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Unbeaten Cascade soars to top of 2A poll By GREG STILES Turns out Cascade Christian's window of opportunity might be wider than expected. There was a sense that if the Challengers couldn't get past the first round of the Class 2A baseball playoffs with 6-foot-4 left-hander Tim Alvarez, they might never get very far. But a year after Alvarez's graduation, the Challengers' prospects have never looked brighter. The Challengers have reeled off 17 wins without a loss, are ranked No. 1 in the latest 2A poll and are 8-0 in Southern Cascade League play with four games remaining. "In the fall, I started taking inventory of who we had and began thinking this could be our best team ever," says fourth-year Cascade Christian coach John Bruce. "At least there was the potential." "Most 2A teams don't have nine guys they can put on the field at one time that are bona fide baseball players and good athletes. For the first time since I've been here, we've got 10 guys that are not only good athletes, but have baseball experience." Alvarez pitched Cascade to more than 30 wins in his four years and carried a big chunk of the offensive load as well. He hit .627 and drove in 47 runs last year. His departure left a gaping hole. But the Challengers had a solid returning group of players led by all-state senior shortstop Don Jenkins and junior pitcher Brian Edwards. Three transfers -- senior Blane Newfield of Ashland and juniors Chad Harvey and Blake McCormick from North Medford -- have adequately filled the holes. "Even though we don't a 6-4 left-hander on the mound or at first base, overall I think we're better," Bruce says. "To a certain degree, our guys came to depend on Tim to pitch and knock people in. But with the three new guys and the others being a year older, this is a different team. We're getting more contributions from more people." Edwards, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound right-hander, has taken on the role of ace with authority. He is 8-0 this spring, allowing about one earned run per game, and 20-1 lifetime for the Challengers. The sidearmer was unbeaten with the Medford Mavericks American Legion team last summer. "He was honorable mention all-state and the only reason he wasn't higher was because he was a sophomore," Bruce says. "He throws as hard as anyone in the valley, has excellent control and has a slider that's tough to hit." Senior Aaron Beamish is the No. 2 starter and is 5-0. Junior catcher Nolan Roberts is a second-year starter with rifle-arm behind the plate. The other senior is right fielder Kyle Stutzman. Newfield, Blake McCormick, Jenkins and Edwards are all hitting better than .500 with the lowest regular in the lineup hitting .342. The batting averages are inflated playing the likes of Butte Falls, Prospect and other schools that have a hard time fielding enough players. "When you throw 1A schools into a league, you're losing competitive dates," Bruce says. "We're constantly in search of teams to play." The Challengers have played varsity/junior varsity mixes from a couple of Southern Oregon Conference schools and they swept a doubleheader from eighth-ranked Salem Academy -- a team Cascade may see again in the playoffs. "Our problem is that not many 3A schools want to play us," Bruce says. "We used to play Rogue River, Illinois Valley and Hidden Valley, but they don't want to play us any more." Bruce is hoping to play Phoenix, if an open date remains before the playoffs. The Challengers are well aware they came up short of their own expectations in recent playoffs and months ago eyed June 3 -- the date of the state championship game -- as the finish line for this season. But first things first. "Hopefully, we'll get past the first round," Bruce says. "That will be a big victory for us. SECOND GO-AROUND -- Hans Voskes says he's enjoying his second tour of duty as Phoenix High's track coach as much as the first. Voskes coached the Pirates track and cross and country programs from 1978-90. He then coached Southern Oregon University's cross country team and served as an assistant and track coach until this year. All along he remained an employee of the Phoenix-Talent School District and most recently became a dean of students at Talent Middle School. "We've had a great season and the kids are all PRing," says Voskes. But the 48-year-old coach knows that it will take a while to go toe-to-toe with Henley's strong girls program or have a realistic shot at winning a Skyline Conference boys title. "Our goal is one step beyond that," Voskes says. "We want to get as many kids to state as possible." Voskes will spend the months ahead recruiting the hallways for talent. Spring soccer has drained away many of the youngsters that Voskes could've counted on a decade or more ago. "Especially the girls soccer clubs have effected us," Voskes says. "At a school the size of Phoenix where we share athletes with other sports, coaches expect kids to double-dip. We have 32 kids and we share some of those with soccer, softball, 4H and other things." For now, Voskes is eyeing a solid finish for his seniors. "One of our goal is for our seniors to finish on a high point," Voskes says. "We've been working on our mile relays and (triple jumpers) Bryon Monical (40-3) and Jennifer Bones (33-5) have been doing great things." WAIT AND SEE -- Ashland High's Kristeen Weiss is taking a wait-and-see approach to her softball coaching and teaching future. Husband Jeff Weiss was named Grants Pass' football coach last month and has been busily talking to potential assistant coaches and preparing for a June football camp. The Weisses have been looking at Grants Pass houses and getting a feel for a potential 45-mile, one-way commute. "There have been no decisions about my coaching or teaching," Kristeen Weiss says. "We're waiting until softball settles down.'' Weiss has taught at Ashland High for nine years, working with the softball program for for eight seasons. She's in her fifth season as head coach. Weiss says she isn't sure if she would take a year off, be a substitute teacher or do something outside of education if she leaves Ashland. One thing she knows for sure is that the family vacation planned for June has been preempted for the football camp. "We're having to change things around a little," she says. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA