12A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 17, 2015
Polk County Sports
2015 ITEMIZER-OBSERVER ALL-REGION SOFTBALL TEAM
PITCHERS
Erin Taylor
Dallas
The senior pitcher anchored
Dallas’ rotation during the
2015 season. Taylor went 8-4
in 17 appearances during the
regular season, recording an
ERA of 2.8. Taylor led the
Dragons with 51 strikeouts
Taylor
and also earned three saves.
Taylor earned first team all-Mid-Willamette Con-
ference honors for her performance and helped
the Dragons to a 15-6 league record and 16-10
mark overall as Dallas advanced to the play-in
round.
Erin Cole
Central
The Panthers relied on the
freshman pitcher throughout
the season Cole rose up to
the challenge. Cole threw 144
of a possible 167 innings dur-
ing Central’s campaign,
amassing a 13-10 record and
Cole
a 2.9 ERA. She threw 96
strikeouts and played a major role in the Pan-
thers’ defense, which gave up 110 runs, the sec-
ond fewest in the Mid-Willamette Conference.
Cole proved time and time again that, despite
being a freshman, varsity softball did little to in-
timidate her. She earned second team all-MWC
recognition and is set to be the Panthers’ ace
throughout her high school career at Central.
INFIELD
Kassidy Totten
Dallas
The senior shortstop was not
only one of the team cap-
tains, but one of the Drag-
ons’ best overall players. On
defense, Totten had a .974
fielding percentage, record-
ing 74 putouts against just
Totten
two errors during the regular
season. At the plate, Totten led the team in hits
(47), batting average (.547) and stolen bases
(16), proving she was one of the Dragons’ most
dangerous offensive weapons. Among players
with at least 10 at-bats during the regular sea-
son, Totten had the team low in strikeouts,
going down on swings just twice during the
2015 campaign. But Totten’s leadership extend-
ed beyond her play on the field. Totten was
named first team all-league and helped Dallas
to a third-place finish in the Mid-Willamette
Conference in her final year with the Dragons.
Kaitlyn Noon
Central
The senior first baseman saw
her high school career end
with a solid performance
throughout the 2015 season.
Noon recorded 31 hits, in-
cluding a team-high 11 dou-
bles, and 24 RBIs, making her
Noon
one of the Panthers’ go-to
bats for an offensive spark. In the infield, she had
33 putouts and 30 assists playing primarily at
first base. Noon’ earned second team all-Mid-
Yasmine El-Hato
Dallas
The junior first base-
man/pitcher proved she was
a force to be reckoned with
at the plate. El-Hato hit a
team-high 11 home runs dur-
ing regular season, driving in
41 runs. Her .420 batting av-
El-Hato
erage was second on the
squad, behind only Totten. El-Hato drew a team-
high 23 walks during the season, proof that de-
fenses realized of her skills at the plate. On de-
fense, El-Hato played primarily at first base,
while also pitching in certain situations, making
her one of the Dragons’ most versatile players.
The league took notice, naming her to the first
team all-league, while also selecting her as the
conference’s co-Offensive Player of the Year.
Alexxa
Gonzalez
Central
The senior outfielder made
the most of her final year with
the Panthers. Gonzalez ap-
peared in 26 of Central’s 27
games, providing the Pan-
Gonzalez
thers with a dependable
bat in their order. Gonzalez fin-
ished the 2015 campaign
with 23 hits and 15
RBIs. Her ability to
play a number of posi-
tions, especially in the
Totten
outfield, meant Cen-
tral could switch
around lineups
whenever it was need-
ed. Gonzalez earned second team all-league
honors for her performance.
Sarah Mitchell
Dallas
The senior third baseman re-
turned to the Dragons after
competing in track and field
as a junior. Mitchell immedi-
ately added depth both in
the batting order and the in-
field. She provided Dallas
Mitchell
with a steady presence at
third base and showed the ability to hit the
long ball, recording a pair of home runs.
Mitchell drove in 23 runs, the third most for
Dallas and earned first team all-Mid-Willamette
Conference recognition. Mitchell may have
taken a hiatus from softball, but her return
played a key role in the Dragons’ success.
UTILITY
Cheyenne Locke
Perrydale
Locke, a senior, was arguably
the Pirates’ most versatile
player. Final stats weren’t
available, but Locke provided
Perrydale with a player who
could step in at almost any
position, including pitcher.
