COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL March 11, 2015
3B
B ASEBALL
Continued from 1B
fi le photo
Cottage Grove junior Payton Presley was a second-team all-Sky-
Em selection in 2014. Presley will team with Hunter Harris, TJ Bel-
lamy and Brett Ollivant to form a talented group of infi elders for the
Lions.
“It was amazing to fi nd out we had
the type of kids who can give up a fi ve-
run lead at the end of the year and come
back like it's nothing. That says a lot
about your team,” Geiszler said.
The driving force to Cottage Grove’s
fi nish — as many on the team have said
— was its seniors: Bodey Allen, Quen-
tin Buckland, Brody Gipson and Kwan
Thithong. While Gipson and Thithong
were honorable mention all-state play-
ers, Geiszler said that it’s more critical
that the Lions replace their leadership
than their on-fi eld production.
Thomason said that this process has
already started to happen as more play-
ers than usual participated in off-season
workouts.
Cottage Grove brings back a wealth
of proven talent from 2014. Juniors
Payton Presley and Hunter Harris were
all-league infi elders; Lucas Ward was
an all-state player in the outfi eld, and
Thomason was a fi rst-team all-league
pitcher. Seniors Tristan Mihan and
Elias Stock will bring additional expe-
rience to the outfi eld.
Other players have shown strong po-
tential to move into starting roles. Soph-
omores TJ Bellamy and Brett Ollivant
and junior Bryce Allen had outstanding
summer-ball seasons, and Hunter Gip-
son has demonstrated thus far to be a
strong utility player.
Geiszler said that the team rarely
talks about goals in terms of wins but
focuses on individual improvement.
One way they have tried to do that this
year is by making things measureable,
such as a players’ time from fi rst base to
second, or the time it takes for a throw
to get across the diamond.
“It’s something we haven’t done, but
it’s been huge because the players want
to see those times improve, and those
things result in wins,” he said.
The Lions open at Cascade on March
16 and will play in two tournaments
over Spring Break.
“Biggest thing I’ll be looking for is
leadership,” Geiszler said of the non-
conference slate. “Physically, I think
I know what everybody can do on the
fi eld.”
Cottage Grove begins league play
against Elmira on April 6, before tak-
ing on defending champion Sisters two
days later. The Outlaws went undefeat-
ed in the Sky-Em a year ago and played
for the state championship. And despite
losing all-state players Joey Morgan
and Jardon Weems, once again they ap-
pear to be a juggernaut.
“I feel that Sisters is always in the
back of our minds, but in the sense that
we want to beat them,” said Geiszler.
“They are the standard of the league
and of the state, and they have been for
a long time. In order to be the best you
have to beat the best.”
Baseball Season Outlook
2014: 17-11, 10-5 Sky-Em, 2nd
Postseason: Defeated La Salle
6-2 in the play-in round; lost
to eventual state champion
Henley in the fi rst round, 10-0.
Key stat: In three games
against Sisters, Cottage Grove
was outscored 24-4. Against
all other opponents, the Lions
held a scoring margin of 180-
128.
Top Returners: Hunter Har-
ris, JR, Third-team all-State
– infi elder; Lucas Ward, JR,
Honorable Mention all-State
– outfi elder; Zach Thomason,
SR, Second-team all-Sky-Em
– pitcher; Payton Presley,
JR, Second-team all-Sky-Em
– infi elder.
Key Losses: Kwan Thithing,
Honorable metion all-State;
Brody Gipson, Honorable
mention all-State.
Top Newcomers: TJ Bellamy,
Brett Ollivant and Bryce Allen
2015 will be a successful
season if: “Our seniors can
lead us in the right direction,”
coach Dan Geiszler.
S OFTBALL
fi le photo
Liz Wiltse was a second-
team all-league selection
at infi elder last year.
Continued from 1B
Overall we were pleased,”
said Frieze. “But we were a lit-
tle disappointed as well because
there were opportunities to pick
up a few more wins down the
stretch, but we let those games
slip through our fi ngertips.”
