Polk County Sports
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 15, 2016 11A
2016 ITEMIZER-OBSERVER ALL-REGION SOFTBALL TEAM
PITCHER
helped an inexperienced
Pirates softball team
develop and set the
program up for future
success.
Yasmine El-Hato
Dallas
The senior pitcher/first baseman was a triple
threat for the Dragons. At the plate, El-Hato
led the Dragons in hits (47), home runs
(6) and RBIs (50). As Dallas’ top pitch-
er, she started 17 games, throw-
ing 57 strikeouts with a 2.4 ERA.
And at first base, El-Hato had a
perfect fielding percentage. El-Hato was
named the Mid-Willamette Conference’s
Player of the Year for her efforts. “Yasmine
added a lot of senior leadership on our
team on and off the field,” Dallas coach
Brandi Jackson said. “She came every
day ready to work and pushed the
team to the next level.”
McGill
earned first team all-Special
District 2 recognition.
Kyra Noon
Central
The junior infielder showed why
she is one of the Panthers most
dependable players in 2016.
Noon hit .508 during league play
and drove in 21 runs. Noon’s abil-
ity to play second or third base
made her a versatile asset for
Central, one who could slide in
wherever she was needed. She
had a team-high 37 assists during
Kaelynn Simmons
MWC play and gave the Panthers a
Nash
Dallas
steady presence at the plate and
on defense. Noon earned first
As a freshman, Simmons
stepped into a critical role for the Dragons. As team all-league recognition. “She was a solid
a third baseman/pitcher, Simmons also served third baseman and was very strong offensively
as the Dragons’ lead off hitter. She more than for us as well,” Central coach Kendra George
met the challenge. She had just four strikeouts said. “She made some outstanding progress
in 92 at-bats. On defense, she had a .919 field- from last year to this year.”
ing percentage. As a pitcher, she threw 36
strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings of work. Simmons Jori Kerr
earned first team all-league honors for her per-
formance and she figures to be a key fixture Central
for the Dragons for years to come. “Kaelynn is a The junior made a difficult switch from out-
natural born softball player,” Jackson said. “She field to infield prior to the start of the season.
has the build, the heart and the passion to be That didn’t slow Kerr down at all. Kerr was a
successful in this sport. … She is one of those consistent threat at the plate, recording a
players who is constantly working to improve team-high 37 hits, including seven triples and
her game, even during the offseason, and it two home runs, and 38 RBIs during league
shows. She will be one to watch for in the next play. She earned first team all-league honors
few years.”
for her performance. “Offensively, Jori led the
team this year,” George said. “She made a de-
fensive transition from outfield to infield,
Anna McGill
which was challenging sometimes, but she did
Perrydale
it without complaining and learned to make
The senior shortstop/catcher served as a quick adjustments.”
team captain for the Pirates and was perhaps
the team’s most dangerous offensive weapon.
McGill had a .455 batting average and a .560
on-base percentage. Once she reached a Emma Classen
base, she was a nightmare for opponents,
recording 31 stolen bases. Her leadership Dallas
INFIELD
OUTFIELD
Dallas relied on its fair share of inexperienced
players during the 2016 season. Classen, a
freshman, was one who
rose to the occasion.
The outfielder/pitcher
hit .314 at the plate with 17
runs scored. She also pitched in nine games,
throwing 20 strikeouts in 32 innings of work.
Her willingness and ability to step up to the
challenge and perform at the varsity level
earned her second team all-league honors.
“Emma is one of those kids who every coach
wants on their team,” Jackson said. “She comes
in every day with a great attitude and gives
110 percent. It was fun to watch her grow over
the season, and I can’t wait to see what she
brings next year.”
MaKena Linn
Dallas
The senior outfielder’s vast knowledge and ex-
perience made her a critical part to the Drag-
ons’ outfielders. She had 28 putouts, a high
among Dallas outfielders and was a force at
the plate, with a .458 on-base percentage. She
also drew 12 walks, tied for the team high. Linn
earned second team all-MWC honors. “One
thing we all love about MaKena is her work
ethic and love for the game,” Jackson said. “She
is one of those players that isn’t necessarily a
vocal leader, but leads by example every day.
Kena has been the glue in the centerfield this
year. Her knowledge of the game and experi-
ence in the outfield rubbed off onto whoever
was playing next to her.”