Locke
Locke provided senior leader-
ship both on and off the field and earned first
team all-Special District 2 honors for her
role on the Pirates during the 2015 cam-
paign, helping her team finish third in
the league standings and just
missing out on
OUTFIELD
Jori Kerr
Central
The sophomore outfielder
made a big impact for Cen-
tral in 2015. At the plate, she
was tied for second on the
team with 37 hits and was
also second in triples with
four and RBIs with 30. Kerr
Kerr
also showed the ability to
go deep, hitting a team-high three home
runs. As Kerr prepares to become
an upperclass-
man, it’s clear
she’ll play a major
role in the Panthers’ batting order. Now,
she’ll be looking to take her defensive play
to the next level. For now, Kerr earned sec-
ond team all-Mid-Willamette Conference
honors for her efforts in helping the
Panther to a fourth place finish in the
MWC standings.
a
postseason
berth. Perrydale’s season
may have ended earlier than the Pi-
rates hoped, but Locke proved just
how great of a player she was, no mat-
ter what position she was playing on
the field.
Ryanne
Huffman
Central
Makena
Linn
Dallas
Linn, a jun-
ior center-
f i e l d e r,
p ro - ve d
w h y
Linn
s h e
was one of the Dragons’
slam was the first home run of
her career. But Huffman
meant so much more to
the Panthers. She set six
school records: career hits,
career runs scored, career
stolen bases, most
stolen bases in a sin-
gle season, most
runs scored in a
single season and
most hits in a
single season.
She also tied
t h e t e a m’s
record for
most triples in a single sea-
son. Huffman’s .510 batting
average, 51 hits, 35 RBIs and
46 runs scored were all team
highs during the 2015 campaign.
Huffman received first team all-
league honors for her efforts
and helped Central advance to
the first round of the state play-
offs.
most important keys to success. At the plate,
she finished second on the team in hits (37),
batting average (.457), home runs (five) and
RBIs (36), proving she played a major role in
making Dallas’ offense go. In the outfield, Linn
boasted a .933 fielding percentage with 28
putouts and made just two errors during
the 2015 campaign. Linn was one of five
Dragons to earn first team all-league
honors. And Linn figures to play
an even more prominent role as a
senior during the upcoming sea-
son.
Willamette Conference recognition for her ef-
forts during her senior season for the Panthers.
Nash
The senior short-
stop/utility play-
er had a banner
season to end
her high school
Huffman
career. Among
the highlights included a grand
slam in the Panthers’ play-in
round, ending the game and giv-
ing Central a 14-2 victory. The
CATCHER
Kylie
Nash
Central
The senior catcher showed
why she has become such a
key part of the Panthers’
Nash
softball squad. Behind the
plate, Nash boasted a near
perfect fielding percentage of .992 with 113
putouts and just a single error during the 2015
campaign. Nash helped Central’s pitchers
through a variety of situations and lead a de-
fense that gave up the second fewest runs in
the MWC. But Nash wasn’t just a rock on de-
fense. She recorded 37 hits at the plate, tying
for second-most on the team. Nash also drove
in 24 runs. Once on base, she was always a
threat to advance, recording 16 stolen bases,
second most behind Huffman. Nash earned
first team all-Mid-Willamette Conference
recognition, a final honor that showed just
how much Nash meant to Central’s success
during the season.
COACH
Al Perkins
Dallas
The sixth-year coach led the
Dragons to a third-place fin-
ish in the Mid-Willamette
Conference. Perkins led a tal-
ented team, one that saw
five players earn first team
Perkins
all-league honors, including
the Co-Offensive Player of the Year (Yasmine El-
Hato) and seven players overall earn all-league
recognition as the Dragons advanced to the
play-in round. Perkins stepped down as Dallas’
coach after the 2015 campaign, but his tenure
featured several playoff runs, a league title and
multiple players earning all-league honors
throughout his career.
—
The 2015 all-region high school softball team was
selected by Itemizer-Observer Sports Editor Lukas
Eggen, along with heavy input from area coach-
es.
Swing: Huffman will play at WOU
Continued from Page 10A
As one of three seniors,
Huffman wasn’t worried
about any personal acco-
lades. Entering a new classi-
fication (Class 5A), Huffman
was more worried about the
bonds her teammates
would form than the num-
ber of total wins.
“I wasn’t focused as much
on how far we would make
it, but on how well we all
came together,” Huffman
said.
As far as relationships go,
it was mission accom-
plished for the Panthers.