While the Lions’ fi nal stretch
included four games against co-
league champions Elmira and
Sweet Home, Frieze said her
team was not as mentally pre-
pared as they could have been.
Given where the program had
been, however, it's understand-
able why the Lions weren't able
to execute down the stretch.
"We all wanted to be in that
situation but didn’t necessarily
think that we could get there,"
said all-league infi elder Liz
Wiltse. "We prepared for it, but
I think we pretended to be ready
for it."
With seven varsity players
expected to return, Frieze hopes
those lessons will propel the
program to greater heights.
“It defi nitely helps to have
that core of strong leadership
back. I’m excited to see what
they’ll be able to do this year,
and how they can help bring the
next group of players along,”
Frieze said.
Among the returning players
are all-league performers Wiltse
at fi rst base, pitcher Taylor Say-
les, catcher Kassidy Whisler and
outfi elder Kale’a Galbreath.
It is the fi rst time that the cur-
rent seniors have had the same
coach for back-to-back seasons,
and Wiltse believes this consis-
tency will be a big advantage
over past years.
"It's defi nitely nice because
you know her coaching style
more and know what she ex-
pects out of returning play-
ers. With a new coach, the fi rst
couple weeks you’re walking on
eggshells; you’re learning their
style, and they’re learning about
you. This year we were able to
get right down to softball," she
said.
Adding to Cottage Grove’s
ability to prepare for this season
was that very few returnees par-
ticipated in winter sports. Frieze
said the team used this opportu-
nity to build a stronger base of
fundamentals, which she hopes
will allow them to develop more
diverse skill sets over the course
of the season.
The Lions are scheduled to
play 10 nonconference games
— including their opener against
Springfi eld on March 16, and
a spring break tournament at
North Marion.
“I’m looking forward to see-
ing where we’ll be after the pre-
season,” said Frieze. “The pur-
pose of those games it to let the
girls get back into the game, but
we’ll also want answers some
question marks at key positions
and in our batting order.”
Frieze said that Katie Lyons
and Kamryn Orloff, who were
utility players on last year’s
team, could fi ll vacancies at
shortstop and second base.
Cottage Grove hosts the Fal-
cons in its fi rst league game on
April 4. While both Elmira and
Sweet Home suffered signifi -
cant losses to graduation, Frieze
knows that these programs typi-
cally reload with talent, rather
than rebuild.
Sayles said the team has goals
to beat each Sky-Em opponent
at least once and advance to the
postseason. However, she also
acknowledged that it feels a bit
like playing with house money.
“With our record being what
it’s been, every year our attitude
has been ‘what do we have to
lose’, it’s not like we’ve blown a
state title. We’re playing to have
fun and win some games," she
said.
Softball Season Outlook:
Find Local Businesses.
,QWURGXFLQJ WKH QHZHVW ZD\ WR ´QG WKH
businesses that mean the most to you.
www.shoppelocal.biz
Shoppe™ is a trademark of News Media Corp.
2014: 10-11, 7-8 Sky-Em, 4th
Key Stat: In 2014, the Lions equaled their win total of the previous fi ve seasons.
Top Returners: Liz Wiltse, SR, First-team all-Sky-Em – Infi elder; Taylor Sayles, SR,
Second-team all-Sky-Em – Infi elder; Kassidy Whisler, JR, Second-team all-Sky-
Em– Catcher; Kale’a Galbreath, JR, Second-team all-Sky-Em, Outfi elder.
Key losses: Courtney Shipley, Second-team All-Sky-Em – Infi elder.
Top Newcomer: Samantha Heine
First Game: March 16 — Stayton at Cottage Grove.
Games of the year: April 21 — Elmira at Cottage Grove; May 15 — Cottage Grove
at Sweet Home
2015 will be a successful: “If we leave out the drama and just come to play ball,”
coach Cheryl Frieze.
