8
Wednesday,June1,2016The Nugget Newspaper,Sisters,Oregon
Outlaws coach can’t wait for 2017
By Tom Mauldin
Correspondent
SistersHighSchoolsoft-
ballCoachDaveSmithsays
theOutlawssoftballprogram
is alive and well, and that
plansforthe2017seasonare
underway.
In a season that almost
wasn’tduetoalackofplay-
ers, the Outlaws got a late
startandwonjusttwoof18
games.Buttheenergylevel
and growth of the youthful
teamledtosteadyimprove-
mentduringthecourseofthe
season.
“Lookingbackatthesea-
son,Inoticedalotofgrowth
withtheteam,especiallywith
thefreshmen,”saidSmith.“I
had girls in the first week
whohadahardtimehitting
theballoffofaT,andbythe
endoftheseasontheywere
puttingtheballintoplay.”
This year’s Outlaws var-
sityconsistedof14players,
including seven freshmen.
Butonlyoneweekpriortothe
season opener, the Outlaws
hadonlyeightplayers.Ittook
alast-minuterecruitingeffort
by Smithandthoseeightto
maketheseasonhappen.
As a result, the Outlaws
didnothaveacompleteteam
practicepriorthestartofpre-
leaguegames.Theyfinished
2-13intheSky-EmLeague,
recordingapairofwinsover
Cottage Grove, 19-9 and
24-14.
During the first two
roundsofleagueaction,they
struggled against Elmira,
JunctionCityandSutherlin,
but scored in each of their
finalthreegames.
“I can’t wait for next
year,”saidSmith,whonoted
that2016hadabiglearning
curve.
“Iamlookingforwardto
nextyear’steam,”saidSmith,
a former college football
player.“Thisyearwasawild
ride at the beginning with
alltypesofchallengesfrom
(lackof)numbers,injuriesto
runningpractices by myself
to not knowing how many
kidsweregoingtoshowup
during the first two weeks
withspringbreak.”
These girls in the
program and the ones
coming up are motivated...
—Coach Dave Smith
Several of the Outlaws
had not played softball
previously.
“The one thing the girls
are lacking and to no fault
oftheirs,istheexperienceof
playingonasummerleague,”
said Smith. “That’s where
they really develop their
skillsandbegintounderstand
thegamebetter.Orbygoing
todifferentcampsandwork-
ingontheirskills.”
Despitetheirlackofexpe-
rience,theOutlawswerelong
oneffort.
“Theonethingthatstood
outthemostwastheheartand
determinationinthesegirlsto
notgiveup,”saidtheircoach.
Smithsaidhehadanum-
ber of players who want to
continue practicing during
thesummer.Hesaidheplans
on having pitching, hitting
and fielding camps as often
aspossible.
Smith said, “These girls
intheprogramandtheones
coming up are motivated
andwillingtoputinthehard
work.And that’s why I am
willing to go the extra mile
with them and work with
themanychancetheyhave.
Theyknowtheycancallme
ortheothercoachesanytime
toworkonskills.”
Smith was assisted by
HarleyRoweandMcKibben
Womack. Those two, along
withhisreturningplayers,are
already recruiting for 2017.
TheOutlawsgraduatedthree
seniors(LeahMcIntosh,Zoe
Nason and Marie Coffee),
andjuniorShaunaFerrellis
movingtoWashington.
But lack of players
shouldn’tbeanissuein2017.
Key players returning
will be All-League pitcher
AmandaSmith,KyleSteiner,
SavanaRyan,SophiaAffatati,
G r a c e M a i d e n , S a r a h
Hartford,NancyMontecinos,
Beth Anne Yount, Haley
Maglecic and Kennedy
Smith.
Coach Smith, who was
hired a short time prior to
the start of practice in late
February, said he wishes
he had a enough players to
form a summer team. Only
hisdaughter,Amanda,plays
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summertravelball.
“I asked the girls who
would want to participate
in summer ball and I had a
showingofaboutsevengirls,
sowewereafewshort,”said
Smith.“Moreofthemwanted
toplay,buttheyhadcommit-
tedtosummertimejobs.”
Smith hopes to get
his players involved with
FastpitchNorthwest,anorga-
nizationthatconductsPlayer
Evaluation Camps (PEC)
and a College Exposure
Tournament in Washington
in late July. Sisters High
SchoolwillhostaFastpitch
NorthwestPEConJune20.
“If I could get my girls
ontheteamtogotoanevent
likethis,itwouldchangethe
whole dynamic of our team
and our program at Sisters
High,”saidSmith.“Thelevel
oftalentattheseeventsmakes
the girls push themselves
beyondwhattheythinkthey
can do, and the best things
isthelevelofsportsmanship
and how many new friends
theymeet.Howoftencana
youngpersonsaytheyplayed
on a team with girls from
Idaho, Montana, Colorado,
Hawaii,Canada,Washington
andOregon?”
He added that a lot of
people are working hard at
the youth level and that the
numbers are increasing, but
thatcoachingconsistencyis
needed.TheOutlawshadthe
sameheadcoachfrom2007-
2010 when the team was
Sky-Em co-champions. But
since,theyhavehadfourdif-
ferentheadcoaches.
“The one thing our pro-
gram is lacking is consis-
tencywithcoaching,andthe
only ones that are hurt by
that are the kids,” he said.
“I would like to develop a
programwheremystaffand
playersarehelpingoutatthe
middle school level. I want
goodcommunicationwiththe
coachesthereandthatweare
heretohelpinanyway.”
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