Trying to move past a second straight sub-.500 record in softball, Philomath High coach Travis King firmly believes in a positive approach that serves as the foundation of a solid team culture.
The fourth-year coach hopes to not only see a unified group of athletes that play for one another, but also strives for improvements on the field — fewer errors, putting the ball in play and consistent pitching.
The Warriors will be tested right out of the game with softball season opening at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Lebanon, a team that went 21-6 and lost last season’s 5A championship game by one run.
“The dynamic is going really well right now,” King said Sunday afternoon. “The girls, they’re young, but they’re already coming together really well. In the first week of full practice without skipping a beat, they were looking really good out there.”
The coach pays a lot of attention to such progress, especially as it relates to off-the-field components.
“They all get along great and that’s one of the first steps of what we’re trying to build,” King said. “If we can move forward with that … I think it’ll be a really good group of kids to watch.”
Beyond coming together as players, King also knows that his team just needs to work hard.
“The drills that we’re doing — as long as they buy into it, they’re going to be successful,” King said. “We’ve done a few different ones this year and I won’t lie, the kids are not the biggest fans of some of them because it’s making them work, but they do it together. They’re getting it down and they see it when we go from the drill to live on the field. They’re seeing the improvement and what that’s doing for them.”
It’s the positive direction that he wants to see.
“Honestly, if the kids get along and they’re happy and they’re having fun, they’re going to play well for you,” King said. “I think that’s where we’re headed right now.”
As for the players themselves, King has a very young roster with freshmen representing 15 of the 28 players in the program. Three of them will suit up with the varsity — Allison Burnett, Haley King and Riley Mason.
In fact, the team’s top two pitchers heading into the season will be King and Burnett. King will be the starter.
“She’s got to take the place of some seniors,” Coach King said about Haley, who is his daughter. “We didn’t have a lot of depth in pitching past that.”
Burnett will be in the No. 2 spot in the circle. Senior Ahnika Tryon also can pitch when needed and a couple of junior varsity pitchers could be brought up as swing players. Behind the dish will be junior Janae Traglia, an all-conference honorable mention selection a year ago, with Mason backing up.
At the infield positions, players will be competing for innings. At first base, Tryon returns but softball newcomer Zoee Howard will also get a look. Junior Laighla Hockema appears to be penciled in as the starter at second but the coach said junior Lilia Leman is also showing potential at the position. Over at third, Mason, the freshman, appears to have the starting job with junior Hannah Bennett rotating in when needed. Howard is in the mix as well.
One of the biggest question marks for the team comes at shortstop, which King said remained up in the air as preseason workouts begin to wind down. Traglia could be in the 6 hole when not catching, Haley King could step in when not pitching and Hockema can play the position, too, especially if Leman develops well at second.
Junior Kaylie Kohler, a versatile all-conference second-team player last season, will anchor the outfield in center. Bennett has the edge in left field and senior Kelsey Olsen will be in right field — although not to start the season because she’s working through an injury. Sophomore Emma May could be worked into the lineup as well with a strong showing in practice.
Philomath’s schedule shapes up as fairly similar to last season, although The Dalles, defending state champion, opted out of a game that had been scheduled. After the Tuesday jaunt over to Lebanon, the Warriors will follow with a 4:30 p.m. Thursday game at Junction City.
Later this month, the team will play four opponents in two days at the North Medford Spring Tournament. Opponents include Douglas, Mazama, Cascade Christian and Amity. Following the tournament and before getting into league play, Philomath will face Gladstone, Pendleton and La Grande — all three of those games to be played at home over the first week of April.
Stayton and Cascade were the top two teams in the conference last season — neither advanced past the quarterfinals — and Sweet Home played its way into the postseason. Stayton lost Player of the Year Jessia Rule to graduation and has a new coach in Butch Eaton but does return key players. Cascade might be the team to beat in 2024, however, with six first-team all-league players from a year ago that were underclassmen.
King’s coaching staff changed a bit from last season. Saff Evans, who has long been helping with the softball program, returns to head up the JV with assistance from Shelly Kohn. Amie Russell is back as an assistant coach with the varsity.