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North sweeps postseason honors MT file photo North Medford pitcher Keri Sevano was nearly flawless this season in leading the Black Tornado to an unprecedented eighth straight SOC championship. She was joined by four other North players on the first team. Sevano and Binney are tabbed the top player and coach by the SOC By TIM PYLE Mail Tribune Proof of Keri Sevano's preeminence is in the numbers. The junior pitcher allowed just one earned run in 48 innings (a 0.19 ERA) of Southern Oregon Conference softball action this season, going 9-0 with five shutouts and seven complete games. She was the impetus behind North Medford High's drive to an eighth straight SOC crown and 13-1 conference record. And now, Sevano is the SOC's player of the year. She is joined on the honor roll by her head coach, Larry Binney, who is the conference coach of the year in his 20th - and final - season directing the Black Tornado. "Larry knows twice as much as all the rest of us combined, I think," Grants Pass head coach Clay Rounsaville says. A second-team all-conference selection last season, Sevano credits her team with her sterling success this spring. "My teammates behind me help me a lot," says Sevano, who is joined by four teammates - senior catcher Britney Hillyer, junior third baseman Corey Whitaker, junior outfielder Brandi Paxton and freshman outfielder Deni Rowley - on the SOC's first team. "Duke Anderson, my pitching coach, and (head coach) Larry Binney and (assistant) Rod Rumrey are great. ... And Britney Hillyer behind the plate is awesome." Binney, who has won 17 SOC title and three state championships at North, says Sevano's success stems from her approach. "She knows her limitations," Binney says. "She knows she's not an overpowering pitcher, so she has to hit spots and change speeds. "She's kind of a Greg Maddux in that she doesn't have the blazing fastball but relies on intelligence and control to do the job." Sevano is 13-1 overall this season heading into today's Class 4A first-round state-playoff game against Sunset at 4 p.m. at Fagone Field. "I love to go to my change," says Sevano, who moved to the Rogue Valley from Southern California in the middle of seventh grade. "I like to play a lot of mind games and kind of throw it where they're least expecting it." Hillyer, who is headed to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) to play softball next year, calls her own pitches. She is a first-team all-SOC catcher for the third consecutive season. "To make all-conference three years, that hasn't happened to a lot of people," Binney says. "She definitely commands a lot of respect throughout the league with her defensive ability. ... We've relied on her leadership." The only other repeat first-team selection is Crater senior outfielder Leann Foster, who helped the Comets claim the SOC's third seed heading into the postseason. Crater opens at fourth-ranked Springfield, the Midwestern League champion, at 4:30 p.m. today. "She's been so consistent in her approach to the game," Comets head coach Chris Arnold says of Foster, his lone senior. "It's never wavered. It's real easy to see how important softball and her senior season have been to her. "Leading by example, she has really helped gel the team and get all the younger players on the same page." Grants Pass, which finished tied for third place with Crater but dropped a tiebreaking game to the Comets, is second to the Tornado with four first-team all-SOC selections. The Cavers, who won a subtournament game Friday for the right to play at No. 1-ranked Canby at 4:30 p.m. today, are represented on the first team by senior catcher Kathy Richard, junior first baseman Ashley Bellum, senior third baseman Amy Durbin and junior outfielder Clair Highfield. Second-place Roseburg, which hosts Gresham at 4 p.m. today, placed two players on the first team. Senior first baseman Shannon Burmeister and junior third baseman Megan Ruhn are the Indians' standouts. South Medford, a surprise fifth-place finisher in the SOC after going 1-13 in 2001, placed junior pitcher Darci Byrne on the first team. And Klamath Union also got one spot, with sophomore pitcher/utility Bess Fagan filling the designated hitter/utility slot. FIRST TEAM Pitcher - Keri Sevano, North Medford, Jr. Pitcher - Darci Byrne, South Medford, Jr. Catcher - Britney Hillyer, North Medford, Sr. Catcher - Kathy Richard, Grants Pass, Sr. Infield - Ashley Bellum, Grants Pass, Jr. Infield - Shannon Burmeister, Roseburg, Sr. Infield - Corey Whitaker, North Medford, Jr. Infield - Megan Ruhn, Roseburg, Jr. Infield - Amy Durbin, Grants Pass, Sr. Outfield - Clair Highfield, Grants Pass, Jr. Outfield - Deni Rowley, North Medford, Fr. Outfield - Brandi Paxton, North Medford, Jr. Outfield - Leann Foster, Crater, Sr. Designated Hitter/Utility - Bess Fagan, Klamath Union, So. PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Keri Sevano, North Medford, Jr. COACH OF THE YEAR - Larry Binney, North Medford SECOND TEAM Pitcher - Megan Beugli, Ashland, Jr. Pitcher - Jessica Morton, Grants Pass, Jr. Catcher - Cari Schruth, Roseburg, Jr. Catcher - Mickie Conley, South Medford, Sr. Catcher - Amie Mapes, Eagle Point, Sr. Infield - Crystal Huntley, Crater, Jr. Infield - Brin Tamblin, Grants Pass, Jr. Infield - Jackie Chaplin, South Medford, Fr. Infield - Jenna Graven, Ashland, Jr. Infield - Allison Rader, Roseburg, So. Outfield - Johanna deGroot, Klamath Union, So. Outfield - Justine Cerda, Grants Pass, Fr. Outfield - Shelley Hanson, Roseburg, Jr. Outfield - Laura Mitchell, Roseburg, Jr. Designated Hitter/Utility - Amber Gallego, Grants Pass, Jr. HONORABLE MENTION Pitchers - Brooke Charles, Roseburg, Jr.; Jamie Williams, Eagle Point, Jr.; Janelle Cristofaro, Crater, Fr.; Jenni Bittle, Crater, So. Catchers - Kelle Thomas, Crater, Jr. Infielders - Catherine Clason, Ashland, Sr.; Beth Morrill, North Medford, Jr.; Darcy Cordell, North Medford, So.; Angie Wright, Crater, Jr.; Brandy Wolter, Crater, Jr.; Steph Franklin, Grants Pass, Sr.; Ty Sutherland, Crater, Fr. Outfielders - Hanna Elliot, Ashland, Jr.; Denay Martin, Roseburg, Fr. Designated Hitters/Utilities - Jamie Williams, Eagle Point, Jr.; Jessica Sharpless, Roseburg, Sr. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.