on hustle and not very aggressive. In short, we weren’t
very competitive or confident. Our aggressive pre-league schedule and the girls
hard work ethic has changed that.”
The coach says the squad is quicker, more focused and competitive.
“We’ve played some real good teams and we’ve grown. We still have a lot of work
to do, but considering the things we’ve accomplished, well ... let’s just say a
lot of people are feeling good,” said Mauldin.
Consider this:
– The Outlaws have five girls batting over .300;
– The Outlaws are becoming a better bunting team each and every day;
– The Outlaws recorded the first shutout victory in school history with a 4-0
win over Astoria;
– The Outlaws have cut their error ratio from their first five games in half as
compared to their last six games.
“And most importantly, they are becoming battlers. Even if the other team gets a
lead, we’ve battled back. And when the other team tries to put us away, we’re
not letting them like we did the first week of the season,” said Mauldin, who is
assisted this season by Mark Bremer.
The Outlaws played Tillamook on March 27 – losing twice 5-2 and 4-2 - but led in
both games into the fifth inning. Tillamook is the only unbeaten 4A team in
Oregon. The coaches said the games were a turning point.
Mauldin said, “We made a critical miscue in each game that opened a door for
Tillamook. They are a proven team, making the playoffs almost annually. Good
teams take advantage of openings and they always keep battling. They play smart
softball. They bunted well against us ... they reacted a little bit better and
proved victoriously for them. It also was an important part of our maturation. I
look forward to playing them again and expect a different outcome.”
The Outlaws followed the Tillamook twin bill with a trip to Willamette
University to watch the Bearcats lose twice to OIT.
“The girls watched and learned at that game,” said Mauldin. “Other players might
have spent their time text messaging or being distracted, but these girls
focused and took something away.”
The college game was followed by the two wins over Astoria, then a narrow 6-5
loss to 5A-ranked Madras and a 10-5 loss to Central, ranked in the top 5 among
4A teams in the state and owners of a 12-2 record.
In the Outlaws four games at home on March 30 and 31, both Courtney Overstreet
and Jenna Sneva collected eight base hits, Jenny Kaiser got her bunts down and
picked up a key slap hit, Stoneback hit well and struck out 12 in limiting
Astoria to two hits and Hillary Renz allowed Astoria only one hit in the
school’s first shutout.
Thusly, optimism is high as the Outlaws open Sky-Em League play on April 3 at
Elmira – defending state champions. The girls will host highly-ranked Marist on
April 5.
Mauldin said that while five players - Sneva, Overstreet, JJ Ashley, Bremer and
Stoneback - are hitting over .300, the squad needs more consistent contact from
the rest of the lineup.
“And we’re still about a step slow with our hustle. We had three plays where
effort was less than 100 percent on Saturday and each time the other team
scored. When you consider we lost one game by one run, you see how important
that 100-percent hustle is ... always and without exception. That’s what good
teams do. That’s what separates non-playoff teams from playoff teams.”
“We’re close and we get closer every day,” said Mauldin. “I like the steps we’ve
been taking and am optimistic for our level of competitiveness in the Sky-Em
League.”
Prior to Spring Break, the Outlaws played five games in six days.
Getting 17 hits in a double header against LaPine is just what the doctor
ordered for the Sisters High School varsity softball team. And 10 of those hits
came in the first game of a March 17 doubleheader leading to the Outlaws’ first
win of the season, 9-6.
Until facing the Hawks of LaPine, the Gulls bats had been a bit on the quiet
side – collecting only 10 base hits in losses to 5A schools Mountain View
(Bend), Crook County (Prineville) and Summit (Bend).
The top half of the batting order produced the offense for the Outlaws with
Sneva, Ashley, Stoneback and Bremer hitting well.
In the win over LaPine, junior Stoneback struck out 12 and scattered seven hits.
Mauldin called it a gutty performance as Stoneback pitched with a sprained ring
finger on her pitching hand.
“That limited Sam to only two pitches and to get 12 strikeouts with just two
working pitches, gives you a good idea of her location,” said the coach, who
noted that her riseball, drop curve and drop were not thrown during the game.
Upcoming
Key Dates...
April 3 - Sky-Em League opener at Elmira;
April 5 - Host Marist at home;
April 17 - Pasta Feed/Silent Auction Fundraiser;
April 28 - Spring Marathon Game
Outlaw Softball - All Good, All Positive, All Team