“I’ve met so many people
who will be my bridesmaids
at my wedding,” Huffman
said. “We had such good
chemistry. That is something
we’ll hold onto forever.”
That chemistry led to the
Panthers making a big
splash in the Mid-
Willamette Conference.
Central led the league in
total runs scored (251),
while finishing second in
runs allowed (110).
Huffman was at the cen-
ter of much of the team’s of-
fensive success. She led the
team in hits (51), RBIs (35),
batting average (.510) and
stolen bases (24) as the Pan-
thers advanced to the first
round of the state playoffs.
“My power hitting im-
proved,” Huffman said. “Be-
fore, I was a bunter. I would
get on base by outrunning
throws.”
Huffman was also one of
the team’s most dependable
infielders, finishing second
on the team in fielding per-
centage (.947) while starting
at shortstop. Huffman
earned first team all-league
LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer
Central senior Ryanne Huffman will play softball at Western Oregon in 2016.
honors for her senior cam-
paign.
“Honestly, probably my
favorite part is laying out for
a ball (on defense) and get-
ting my uniform dirty,”
Huffman said. “I love that.”
While her high school ca-
reer has come to a close,
Huffman’s softball journey
is far from over. And she’s
staying close to home to
continue on.
—
There was a time when
Huffman wasn’t sure she
would be playing softball at
the collegiate level.
“Growing up, I thought I
was going to play for UCLA
and in Division I,” Huffman
said. “As time went on and I
started to learn more, I
thought maybe I didn’t real-
ly want to worry about soft-
ball in college and I should
just focus on school.”
Her love of softball
proved too great, however.
But Huffman wasn’t willing
to jump at any college that
offered her a chance to play.
Her next challenge be-
came finding a place that
offered her more than just a
team — she was looking for
a new family.
It turns out she wouldn’t
have to look far.
Entering her junior year,
Western Oregon University
showed interest. When
WOU offered her a spot, she
was thrilled.
“I just love this communi-
ty,” Huffman said. “I love the
town we’re in. I thought why
not go to college there? It’s
cool because I can bring
people in, like my friends
and family, to watch me.”
The Wolves have seen
success in recent years, win-
ning the Great Northwest
Athletic Conference tourna-
ment in 2014 and advancing
to the GNAC tournament in
2015. But it wasn’t their suc-
cess on the field that con-
vinced Huffman to say yes.
“I talked to a player and
she said they’re a family out
there,” Huffman said.
She verbally committed
during her junior year and
signed her letter of intent as
a senior.
“I’m really excited and
nervous at the same time,”
Huffman said. “I don’t know
what to expect. I haven’t
had the chance to play with
the other players or coaches
yet.”
As she prepares to enter a
new chapter in her life, she’s
grateful for the chance to
give the community she
loves more chances to see
her progress.
“I don’t think I would
have been this successful
without (the community
support),” Huffman said.
While the chance to con-
tinue her softball career is
an exciting prospect, she’s
hoping her new team con-
tinues what made her time
at Central so special.
“I’m looking forward to
making new friendships,”
Huffman said. “That’s what
softball is all about, making
new friends and relation-
ships.”
SCORE
BOARD
CLUB GOLF
CROSS CREEK GOLF COURSE
MEN’S CLUB
Tuesday, June 9 Results
Low gross/low net
Gross — 1, Bill Karjala, 39; 2, Jim
Schroeder, 41; 3, Michael Willem, 42.
Net — 1, David Karr, 32; 2, Dennis
Bergman, 34; 3 (tie), Bob Sprinkle and
Larry Hatcher, 36; 5 (tie), Jim Cain, Ken
Ross and Doyle Cornman, 37.
SPORTS
BRIEFS
Gubrud steps
down as AD
PERRYDALE — Chris Gubrud
announced he was stepping
down as Perrydale High’s athlet-
ic director on Monday.
Gubrud will continue to
coach the school’s football and
softball squads.
Dan Dugan will take over as
the Pirates’ athletic director, ac-
cording to Missy Locke.
Dallas to hold
sports physicals
DALLAS — The Dallas Boost-
er Club and Oregon Family
Health will offer sports physicals
on June 17 from 5:30 to 8:30
p.m. at 607 SE Jefferson St.
No early entry. Please bring
the form needed for your
sport.
A limited number of high
school and Pop Warner forms
will be available.
Cost is $25 with proceeds
going directly toward the Dallas
Booster Club to support Dallas
athletics.