CATCHER
Kylie Nash
Central
Softball may not be Nash’s primary sport, but
the senior played a huge role for the Panthers
in 2016. As the team’s starting catcher, Nash
had 82 putouts, 11 assists and just two errors,
providing a steady hand behind the plate. As a
hitter, Nash recorded 25 hits during league
play with only four strikeouts. Once on base,
Nash was a dangerous weapon, stealing six
bases. She was also a vocal leader for the Pan-
thers and earned first team all-MWC honors.
“She was the best defensive player for Central,”
George said. “She was very quick on the bases
for us and will be really missed.”
Ciara Greisen
Dallas
Greisen, a senior, was late to the game for Dal-
las’ softball team as 2016 marked her first sea-
son playing for the Dragons. But she made up
for lost time with 27 hits and a perfect fielding
percentage behind the plate. “We were very
fortunate to have Ciara join DHS,” Jackson said.
“Coming in as a new senior, she was a great
addition to our team and was a big part of our
success this season. She is a wall behind the
plate and her bat came around for us.”
COACH
Brandi Jackson
Dallas
UTILITY
Mariah Hyre
Central
Hyre came in as a freshman and showed just
how valuable she will be to the Panthers going
forward. Playing a number of different posi-
tions, Hyre had a .913 fielding percentage with
just two errors during league play. She also
had 24 hits, including 10 doubles, and 21 runs
scored during conference season, earning first
team all-league honors in the process. “She
came in as a freshman and was a versatile play-
er who makes quick adjustments,” George said.
“She had some game-saving defensive plays
and offensively blew up for us the second half
of the season.”
In her first season, and her first varsity head
coaching job, Jackson helped the Dragons
have a spectacular season. Dallas went 19-9
overall and 17-7 in league play, finishing in
third place. The Dragons then advanced to the
state quarterfinals, defeating Sandy 9-1 in the
first round of the state playoffs before falling
to eventual state champion Churchill 6-0 in the
quarterfinals round; a impressive start to her
coaching career.
—
The 2016 all-region high school softball team
was selected by Itemizer-Observer Sports Editor
Lukas Eggen, along with heavy input from area
coaches.
Dallas: El-Hato to attend Oregon State
Continued from Page 10A
By the time she arrived at
Dallas High School, she was
blossoming into one of the
Mid-Willamette Confer-
ence’s best players.
Her junior year in 2015
represented a big season for
El-Hato.
She hit 12 home runs that
season and was the Drag-
ons’ No. 1 pitcher.
Her offseason was spent
playing and training in soft-
ball, and she entered the
2016 season expecting great
things.
“I think, especially after
last season when I hit 12
home runs, I felt like I had
to live up to that,” El-Hato
said. “I realized that doesn’t
matter as much as getting
on base, making plays and
helping out the team.”
Her home runs were
down, but her batting aver-
age increased from about
.420 in 2015 to .547 this sea-
son.
“I think I did more dam-
age with those hits than with
the home runs,” she said.
She also excelled as the
Dragons’ go-to pitcher —
something she attributes to
her ability to forget the past
and focus on the present.
“When you have a bad
game, you have to control
yourself, get over it and
move on,” El-Hato said.
“You have to make sure you
don’t give up and you con-
tinue to get better.”
What made her perform-
ance more impressive was
battling injuries throughout
the season.
“My ribs like to pop out
and when I rotate, my
(right) shoulder likes to
dislocate sometimes,” El-
Hato said.
The results can be
painful, but El-Hato has
overcome.
By the time she entered
her senior season, El-Hato
was no longer the 10-year-
old girl who couldn’t hit or
pitch. She was being recruit-
ed to play in college.
“I got recruited by two
schools in California, one in
Boston and one Division II
school in West Virginia,” El-
Hato said.
After long consideration,
El-Hato decided on her col-
legiate fate — and the deci-
sion may surprise some. El-
Hato chose a school that
didn’t recruit her to play
softball: Oregon State.
“I wanted to stay closer
to home,” she said. “Ore-
gon State has a good pro-
gram that I want to get
into, and I may end up
walking on or play intra-
mural sports.”
For now, she’s not too
worried about what comes
next. She’s taking in being a
recent high school graduate
and a spectacular season
that saw the Dragons ad-
vance to the state quarterfi-
nals.
“I’m most proud of being
able to finish the season
with such great girls,” El-
Hato said. “We didn’t have
any drama, had fun and got
better as a whole.”
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer file
Yasmine El-Hato was Dallas’ top pitcher in 2016.
For all her individual ac-
complishments, including
being named the MWC’s
Player of the Year, it’s the
moments she spent time
with friends that she’ll re-
member most.
That, in the end, will be
her greatest accomplish-
ment, El-Hato said.
