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Young Grizz softball team looking for sweeps By Chris Miller Ashland Daily Tidings The Ashland High softball team will throw out its first pitch of the Southern Oregon Conference season Saturday, hosting Klamath Union at North Mountain Park. The Grizzlies are looking to get back on track after going 2-6 in a turbulent preseason that saw them post big wins and big losses. The Grizz started off the year by stomping Yreka (Calif.) on March 18, 7-0 at home. But spring break decimated the ranks, as the girls went on a five-game losing streak capped by an 8-0 home loss to Class 3A Phoenix. "We had a rough preseason," head coach Rich Beugli said. "We had 20 different girls playing on varsity due to kids leaving for spring break." Beugli said that getting players that would normally not see varsity action for a year or two into a game will probably reap benefits down the road. But, he added, this year's team will need to come together quickly to do well in the always-tough SOC. "We just got the team back last Monday in full," he said. "It was very frustrating (playing) with all of the girls gone, now we have to play catch-up. The SOC is not an easy conference, you can't make mistakes." Preseason predictions from a coaches poll show the Grizz picked to finish in sixth place, exactly where they ended their 2002 campaign. North Medford is again the overwhelming favorite, and Saturday's opponent, KU, was picked to finish dead last. Beugli is not overlooking Saturday's games, and with good reason. The Pelicans have the two-time All-SOC utility player in junior Bess Fagan. And, they have gone undefeated in the preseason. "Bess is their key," Beugli said. "And their coach (Kristi Sturgeon), she knows how to teach softball. They're 7-0." Last year the Grizz and Pelicans split the doubleheader in Klamath Falls. The Grizz took the opening game, but, continuing a season-long trend, they couldn't complete the sweep. For the Grizzlies to be successful and improve on their sixth-place SOC finish, Beugli said his team needs to minimize their defensive miscues. "In a seven-inning game you have 21 outs," Beugli said. "We have a tendency to give 28 to 30 outs, and that makes it hard to win ball games." With such a young team this year, the Grizz will need every player to contribute to make the playoffs, as Beugli didn't single out any players as his keys to winning. "It's a team concept," he said. "We have to limit the other team's opportunities and we have to execute offensively." Even though the Grizz were spanked a couple times in the preseason, they did play well in some close games with a freshman-laden squad. They dropped back-to-back contests to Sheldon, but were in both games before falling 7-5 and 6-5. On March 29, they lost a hard-fought battle to Hillsboro, 1-0. Beugli said the Grizzlies' future looks bright. He was impressed by the play of freshmen Bailey Hasty, Jona Peters and Emily McLaughlin. "We had some freshman play that we didn't really know what they could or couldn't do," Beugli said. "And they all showed they have a lot of potential." The Grizz schedule doesn't give them much time for improvement. After Saturday's opener, they face the conference-favorite North Medford Black Tornado in Medford, Tuesday at 4 p.m. Then a week from Saturday, the Grizz host the second-rated Crater Comets at North Mountain Park. Last season, the Grizz handed the Comets their first defeat, taking Game 1 of the doubleheader in Central Point on a drizzly day, 1-0. Ashland nearly swept, before Crater broke open the nightcap, winning 6-2 to salvage the split. Rogue River is Ashland's April 17 opponent, as the Grizz get a break from the SOC schedule. They return to conference action on Saturday the 19th, when they take the team bus north to take on the fourth-ranked Roseburg Indians - the only team that swept the Grizz last season. Ashland finishes off April on the 26th, traveling to seventh-ranked Eagle Point for a noon doubleheader. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -