CL Softball Hawks Start Another Year February 1st
Alexis Robinson, Tiare Kacir, Brianna Young, and Kelsey Ahrens (from left to right)
Softball will be in full swing as the 2014 season fast approaches.
The first official practice started last Saturday as newcomers and oldies all were out wanting to see what this year might have in store.
“I was very pleased this week in seeing who came out,” Head Coach John Gallagher said. “The talent that showed up today was very encouraging.”
When asked what type of talent was seen, Coach Gallagher was forthcoming, “Overall athleticism, we have girls who can play that I did not see a month ago.”
The Hawks will have a four team scrimmage at Canyon High School on February 1st and then a home game scrimmage on Friday, February 7th with Harper.
“After the first round of scrimmages I will know pretty much where they are going to play,” Coach Gallagher assessed.
Canyon Lake will be participating in three tournaments this year with only four games that stand alone before District 27-3A begins in earnest.
Navarro, Blanco, and San Marcos will be those tournament destinations where CL will have a chance of getting several games played in three days.
“There is only so much you can do in practice,” Gallagher said. “You have to have competition when you learn more. You got a lot of games…we will have 6 games in 3 days and that will help us look at a lot of people before district and have them set by then.”
Softball will be as strong as the girl in the circle and what is displayed up the middle.
Last year’s squad left a lot of holes in the field that will need to be filled.
When asked what percentage of comfort, Coach Gallagher was feeling defensively he gave us his idea of comfort.
Pitcher and Catcher: 100% Short Stop and Second Base: 80% Third Base and First Base: 80% Outfield: TBD
From those percentages you can see where Coach Gallagher will be spending his time in evaluating. In the Outfield!
Most times, in Softball, the quarterback for a team resides behind home plate.
The Hawks have two year starter Brianna Young returning for her Senior campaign and this young lady has shown that she can handle the complexities of a game from that position.
Young also had a very good year batting and will hopefully continue that part of her game, too.
Brianna Young ab r h bi 2b 3b hr bb so obp ave.
2013 season 54 8 19 14 8 0 1 14 5 .500 .352
2012 season 54 3 17 20 5 0 0 13 7 .463 .314
totals 108 11 36 34 13 0 1 27 12 .482 .333
Those are pretty good line scores and increasing those at bats with some power will certainly help a team that has suffered in the batting cage throughout their existence.
“I will be looking for a new family,” Young said youthfully. “We need to go hard or go home.”
McKenna Beseda, Lilimae Daily, Cassidy Riccio, and Vicky Henderson will all be missing this year as these ladies ran out of eligibility on graduation day.
However, CL will return three top hitters from last year’s team and will now be searching for some more solid players to step it up.
2013 season ab r h bi 2b 3b hr bb so ave. Alexis Robinson 75 18 27 9 5 2 0 3 7 .360 Brianna Young 54 8 19 14 8 0 1 14 5 .352 Kelsey Ahrens 71 14 24 10 7 0 0 4 15 .338 totals 200 40 70 33 20 2 1 21 27 .350
Alexis Robinson did her feat as a freshman and being a year older might have her knocking on all the previous batting records held for Canyon Lake.
Robinson will be in the circle for the Hawks and another year can hopefully get her to a Missy Romero type of dominance for Canyon Lake.
Name ip h r er bb so era W L Alexis Robinson 122.2 102 130 59 114 171 3.38 8 13
Impressive numbers for a freshman and who knows what another year might bring from this all everything player.
“I am waiting for a lot of growth,” Robinson stated. “We are young and talented and that gives us room for goodness.”
Kelsey Ahrens was the other pitcher that finished with 17 innings, but that still gave Robinson a heavy work load. That certainly had an effect on Robinson not only from the circle but in the batter’s box as well.
Look at these numbers based on games before district play compared with district games for Robinson.
Pitching ip h r er bb so era games Regular Season 67.2 54 68 28 47 103 2.92 24 District Games 55.0 48 62 31 67 68 3.95 10
Robinson just did not have her same control as the season progressed and that can be helped just by being one year older and acquiring more strength.
Keeping an eye on this young lady will give us an idea of how this season might finish.
Of course, an improved defense can also help the pitching as each error in the field will give a pitcher another batter they have to face without getting any closer to those three outs required to get out of an inning.
Ahrens really had a coming out party from her first to second year.
Kelsey Ahrens ab r h bi 2b 3b bb so ave.
2013 season 71 14 24 10 7 0 4 15 .338
2012 season 43 5 5 7 4 0 5 13 .116
“Hard work and dedication and our need to grow to be successful,” Ahrens said when responding to what her thought process was as this season approaches.”
If Ahrens can improve any like she did from year one to year two, then watch out as this player also will give Coach Gallagher options in the field being able to play 3rd or 1st base.
Players that have a chance of being a main cog in this machinery that only time will tell, as Coach Gallagher so eloquently stated earlier, ‘To Be Determined’.
Look for Cameron Berger, Kirsten Jones, Liz Henderson, and Tiare Kacir to get some chances of showing the coaches they deserve a chance to help CL when District 27-3A commences.
“We have a lot of new kids and so it will take a long time to look at them,” Coach Gallagher continued. “We had two to three girls from last year that played on Junior Varsity which should help when they make a varsity spot.”
Kacir reiterated what Ahrens stated earlier, “I’m dittoing Kelsey and we need to play for each other.”
This will be Canyon Lake’s second year of being able to field another JV squad which gives Coaches a chance to have plenty of playing time for those players as they move up the food chain.
See you at the chow line as the Hawks start feasting on mascots this season.
