Page 6
HERMISTON
East Oregonian/Hermiston Herald
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Bulldogs to be aggressive on bases in 2016
Mikayla
Kopacz
(center)
leads a
Hermis-
ton soft-
ball team
optimistic
about
the 2016
season.
Hermiston
Softball
COACH: Kate Greenough, 1st
year
2015 SEASON: 7-18, 1-11
CRC (4th)
POSTSEASON STORY: The
Bulldogs last made the playoffs in
2013.
LOSSES:
OF
Abi
Drotzmann,
INF
Bobbi
Hofbauer,
INF Kalene
Wheeler, INF
Makenzie Juul, OF Ashley Moser.
RETURNERS: INF Mikayla
Kopacz, sr.; P Breyanna Naylor,
sr.; OF Amanda Baron, soph.; P
Alex Barton, jr.; OF Kylie Green,
soph.; OF Kiersten Miller, sr.; C/
OF Kylie Hinkley, sr.; P Julissa
Almaguer, soph.; P Taylor Betz,
sr.; C/OF Jaime Hinkley, sr.;
P Alex Barton, jr.; INF Ellery
Jones, sr.
File Photo
By SAM BARBEE
East Oregonian
K
ate Greenough brings
experience and knowledge
to the dirt diamond at
Rocky Heights Elementary.
The ¿rst-year Hermiston coach,
who teaches special education
at the high school, pitched
collegiately for Northern Illinois
then Utah State, before returning
to Oregon to coach scholastic ball.
“I was very excited about being
a part of the program, however
may look,” she said. “I have lot
of softball experience with high
school and college and I guess I ¿t
the part.”
Greenough wants to run. With
an athletic roster, Greenough
envisions lots of ground balls
and aggressive base running. She
doesn’t want to have runs handed
to her Bulldogs. She wants to take
them.
“We are gonna be aggressive
on the bases, hit the ball hard
and score a lot of runs,” she said.
“Softball has become a hitter’s
game, and so we are gonna ¿t that
part and score as many runs as
we can at all times. We plan on
running a lot, hitting the ball on
the ground, moving runners all the
time.”
To employ that style of play,
Greenough is hoping seniors
Mikayla Kopacz, twins Kylie and
Jaime Hinkley and Ellery Jones
can shoulder most of that load.
Kopacz slots in at the shortstop
position, and Jones will ¿t in at
third, giving Hermiston a strong
left side of the in¿eld to go with a
decent pitching staff.
That staff, led by sophomore
lefty Julissa Almaguer, Taylor Betz
and Breyanna Naylor, is hoping to
be a main area of success.
“I’ve seen some huge leader-
ship with some of those seniors,”
Greenough said. “Taylor Betz has
showed up and has been ready to
play. It’s been exciting to see them
show up and want to be a part of
something special.”
Greenough inherits a program
that has struggled in recent years.
From her perch, the ¿rst-year
coach can feel the mentality
changing a bit.
“From day one, we’ve treated
them like adults and expect that’s
how they play,” Greenough said.
“They’ve risen to that expectation.
They’re playing like they’re a
winning program. They’re not
playing like things have been
mediocre. They expect to win
games. That’s exciting to see,
especially when you’re coming
(to) a building program.”
Greenough takes over a
program that resides in the
competitve CRC, with perennial
power Pendleton just down the
highway. She isn’t overwhelmed,
though.
“I’d love to come in at the
top of conference, that would be
ideal,” she said. “I’d like to win
as many games as we can. That’s
pretty general, I guess, but there’s
no reason why we can’t be at the
top of conference. However that
may fall in the rankings, we can
compete with everyone in this
conference.
2016 SCHEDULE
Mar. 15
Mar. 18
Mar. 21
Mar. 22
Mar. 25
Mar. 29
April 1
April 11
April 16
April 18
April 19
April 23
April 26
April 30
May 3
May 6
May 13
*League game
vs. Ridgeview
vs. Liberty (DH)
at Putnam Spring Break Bash
at Putnam Spring Break Bash
at Pasco (WA) (DH)
vs. Summit
at Reynolds (DH)
at Canby
vs. The Dalles (DH)*
at Kennewick
at The Dalles*
vs. Hood River (DH)*
at Hood River*
at Pendleton (DH)*
vs. Pendleton*
at Hood River*
vs. Pendleton*
GOOD LUCK
HERMISTON
BULLDOGS!
GO DAWGS!
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