Wasatch Softball 2013 Preview

With a rebuilding year ahead, girls will focus 

on learning and having fun

BY KENNY BRISTOW

Last season the girl’s softball team from Wasatch high school was loaded with senior talent.  They were an experienced group who had been playing together for three school years and some of them on numerous summer teams.  That is why they went 16-6 in the regular season and won four games in the 3A tournament before being eliminated by state runner-up Spanish Fork.

This year will be different.  Eight players from last year’s team have graduated leaving the Wasps with only three seniors for this season.  Head coach Gary Roberts will rely on those three for some leadership and experience, but he will be looking towards the future by fielding a line-up of mostly juniors.  He will even be putting a few sophmores in key positions.

Head coach Gary Roberts hits deep fly balls to outfielders during the lady Wasps first day of practicing outdoors.

 

“We’re not mailing it in,” said Roberts, “but we’re also being realistic.  I can see us having a season like Magnusson’s (head coach of the boy’s varsity basketball team), having a tough preseason, but getting it figured out and putting together a run in region,” he added.  “I don’t know if we can win state, but we’d like to put ourselves in position to be competitive.  We’ve got a lot of work to do with this group, but it is

going to be fun,” the coach said.

Senior catcher Renee Fagg, coming off a stellar campaign in 2012 and already committing herself to play softball for Snow College, will be relied on by Roberts and assistant coach, Clint Kelson, to lead the younger group.  Ashlynn Davis and Katelyn Baird are the other two seniors who will start a lot of games for the lady Wasps and be expected to contribute.  

A Wasatch outfielder shows perfect form while bringing in a fly ball.

Tristen Bills, background, is one of many juniors who will have to fill multiple roles vacated by eight graduated seniors.

Juniors Hailey Hardman, in her first year at Wasatch, and Tristen Bills, who are coming off nice basketball seasons for Wasatch, will help shore-up a lineup that hopes to gain some cohesiveness defensively.  Six other juniors, led by Tianna Christensen, Breanna Meyer, Keasha Thompson and Shayla Weyerman will step up to fill holes left vacant by last year’s team.

Sophmores Jensen Baker and Marissa Childs are just a couple of the underclassmen who will see a lot of time on the diamond.

“I actually like our potential – I like our infield,” Kelson commented.  “If we can take it one out at a time, we’ll be fine.  Where we may lack some on defense this year, we can make up on offense,” he added.  “We’ve got some girls who can swing it.  Hopefully that will keep us in some games.”

Assistant coach Clint Kelson explains infield strategy to his young group of Wasps.

The young lady Wasps begin their season today at Stansbury, and pick it up next week with back to back games, Tuesday at Juab and Wednesday in their home opener against Provo.