“Playing for Dallas,
you’re playing for the com-
munity. It’s a way to give
back,” El-Hato said. “Being
part of a team, that’s so
much fun. So many great
memories come along with
it.”
Dream: Alexander will Blue: Duo excels at Albany
Up Next
attend camp in July
Continued from Page 10A
After discussing his op-
tions with coaches, friends
and family, Alexander felt
now was the time to try and
make his basketball dreams
come true.
Wanting to play profes-
sionally is something nearly
all basketball players have
dreamt about. Making that
dream a reality can seem
overwhelming.
According to statistics
from the NCAA, 18,697 ath-
letes played men’s basketball
at the collegiate level in
2016. About 12.2 percent, or
just over 2,310 of those play-
ers, will turn professional in
the United States or over-
seas.
Daunting odds for any-
one, let alone for players
from a Division II school.
But Alexander doesn’t
dwell on the statistics. He’s
focused on the positive: He
has a chance to show what
he can do.
Alexander will attend a
camp in Las Vegas in mid-
July.
“Basically you have over-
seas coaches and agents
there looking at this selec-
tion of players,” Alexander
said. “Whether they are col-
lege athletes or other profes-
sional athletes trying to get a
contract, you play in this
Going pro
• According to statistics
from the NCAA, there were
18,697 student-athletes
playing men’s basketball
across all divisions.
• Of those athletes, 12.2
percent of them, or about
2,310, are expected to play
professional basketball in
the United States or inter-
nationally.
camp and they will look at
you.”
Vegas is a fitting location
for Alexander, who will be
going all in on what is, for
now, his only chance to im-
press potential suitors.
“I have to perform well to
get something really benefi-
cial for me as far as a con-
tract goes,” Alexander said.
With his playing career on
the line, Alexander has been
on an almost non-stop
training routine.
Mondays are devoted to
plyometrics — quick, power-
ful movements focused on
increasing jump height and
faster sprint times. Tuesdays
and Wednesdays are basket-
ball drill days, including
everything from shooting to
ball handling. Thursdays
and Fridays are weight train-
ing days, along with at least
an hour of shooting, and
Saturdays vary depending
on how his body feels.
Even Sundays, his “rest”
days, aren’t quite so relaxing.
“You want to put in the
overtime and do more
work,” Alexander said.
The upcoming camp in
Las Vegas provides the be-
ginning of a new chapter.
Alexander already has a long
list of places he wants to go,
including Germany and
Italy.
But he’s just hoping for a
chance to travel anywhere.
“It feels like when you’re
coming out of high school
all over again and deciding
where do I want to go,”
Alexander said. “It’s a good,
nervous feeling. There’s ex-
citement, too. I’m ready to
start my life.”
But while July’s camp pro-
vides an opportunity, there
is also the chance for failure.
If he fails to impress agents
and international coaches,
Alexander’s basketball hopes
would be on thin ice, at best.
It’s a reality he’s considered,
but isn’t ready to accept.
“You can’t get down,”
Alexander said. “It’s a busi-
ness now. You’re getting paid
to play well. I want to give it
everything I got. Either it
works out or it doesn’t. As
long as I have the opportu-
nity, I’m happy.”
Continued from Page 10A
Applegate took third in
the 50 backstroke (13-14).
For Applegate, his suc-
cess in the backstroke was a
bit of a surprise given just
how hard he found it.
“It’s hard because you
can’t see where you’re
going, so you might hit your
head,” he said.
Applegate, who also plays
football and track and field,
uses swimming as a way to
crosstrain. But he’s also
found he’s taken a liking to
the thrill of meet days.
Meets are the culmina-
tion of hours of training.
While practices can be diffi-
cult, to see it pay off in a
• The Blue Dolphins
Swim Team will compete
in the summer league in
Corvallis on June 22.
race makes it all worth it.
“To race other people, it’s
so much fun,” Applegate
said.
For Diaz, living up to
what her siblings accom-
plished proved to be a diffi-
cult task at first.
“It was a little harder be-
cause (my siblings) already
had times recorded and
were pretty good,” Diaz
said. “Trying to keep up
Solution on Page 2A
with what they did was a
little bit of a struggle.”
It was when she decided
to swim for herself that
things began to change.
“Focusing on what I can
do and not on what others
can is important,” Diaz said.
Perhaps the biggest sur-
prise about swimming for
Applegate and Diaz is the
sense of community and
the new friends they’ve
made along the way.
In the end, that sense of
community is what has
kept them coming back.
“What surprised me is
how much others actually
help you,” Diaz said. “We’re
like a family.”