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Veteran North Medford chases crown North Medford senior pitcher Rylan Austin is 24-1 with an ERA of 2.10. [LARRY STAUTH JR./FOR THE MAIL TRIBUNE] Friday Jun 2, 2017 at 6:19 PM Jun 2, 2017 at 6:19 PM Tim Trower Mail Tribune @MTsports North Medford’s senior softball players got a taste of the big time when, as freshmen, the Black Tornado advanced to the state championship game. Now they’re back for seconds and are undoubtedly seeking a more-palatable outcome. Third-seeded North Medford (29-1) faces No. 5 Westview (27-4) for the Class 6A crown at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Oregon State University softball complex in Corvallis. It’s the first time the Black Tornado has been back to the final since 2014, when South Salem pinned a 5-3 loss on it. “I think the unique thing about this team is we have nine seniors,” said North Medford coach Mike Mayben. “We’re a very veteran team. The kids have been to Oregon State, they’ve been in that game as freshmen, they’ve had that experience of having that deep run in the playoffs and getting to the state title game.” Five members of the current team were on the roster. “This was something they believed they could do regardless of what people thought of them,” said Mayben. “They innately had the desire to push themselves and see what they could do and try to get to June 3.” North Medford, winner of 17 straight, is in the championship game for the fourth time in six years. It won titles in 2012 and ‘13 before being denied a three-peat — which would have been the first in 27 years — in 2014. Last year, it lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Jesuit. The year before, the Black Tornado was eliminated in the second round. Overall, the program has been in nine title contests, winning seven — including one in 1984 as Medford High. If there was a reason to question North Medford’s ability to get this far, it would have been an unsettled pitching situation as the season unfolded. In a sport in which one dominant pitcher can carry a team, the Black Tornado turned to a two-year starter and all-league shortstop, Rylan Austin, to man the circle. The senior’s rapid development was a crucial piece of the puzzle. “For her,” said Mayben, “this was really a true sacrifice. She gave up a position she loved to play to help the team.” For the first month, Austin worked to find her footing. By the end of the year, said Mayben, “she became a real pitcher.” The right-hander is 24-1 with an ERA of 2.10. She went from being a thrower to developing a variety of pitches and becoming adept at locating them. She’s done so to the point, said Mayben, “where she can take a really good hitting team and make them average.” Her evolution solidified this whole-is-greater-than-its-parts team. “We don’t have a single player who’s that exceptional, Division-I talent,” said Mayben. “But this is as deep a team as I’ve ever had, and they enjoy playing with each other.” In particular, three players have been cogs, routinely executing at the plate to keep the machine rolling. Austin, the batter, is one of them, consistently coming up with clutch hits. Power hitter Ashley Ripplinger has shown a deft touch when required to move teammates over. Taelor Mayben, the coach’s daughter, has been one of the team’s hottest hitters in the playoffs. “I could name all the kids,” said coach Mayben. “They’ve all contributed. But really, those three, we don’t get here if they aren’t doing what they do.” Austin and Mayben are each hitting over .500 and lead the team in several categories. Austin (.533) has 48 RBIs, and 22 of her 56 hits have been doubles. Mayben (.509) has 48 runs and 23 stolen bases to go with 33 RBIs. Olivia Lethlean is batting .439, with 40 runs and 18 steals; Mahal Miles .425; Alex Barry .406, with 28 RBIs and 46 runs; and Ripplinger .398, with 39 RBIs, 26 runs and three of North Medford’s seven home runs. The Black Tornado is hitting .421 as a team and has only 72 strikeouts in 1,025 plate appearances. It has scored in double figures 19 times, tallied nine runs in two others and eight in another. In its previous game on Tuesday, North Medford scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and edged No. 7 Tualatin, 4-3, in the semifinals. The Black Tornado takes on a Westview team that also has players who’ve been in the title game and are coming off a monumental semifinal victory. Westview eliminated top-seeded Oregon City 7-1 on Tuesday in a fairly stunning performance. The Wildcats amassed 10 hits, including five for extra bases, against hard-throwing junior Morgan Hornback, regarded as the state’s top pitcher and a University of Oregon commit. This is Westview’s third time in the championship contest. It won the title in 2004, and in 2015 — with a roster that included a number of current players — the Wildcats lost 10-0 to Tualatin in the final. Tualatin, the team North Medford beat in the semifinals, is responsible for one of Westview’s losses this year, a 12-5 decision in March. “They won what a lot of people feel is the best conference in the state,” said Mike Mayben of the Metro League. “That says a lot about them as a program.” Against Oregon City’s ace, Kelsey Day and Natalie Munson had two-run home runs, Day added a double and Ananya Koneti rapped two hits. Westview’s hitters have benefited from assistant coach Jackie Rowe pitching live batting practice all season. Rowe pitched Oregon Tech to the NAIA national title in 2011. “I know they’ll be an exceptional hitting team,” said Mayben. “Watching the scores of their games and reading the articles, you get a feel for where they’re at. All that says they’re a very confident team that can hit the ball as well as any team we’ve seen this spring.” Freshman Mia Patino does the pitching for the Wildcats. The right-hander has shown uncommon poise for a rookie and uses an array of offerings to keep hitters off-balance. Included are a riseball and changeup that serve as a debilitating one-two punch. Against Oregon City, she allowed five hits, fanned four and walked one. Mayben acknowledged that his players have a nervous energy about them, and they’ve fed off that in spirited practices. “There’s no tomorrow,” he said. “Now they get to go play.” Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 541-776-4479 or [email protected]