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North players dot all-state teams By GREG STILES It was a nice run, one with few parallels in the two decades the Oregon School Activities Association has sponsored softball championships. Only Churchill of Eugene has put together a four-year record better than North Medford's 111-10-1 mark from 1996 through 1999. In that span the Black Tornado appeared in three state finals and hoisted two championship banners. The final chapter, however, wasn't the one scripted by a team that had three four-year starters and arguably was the most experienced in the state. That's partly what made a 3-0 semifinal loss to North Eugene such a bitter pill to swallow for a team that produced five first-team all-state players, two on the third team and one who received honorable mention. The all-state team was announced in today's Oregonian. Shortstop Megumi Hackett, the 1998 state player of the year, summed up the team's lingering disappointment: "I would've given it all up to be back in that state championship game. I think everybody wanted to be in the game. I guess it wasn't in our cards this time. "We tried not to take things for granted. It would have been easy to. We just played our game." Hackett, third baseman Steph Adams, center fielder Kylie Allen, catcher Erin Glantz and designated hitter Steph Coe were all voted first-team all-state by Oregon's coaches. Coe and Becky Walker earned third-team for their pitching as did outfielder Jill Carrigan. First baseman Jenny Close gained honorable mention. North's Larry Binney was named coach of the year for the fifth time. Coe and Carrigan just finished their sophomore years, the rest were seniors. Roseburg shortstop Brynen Guthrie was a second-team selection. Ashland's Gracie Rowland-Dunn and Crater's Amy Sparks received honorable mention. Central Catholic pitcher Monica Hoffman was named player of the year. Adams earned first-team honors for the fourth year in a row, a rare feat in any sport for a high school athlete. It's believed Churchill's Kendall Richards is the only other Oregon softball player to gain such a distinction. "I feel very fortunate, and I know it has a lot to do with our team's success over the years," Adams says. "Making it into state championship games helped me get noticed my freshman and sophomore years." Adams, Glantz and Hackett began playing together as 11-year-olds for the Tornado Tuff teams of the early 1990s. "Those kids stayed together and played together and the continuity and unity have been factors in our success," Binney says. "Those kids had played a couple hundred (Amateur Softball Association) games before they ever played in a high school game." With experience came flexibility. The youngsters always pushed the older kids as well. "The last few years, we had very good depth and a lot of versatility," Binney says. "The girls could play several positions. If someone got hurt or moved away, there was someone to step in. "There were girls in typical years that would've been starters had we not had such a good senior class." Glantz excelled at more than one position and was rewarded for her perseverance. Her sophomore year ended with a broken ankle the final day of the regular season. She bounced back to earn second-team all-state honors at first base in 1998. But the position she really excelled at was catcher. Problem was, North had three-time all-state selection Missy Coe behind the plate. But once Coe moved on to star for the Oregon Ducks this spring, Glantz shone. "I knew I had a great catcher ahead of me, and knew I had to work hard to prove myself my senior year," Glantz says. "It means a lot, considering I only caught my senior year. With so many players getting all-state, it showed there was a lot respect for our team." It was a team that rewrote the school record book: Adams set single-season marks for times on base (77), hits (54), batting average (.568), doubles (11) and slugging percentage (.968). She had 31 career doubles and 124 runs batted in -- more than one for each of the 122 games she played. Hackett set single-season records for runs (52) and stolen bases (38). Her career standards: plate appearances (465), times on base (262), at-bats (410), runs (156), hits (179) and stolen bases (101). Steph Coe had season records of 11 doubles and 48 RBIs. "It means a lot putting my imprint on North Medford softball," Adams says. "But I hope the teams in the future have success so that they (her records) don't last too long." And now, the all-state gang will head off in different directions. Adams will play at Oregon State, Glantz at Georgia Tech and Hackett at Portland State. "As a team, we grew together," says Hackett. "Softball aside, we were really close. We were like a family and all became close friends. I'll always remember all the people I played with and the great unity we had and all the friends I'll walk away with." Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.