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North the favorite once again North Medford coach Larry Binney returns from a one-year retirement with hopes of leading the Black Tornado to its eighth straight Southern Oregon Conference championship. Longtime Black Tornado coach Larry Binney returns, as North Medford takes aim at its eighth straight SOC crown Tim Pyle Larry Binney is back. His North Medford softball juggernaut, however, never left the top of the Southern Oregon Conference standings. After a one-year retirement, Binney is coaching again - for just this season, he insists - as the Black Tornado takes aim at its eighth straight SOC championship. Heading into the conference schedule, which begins Tuesday, league coaches have voted North Medford the SOC favorite, albeit by one- and three-point margins over Grants Pass and Roseburg, respectively. Rounding out the preseason coaches' poll, Crater is slated for fourth, Ashland is fifth, South Medford is sixth, Eagle Point seventh and Klamath Union eighth. Although the voting varied widely - North Medford (three), Grants Pass (three) and Roseburg (two) each received first-place nods - SOC coaches agreed that the league, overall, is as good as it has ever been. "There's no doubt in my mind that this is the deepest conference in the state," says Rich Beugli, Ashland's second-year head coach. "If you finish fourth, I think you have as good a shot to go deep in the playoffs as the first-place team." The fact that Beugli's Grizzlies are picked fifth reveals as much, for Ashland returns all of its starters from a team that finished third in the conference a season ago. "I think the team that wins it is gonna have three or four losses (in the 14 games played)," says fourth-year Grants Pass coach Clay Rounsaville. "It's that tough." Beyond grit, the common thread throughout the conference appears to be standout pitching. The top five teams in the preseason poll all have returning all-conference performers on the mound. North's ace is junior Keri Sevano, a second-team pick last season; Grants Pass has junior Jessica Morton, one of five returning first-team selections in the conference; Roseburg boasts senior Sara Jones, honorable mention in 2001; Crater hands the ball to sophomore Jenni Bittle, also honorable mention last spring; and Ashland's mound mainstay is junior Megan Beugli, who earned second-team all-SOC recognition a season ago. South Medford, with junior Darci Byrne, and Eagle Point, with junior Jamie Williams, have formidable aces of their own. "Everybody's got pitching," says Binney, who is in his 20th year directing either Medford or North Medford. "It's gonna be a lot of real close ballgames. I anticipate a lot of fairly low-scoring games, where teams are having to scratch out runs to win." The Black Tornado may be the slim SOC favorite because it has added former Henley star Krystal Young, the 2001 Skyline Conference player of the year, to its pitching stable. Sevano and Young could prove to be the conference's best 1-2 pitching punch. Grants Pass' duo of Morton and junior Amber Gallego is another potent tandem, but the rest of the contenders are seeking a second effective starter or will have to rely solely on their respective top gun. Of course, there is more to softball than pitching. And the SOC is loaded with talented players at other positions. North's returning first-team all-conference star is senior catcher Britney Hillyer, who will play at Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) next year. "I don't know of a better catcher in the state," Binney says of Hillyer, who will anchor the middle of the batting order. Surrounding Hillyer and the powerful pitching combination, the Tornado - which went 13-1 in SOC action last season under Sara Barry - has penciled in sophomore Darcy Cordell at shortstop, senior Beth Morrill at second base and junior Brandi Paxton in center field. Seniors Beth Rathburn and Megan Louie and junior Corey Whitaker also figure to be key contributors for a team that returns seven letter-winners but lost its starting infield aside from Hillyer. "A lot of players are still vying for those infield positions," says Binney, who may continue to experiment at first and third base well into the SOC campaign. "We expect to win the conference every year. ... Hopefully, our pitching and catching will carry us." Blending just three new starters into an experienced core, Grants Pass, 7-7 and fifth in the SOC in 2001, hopes to end North's reign. The Cavers have a solid senior catcher of their own, Kathy Richard, a second-team all-star last season. Add senior second baseman Steph Franklin, junior shortstop Brin Tamblin, junior outfielder Ashley Bellum and senior third baseman Amy Durbin to the equation, and Grants Pass is primed to return to the postseason with a top-four finish. "They've got experience, they've got talent, they have everything there they need to put it together," says Ashland coach Beugli. "And they have a lot of confidence." Rounsaville says the key for his team will be generating runs. "We could be right there (in the title hunt), most definitely," Rounsaville says. "I think we just have to produce a little bit of offense." But Rounsaville also says North, with Binney back, is an easy conference favorite. "Anybody who picks North Medford anything other than first is fooling themselves," says Rounsaville, who credits Binney with helping establish the Cavers' program. "Somehow, with that little magic dust (Binney) has, some way, North Medford's always on top." Roseburg, 12-2 and second in the SOC last spring, welcomes back six starters and 10 letter-winners. But the Indians have to replace graduated first-team all-staters Erin Goodell and Molly Liston, who carried the load in 2001. "I'm hoping for a much more balanced team than we've had in the past, when we've relied on three or four players," says third-year head coach Craig Munion. Junior catcher Cari Schruth, junior outfielder Amanda Otis and senior first baseman Shannon Burmeister provide a talented nucleus. Coupled with Jones and junior pitcher Brooke Charles, Roseburg impresses Binney, among others. "Roseburg's got good pitching, good defense and can generate some runs," says the North coach. Arriving from a three-year tenure as an assistant at The Dalles, Chris Arnold is Crater's new head coach. He inherits a roster that features seven returning starters and eight letter-winners overall from a squad that was fourth at 8-6 in the conference last season. The Comets' star is senior outfielder Leann Foster, who earned first-team all-SOC and third-team all-state honors as a junior. "She's the total package," Richard says. Junior utility player Kelsey Anhorn and junior infielder Brandy Wolter are among the other standouts that Richard believes can help Crater break new ground. "Defensively and with our pitching, we're gonna be contending," says Richard, who is trying to guide the Comets to their first SOC crown since 1993, when they were co-champs with North and Mazama. At Ashland, senior shortstop Catherine Clason, a returning first-team all-leaguer, is ready to help the Grizzlies make another playoff push. Senior outfielder Stephanie Hargis and junior outfielder Sara Burnson are two more key contributors. "We were the underdog all last year, and I think we're gonna be the underdog again a lot this year," Rich Beugli says. "I think we're in the mix. Where, is the question." After a 1-13 SOC showing in 2001, South Medford has a new head coach in Greg Baker and a fresh roster that includes eight freshmen. Senior catcher Mickey Conley and senior first baseman Amanda Blair, both honorable mention all-SOC last spring, are two of only three Panther seniors. "We've got some incredible talent out there," says first-year South assistant Lisa Rainey. "I think we're gonna surprise some people. I think we've already surprised some people." Eagle Point, 3-11 and tied for sixth last year, has first-team all-SOC star Amie Mapes, a senior catcher, back to power the Eagles' charge for the program's first postseason berth since 1997. Senior infielder Steffani Presley is another essential element on a roster that includes eight seniors for first-year head coach Keith Williams. "I like the mix we have," says Williams, who has helped with the program for five years. "It's a little more athletic club than we put on the field last year." Klamath Union, also 3-11 last season, is the fourth SOC squad with a new head coach, Kristi Sturgeon. After coaching Henley for four years, Sturgeon faces a tough task with just one senior and three returning letter-winners at her disposal. "We're gonna make a run as best we can," Sturgeon says. Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.