When the Tigard softball team took the field to start this season, they had eight positions with new faces.
The lone consistency from a year ago was catcher Kenna Clark. Every other position either had a player starting at varsity for the first time or a player with some experience moving to a new spot on the field.
“We’re a young team in terms of experience,” Head Coach Pete Kostel said. “We have 11 seniors, but we’re filling out eight new positions. We have Kenna behind the plate, but we’re new everywhere else.”
Kostel said some growing pains are to be expected when facing so much turnover. As of our press deadline, the Tigers are 1-4 on the young season.
He said he’s been giving his team one message so far early this year: “We’re going to get better as the season goes.” He added that he wants his team to learn from every moment they can and to keep moving forward.
“They have to trust in themselves and trust in the coaches and in the process we’re doing,” he said. “They believe in each other and are working hard. They’re a great group.”
Kostel said Clark has been great as a senior leader on the team. The catcher was named to the All-Three Rivers League First Team last year and is committed to play collegiately for Pacific University.
“She’s doing everything she needs to do on the field and as a senior leader,” Kostel said. “She has really stepped into that role for us.”
One big area for the Tigers to fill in this year is on the mound, where they lost Avery Rust to graduation. Rust was named an All-Three Rivers League First Team honoree at pitcher and was an honorable mention for the all-state team at pitcher. Tigard also graduated Claire Masters, who was named an all-league second team pitcher, from last year’s team.
game. Adam Littman/Tigard Life
Rust started a bulk of the team’s games last year.
“We will pitch more by committee this year,” Kostel said. “(Sophomore) Brooklyn Robinson will pitch a lot of innings for us. We have two seniors, Claire Ahlbrecht and Aaliyah Weston, who will pitch a lot. A freshman, Josie Feist, will also see time pitching. It will be more by committee than last year to fill in the pitching, especially early on.”
With a lot of new pitchers, that makes it even more important to have some consistency behind the plate, Kostel said.
“Kenna has done a great job taking those new pitchers on,” he said. “When the catcher is positive and supportive of the young pitching and confident with them, it helps them for sure to get strikes and pitch well.”
Kostel also praised his players for their willingness to move around the field to help out the team.
He said Kiarra Belli moved to third base for her senior season to help fill in a hole. She was an honorable mention for the all-league teams last season.
Senior Taylor Sirois was an all-league second team selection last year, and Kostel said she’s injured right now but is hopeful she’ll be back in time for league play.
Other seniors, Kostel said, who he’s been impressed with early this year include Sienna Waller, Charlotte Brink and Morgan Reinwald in the outfield.
He also praised the play of junior Regan Jeub, a corner infielder.
Kostel said he also has some younger players who he anticipates will see the field a lot this year.
“We have some sophomores being asked to play in some spots,” Kostel said. “We’re just trying to build their confidence through practice and early games. Two sophomores, Keaton Sweeny and Kara Gross, are learning to play consistently at this level. (Josie) Feist is a freshman, and she is going to get some opportunities at this level. I’m excited about all three.”
The early-season schedule for Tigard also isn’t helping them ease into the season. The Tigers have played a few teams ranked in the top 10 in the state already, and Kostel said it’s a good chance for the players to see how tough things can be at the varsity level.
“It’s baptism by fire,” he said.
He added that one thing that’s great to see so early in the season is the connection the team has with each other.
“They really like to play for each other,” he said. “They’re really supportive of each other. To have this chemistry this early in the season with this green of a team is really impressive.”
