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Coe caught on fast at UO Hits nearly .400 By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN Missy Coe felt she needed a fresh start, a new challenge. The Pac-10 Conference, the highest level of college softball, was just the thing for the three-time all-state catcher from North Medford High. Coe, 18, and less than year removed from high school, shares the starting catching duties and also plays left field for the University of Oregon. Coe is off to a blazing start. Through Thursday and after 24 games, she was third on the team among regulars with a .397 batting average. Her defensive skills and handling of pitchers is also well beyond her years, says coach Rick Gamez. She's helped the Ducks to an 18-6 record and a No. 16 national ranking. Though she was primarily a left-handed slap-hitter under North Medford coach Larry Binney, Coe has added pop to her swing without losing the ability to hit for average. "Basically, he (Gamez) shortened my stride and lengthened my swing to a higher follow through," she says. "At first, I struggled with it. But one day, I went to practice and I had it down. "I never hit a home run over a fence in high school. Now, I have four and they are over longer fences against better pitching. It's great." Heading into a Friday tournament at Sacramento State, she was first on the team with nine doubles, second in hits with 31 and RBIs with 17 and tied for second in runs with 19. "Basically, what I wanted her to do was stay back on the ball and drive it more," says Gamez, adding that while it took Coe a while to adapt, she did catch on more quickly than most. "She looks like a catcher for us for four years," he says. "She's very intelligent and has good instincts for the game. She's also quick on her feet." The lure of Division I softball, specifically the Pac-10 brand, was the motivation she needed to see how good she can become, says Coe. She's finding out she can be very good. "It's amazing," says Coe of her improvement. "If you had told me I would do this in college softball as a freshman, I would have said no way. "I'm having a great time playing here. I love the field and the facility, and I wanted to be here after playing in the state championship game here two years ago." North Medford and Beaverton shared the state title that day, playing to a tie as darkness set in over Oregon's Howe Field. The tie was bittersweet, but a state crown last year "finished it off right for me," she says. When Coe signed a letter of intent to play for Oregon last spring, she knew she would be put to the test. "It all came together real well after kind of a rough start," says Coe. "I'm playing for a new coach and a coach who has a tradition of changing new players around as hitters." Coe's father, Dave, chased down two of her four home run balls as they flew out of the stadium against host Cal State-Northridge in a tournament last month. "He just kind of wanders around when I'm up (to bat)," says Coe. "This day, he was standing out in right field with my mom (Debbie). "I hit a line drive over the fence out there, and I could hear my mom screaming. I looked over and my dad was running after the ball. He got it, and he kept it." Later in the game, Coe bashed a solo homer to right field, giving Oregon a 6-5 lead in the seventh inning. "My dad and mom have seen all my home runs but one," says Coe. "It's really nice when they show up. It gives me extra confidence." Coe co-catches with junior Kelly Planche, taking the outfield when it's the latter's turn behind the plate. "It's strange to play left field," says Coe. "I've never played the outfield. You get a different perspective out there, and I worry about that. But I haven't missed any balls yet." Either in the outfield, behind the plate or with a bat in her hands. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.