South Lane County Fire and Rescue Calls
Feburary 22 - March 5, 2015
Date
02/22/2015
02/22/2015
02/22/2015
02/22/2015
02/22/2015
02/22/2015
02/23/2015
02/23/2015
02/23/2015
02/23/2015
02/23/2015
02/23/2015
02/23/2015
02/23/2015
02/23/2015
02/23/2015
02/23/2015
02/23/2015
02/23/2015
02/23/2015
02/24/2015
02/24/2015
02/24/2015
02/24/2015
02/25/2015
02/25/2015
02/25/2015
02/26/2015
Time
13:37
16:19
17:35
19:33
20:31
23:07
0:21
0:52
4:06
9:01
11:19
13:10
13:14
13:54
14:05
15:58
20:25
20:27
21:58
23:32
1:24
12:07
13:47
19:15
11:46
20:35
23:49
4:54
Call Location
LONDON RD
DAUGHERTY AVE
HWY 99
VILLAGE DR
W SAGINAW RD
VILLAGE DR
DAYBREAK DR
W MAIN ST
E VAN BUREN AVE
E TAYLOR AVE
E MAIN ST
RIVER DR
W MAIN ST
LONDON RD
VILLAGE DR
GRANT AVE
E MADISON AVE
N 16TH ST
D ST
S 6TH ST
MAGNOLIA DR
VILLAGE DR
VILLAGE DR
E HARRISON AVE
BRYSONSEARS RD
SHOREVIEW DR
VILLAGE DR
VILLAGE DR
Chief Complaint
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
Date
02/26/2015
02/26/2015
02/26/2015
02/26/2015
02/27/2015
02/27/2015
02/27/2015
02/27/2015
02/27/2015
02/27/2015
02/27/2015
02/28/2015
02/28/2015
02/28/2015
02/28/2015
03/01/2015
03/01/2015
03/01/2015
03/01/2015
03/02/2015
03/02/2015
03/02/2015
03/02/2015
03/02/2015
03/02/2015
03/02/2015
03/02/2015
03/02/2015
Time
5:10
11:41
14:54
16:54
4:24
5:32
9:58
10:55
12:01
14:57
16:04
11:43
12:59
13:41
21:34
4:56
13:03
17:47
21:23
0:52
4:41
7:35
7:46
11:27
11:54
14:03
18:38
19:36
Call Location
Chief Complaint
SNAUER LN
DAUGHERTY AVE
QUAGLIA RD
E CLOVERDALE RD
DAUGHERTY AVE
VILLAGE DR
VILLAGE DR
CURRY AVE
VILLAGE DR
ELK DR
S 10TH ST
HWY 99
E WHITEAKER AVE
VEATCH RD
ROW RIVER RD
W SAGINAW RD, HWY 99
ROW RIVER RD
S 6TH ST
VILLAGE DR
VILLAGE DR
PATRICK LP
HWY 99
BOOTH KELLY CAMP RD
RILEY LN
E MAIN ST
DAUGHERTY AVE
VILLAGE DR
VILLAGE DR
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
Date
Time
03/02/2015
03/03/2015
03/03/2015
03/03/2015
03/03/2015
03/03/2015
03/03/2015
03/04/2015
03/04/2015
03/04/2015
03/04/2015
03/04/2015
03/04/2015
03/04/2015
20:28
1:54
11:57
18:56
19:34
20:34
21:01
1:18
4:02
5:23
10:32
15:32
17:36
20:02
03/04/2015
03/05/2015
03/05/2015
03/05/2015
03/05/2015
03/05/2015
03/05/2015
03/05/2015
03/05/2015
03/05/2015
03/05/2015
23:30
0:05
14:41
16:31
17:09
19:20
19:25
19:39
21:33
23:06
23:12
Call Location
SWEET LN,
HWY 99
N DOUGLAS
VILLAGE DR
LONDON RD
S 5TH ST
LONDON RD
ANTHONY AVE
S 5TH ST
HWY 99
VILLAGE DR
S 8TH ST
VILLAGE DR
GETTINGS
CREEK REST AREA
VILLAGE DR
N H ST
HWY 99
GRANT AVE
ROW RIVER RD
ANDREW DR
PITCHER LN
VILLAGE DR
VILLAGE DR
W MAIN ST
S 12TH ST
Chief Complaint
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS
EMS