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Roseburg holds early advantage in SOC race Mail Tribune / Drew Fleming With players like Phil Ouellette back in the lineup, defending SOC champions North Medford should compete for another conference title this spring. By Kris Henry What kind of encore can a conference provide a year after placing two of its baseball teams in the state championship game? The answer may surprise you. Few predict the kind of domination that led to Crater and North Medford meeting in the state final last year, a feat the SOC hadn�t pulled off since Klamath Union edged Roseburg in 1990�s title game. 2001 SOC Baseball Projected Order of Finish 1. ROSEBURG: Seven returning starters, including two all-league pitchers, make the Indians a popular choice for their second title in three years. 2. NORTH MEDFORD: Defending league champs lost half their roster but retained all-star pitcher Brent Kircher and a bevy of tough outs in the batter�s box. 3. CRATER: The Comets have to replace the most high-profile names of any SOC team, but the cupboard is far from bare on this team full of speedy athletes. 4. SOUTH MEDFORD: Matt Skundrick can throw the ball as hard as anyone in the league and few coaches can mold talent as well as third-year coach Pete Whisler. 5. GRANTS PASS: Is it good or bad to return almost everyone from a team that won four games in the SOC? The Cavers hope last year�s stepping stone puts them into the playoffs this year. 6. ASHLAND: Another team with a heavy dose of returners but a light diet of league wins. When clicking, the Grizzlies can make it rough for anyone. 7. EAGLE POINT: Name tags are a hot commodity with only Ryan Garrett returning. Replacing an entire team is never easy, but the Eagles have a few surprises in store once introductions are complete. 8. KLAMATH UNION: Lack of depth could be a problem for the Pels, who expect to spend the season shuffling the lineup on a weekly basis. Few, however, can count out that possibility as the SOC boasts a league race that, from top to bottom, may be the most competitive in recent memory. "I think it�s going to be the most evenly matched league in years," says South Medford coach Pete Whisler. "It�s going to come down to the wire like last year. Each team has got a guy that can hurt you." Gone are headliners like Crater�s Brent Foster and Casey Campbell or North�s Colby Gonzales and Nate Mayben. Taking their place will be a handful of fresh faces seeking to put their stamp on the SOC and several holdovers from last year�s all-conference lineup. Nowhere is that more evident than in Roseburg, where the Indians return two all-league pitchers, a first-team shortstop and an honorable mention second baseman. Overall, Roseburg boasts 10 returning lettermen and a talented supporting cast that has coach Ron Goodell and crew excited about their chances of winning a second title in three years. "I�m sure everybody�s going to pick us to win the conference," says Goodell. "I would do the same thing. Usually the team with the strongest pitching coming back has got to be the favorite. That just happens to be us this year." Roseburg is picked to win the SOC title by the league coaches, although North Medford and Crater lurk close behind. The Indians received five first-place votes for a total of 45 points, while North is picked second at 43 and Crater (41) third despite earning two first-place votes. Although ready to wear the crown of favorite, Goodell says discounting the likes of Crater and North Medford would be a huge mistake. "I still think both of those teams are going to be tough," says the 13-year Roseburg coach. "It doesn�t matter who they lose, they always seem to have talent coming in." Roseburg projects an imposing 1-2 lineup on the mound with first-team all-SOC pitcher Mike McInerney and second-team returner John Zumwalt. Acting as support both in the field and at the plate will be first-team shortstop Ole Sheldon, one of the top prospects in the state, and honorable mention returner Kellen Walker at second base. For North Medford, last year�s runner-up run for the state championship stands to be the motivating factor for the Black Tornado this season. North won the outright SOC championship over Crater but couldn�t come up with a win when the Tornado needed it most. Helping lead the Tornado to that title game were starters Brent Kircher, Phil Ouellette, Shawn Backstrom and Evan McArthur. All are back, with a young group of reinforcements eager to pick up where the graduating class left off. North already boasts a win over top-ranked Bend. SOC Baseball at a glance Predicted 2001 Finish Coaches poll: 1. Roseburg (5) 45 2. North Medford (1) 43 3. Crater (2) 41 4. South Medford 26 5. Grants Pass 22 6. Ashland 21 7. Eagle Point 14 8. Klamath Union 12 Returning All-Stars At Projected 2001 Position FIRST TEAM � Ryan Garrett, Eagle Point, sr., catcher; Ole Sheldon, Roseburg, sr., shortstop; Ken Strate, Crater, sr., centerfield; Matt Skundrick, South Medford, sr., pitcher/shortstop; Phil Ouellette, North Medford, sr., center field; Mike McInerney, Roseburg, sr., pitcher/outfield. SECOND TEAM � Derrick Draper, Grants Pass, jr., second base; Brent Kircher, North Medford, jr., pitcher; John Zumwalt, Roseburg, sr., pitcher/first base. HONORABLE MENTION � Ryan Gipson, Crater, sr., shortstop; Kellen Walker, Roseburg, jr., second base; Shawn Backstrom, North Medford, sr., third base. Conference Notes THORNY CROWN � Roseburg coach Ron Goodell isn�t putting much stake in his team�s predicted first-place finish. History has shown that spot is difficult to hold on to. "I