MARCH 10, 2017, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE B7
Witt, Danner lead
Lady Celts into 2017
File
McNary sophomore Faith Danner will be back in the circle after going 6-5 with a 3.31 ERA and
60 strikeouts last season.
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By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
Playing as many as fi ve fresh-
men, McNary’s lineup could
see a lot of shuffl ing in the fi rst
few weeks of the season.
But one thing is certain—
junior Nadia Witt will be in the
middle.
“She’s our hitter,” Lady Celts
head softball coach Kevin Wise
said. “She’s probably going to
be four and we’ll just build
around her.”
Because of her athleticism,
Witt played at shortstop last
season but Wise would like to
move her to centerfi eld in 2017.
“By trade she is an outfi eld-
er,” Wise said. “That’s where I
would love to have her because
she can track anything down.”
Witt, who hit .545 with 23
RBI and scored 24 runs last
season, is looking forward to
moving back to her natural po-
sition.
“It will be good to be back
where I’m used to,” she said. “I
like diving and the room.”
Joining Witt in the outfi eld
is junior Emma Kinler in left
and freshman Alexa Cepeda in
right.
“Our outfi eld, we’ve got
three of the fastest girls on the
team and super arms out there,”
Wise said. “It’s going to be fun.”
Faith Danner returns in the
circle after making First Team
all-league as a freshman. She’s
ready to be more of a leader in
her sophomore season.
“Last year, people were
showing me. This year I feel
like I’m more of a leader on the
team,” Danner said. “I’ve been
working on confi dence and
leadership skills.”
Wise also expects Danner
to continue to improve on the
fi eld, where she went 6-5 with
a 3.31 ERA and 60 strikeouts
last season.
“Faith was one of the best
because of her work ethic,”
Wise said. “It’s about her be-
ing able to place the ball and
her movement on the ball, it’s
File
McNary junior Nadia Witt is expected to hit cleanup and play in
centerfi eld for the Lady Celts this season.
unreal. It’s just that control. To
be a pitcher, you have to have
the mental side of it and she has
it. When she’s on, they’re (op-
posing teams) hitting grounders
because of the movement on
the ball. We just need to play
defense behind her.”
Senior Nicole Duran will
likely start at third base for the
Lady Celts.
“She’s one of those kids that
would probably run through a
brick wall for you,” Wise said of
Duran.
Two freshmen, Haley Bin-
genheimer and Kendyl Jen-
nings, are practicing at short-
stop.
“They work very hard and
they are very coachable,” Wise
said. “I think it’s getting those
freshmen jitters out the way a
little bit.”
Who will start in the rest of
the infi eld isn’t as clear. Hannah
Carr will probably fl ip between
second and third. Haley Ebner,
who had 16 RBI and scored 22
runs while hitting .450, caught
most of the games last season.
She may also play some at sec-
ond and fi rst base.
Two more freshmen could
also make the lineup, Courtney
Roberts at catcher and Hailey
Heinz at fi rst. Senior Gabby
Schmit and sophomore Sabella
Alfaro should also contribute.
“It’s a really fun group and
it’s exciting for the future be-
cause they are so young and
they’re already so talented and
with their work ethic, they’re
only going to get better,” Wise
said.
McNary opens the regular
season on Tuesday, March 14 at
home against Cleveland.
“Being so young, the fi rst
couple of weeks, it’s hard to say
what we’re going to do,” Wise
said. “We might struggle a little
bit right out of the gates but it’s
just looking at the long term
and getting the girls where we
need them and want them to
be. With the type of kids that
they are, I know they can get
there.”
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