think we�re ready for it," he says. "We talked about the fact that the last two years Crater has been favored to win the conference and didn�t either year. You can�t do it on paper, you have to go out and do it on the field." BATTERY POWERED � The catcher position may become the strength of the SOC this year and for years to come. Highlighting the list are Eagle Point�s Ryan Garrett, Crater�s Jared Maddocks, North�s Rob Folsom and South�s Matt Smith. Folsom is the youngest of the bunch and has skills beyond his years, while Maddocks stands to be the next big star at Crater. WHISLER�S LAST STAND � Former Mazama and current South Medford coach Pete Whisler will say goodbye to the SOC after this season and turn his attentions to building the baseball program at Oregon Tech. Having to split his attention has been difficult, although Whisler says South is his No. 1 priority at this time. Other Owl staffers have chipped in to help Whisler�s recruitment for the 2002 season. BETTER LATE THAN NEVER � Eagle Point boasts the most unlikely of newcomers this year in seniors Danny Acrey and Greg Horn. Both players had concentrated solely on basketball in the past, with only Horn gaining time in baseball as a freshman. Horn will take on the role of helping protect all-star catcher Ryan Garrett in the batting order, while Acrey should see time on the mound for the Eagles. Past Champions 2000 � North Medford 1999 � Roseburg 1998 � North Medford 1997 � (tie) Crater, Roseburg and Mazama 1996 � Mazama 1995 � Mazama 1994 � Mazama 1993 � Roseburg 1992 � (tie) North Medford and Roseburg 1991 � (tie) North Medford and Crater "Our seniors and juniors are going to be consistent," says North coach Brett Wolfe, "but our young kids will have to step up for us this year." Kircher posted a 10-3 record last year as a sophomore, with the left-hander earning the right to start the championship game. His 3.29 ERA was a remarkable testament to Kircher�s composure in his first varsity campaign, but Wolfe says more will be asked of the junior this season. "This year he�s going to have to be a little more crafty and a little more competitive," says the coach, "but he still has the ability to win every time out." With the graduation of the top five spots in last year�s batting order, Wolfe will have to reshuffle the deck to find the right combination again this year. However, the Tornado has a solid foundation returning in Ouellette, Backstrom and McArthur. The lowest returning average of that group belongs to McArthur, who hit just over .300 but came through in the clutch as a sophomore with the game-winning hit that sealed last year�s SOC title. The picture is a little more cloudy at Crater, where only center fielder Ken Strate and shortstop Ryan Gipson are returning starters for the defending state champions. Juniors Jared Maddocks and David Sills each saw action in last year�s state final, but the rest of Crater�s lineup is relatively untested in varsity play. Regardless of his players� experience, Crater coach Chuck Dominiak sees a promising future for a group of Comets that have risen through a program that has been in the top-10 throughout their baseball careers. "I miss the kids we had but these kids are pretty good too," says Dominiak. "I think they�re ready to step in and they have the belief that they can do it, and that makes a big difference. "Once you get there (to the state final) like we did, then the kids coming up expect to be there too and they just kind of know what they need to do to make that happen." Filling the biggest void will be juniors Derek Peterson and Chris Pettegrew, who will fill the No. 1 and 2 pitching spots for Crater this season. Peterson is a hard-throwing righty, while the lefty Pettegrew stands to use his breaking pitches and a sneaky fastball to keep batters off-guard. Despite the question marks, Crater is ranked No. 4 in the Class 4A coaches poll, with North Medford fifth and Roseburg 11th. South Medford is picked fourth in the SOC coaches� poll, heading a pack of three teams that should fight for a playoff spot. Grants Pass and Ashland were picked fifth and sixth, respectively, with only one point separating the two schools. The Panthers have the ability to be as good as any team in the SOC with pitchers like Matt Skundrick and Clint Rodreick and a steady force at third base in Jimmie Maddox. South�s biggest adjustment will be how last season�s JV players handle action at the varsity level. Top prospects to shine stand to be Jon McCollum, Dave Henneman, Blake St. Onge and Matt Smith. The Cavemen return most of the lineup that led them to four SOC wins last year, with pitcher Brady Howe handling the No. 1 duties. Derrick Draper heads the returning cast, with newcomers Andrew Fish and Matt Rettke helping form a deep roster for Grants Pass. Ashland has made strides over the past few years under coach Doug Stover and appears ready to make a bid for the playoffs with returners Bill Rowe and Mike Allen leading the charge. Both have tremendous power at the plate, while Allen and Nick Ehlers shore up the pitching rotation. Klamath Union and Eagle Point are picked to finish in the last two SOC spots, although each team has enough potential to knock off any of the other league participants. The Eagles return all-star catcher Ryan Garrett but little else as coach Tom Britton has the challenge of molding a young but inexperienced squad. The Pelicans are short on numbers so health will be a concern. Nick Caleb and Tyler Baker will handle the pitching while Jason and Jeff Mortenson will key the offense. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.