Softball team in playoff hunt going into Sophomore Day weekend

The past was just a prelude for this year's Eagle softball team, which started the season 8-18 before winning 9 of its last 10 games to soar back into postseason contention.

Now 9-5 in the Golden Valley Conference, the Eagles are vying with Feather River (10-5) and Lassen (8-5) to finish second in the GVC and earn an automatic berth into the state playoffs. Those three teams are all playing each other in the final week of the regular season, including three games Friday and Saturday in Weed between Lassen and Siskiyous.

Friday's game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m., followed by Sophomore Day games at noon and 2 p.m. Saturday. The Eagles' six sophomores will be recognized on the field before the start of Saturday's second game.

Those sophomores -- centerfielder Nevaeh Harry of Grants Pass, OR; 3B/catcher Grace Hubbard of Etna; outfielder Shelby Flournoy of Corning; pitchers Megan Allen of Eagle Point, OR, and Ashley Falk of Grants Pass; and Kanalei Brasch of Mount Shasta – all returned after helping last year's team stay in the race for a conference championship and playoff spot until the final day of the season.

This year's team is in the playoff hunt despite a difficult schedule that started with 26 consecutive road games. As head coach Jon Cox points out, they logged 4,400 road miles, which is about equal to going from Weed to Nashville and back.

"We've put in the work and are mentally prepared," Cox said. "Now we are 4-1 at home, and it's such a different feeling when you have the great energy from family and fans behind you. We're looking forward to this weekend. Lassen is a formidable opponent with strong pitching, but our pitching is just as good if not better and our offense is better."

After those three games against Lassen, the Eagles will finish the regular season with a single game on Monday at Feather River. Feather River will then travel to Lassen for a doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon.

The Eagles' only loss in their last 10 games was a 2-1 defeat at home when the team's bats suddenly went silent in a non-conference game against Shasta last Wednesday. That followed a 9-5 conference victory over Shasta that same day and a previous conference sweep in mid-March at Shasta, 10-2 and 14-5.

Getting back on track after that loss, the Eagles won three straight GVC games at Mendocino, 10-0 on Friday, 12-1 and 7-6 on Saturday. And prior to that, the Eagles swept apair of non-conference games at Ohlone April 2nd, 9-4 and 4-0, then took three from Butte in their first home games of the season.

Siskiyous' .285 team batting average is second in the GVC to Yuba, which has a perfect 15-0 conference record and has already clinched the title. The Eagles lead the conference in runs scored (202) and runs batted in (179) and are second to Yuba in team on-base percentage (.347), slugging percentage (.389) and stolen bases (57).

Freshman lefthand pitcher Kaelyn Lange of Coleville threw a five-inning no-hitter in the Eagles' 10-2 victory over Butte in the first game of a doubleheader April 5th, then allowed just one hit in the 10-0, six inning game against Mendocino. She also pitched six innings of no-hit ball in the 12-1 win Saturday at Mendocino before Ashley Falk pitched the final inning to finish a combined no-hitter.

In all, during the Eagles' 7-1 run from April 4th to 12th, Lange won 5 games and saved 2 while allowing just 4 hits and 3 runs in 24 innings with 20 strikeouts and 12 walks. She's ranked third among GVC pitchers in earned run average (2.48), fourth in wins (8), and fifth in strikeouts (60), while swinging the bat at a .386 clip.

Cox said Lange and sophomore pitchers Ashley Falk and Megan Allen have benefited from the team's excellent defense, which has averaged less than one and a-half errors per game during their winning surge. "Junior college defense can get sloppy, but we've been lights out defensively," Cox said.

And the team's offense has been shining bright, averaging just under 8 runs per game in the last 10 games.

Freshman shortstop Alexes Collier of Yreka leads the team with a .373 batting average and .423 on-base percentage. Her 16 stolen bases are tied for the lead among GVC players and just 2 shy of the all-time school record of 18. She's second on the team with 28 runs scored and leads the team with 52 assists.

Freshman catcher Rylee Reasoner of Cloverdale has a .364 batting average, .421 on-base percentage, leads the team with 12 doubles and shares the team lead of 33 runs batted in with Shelby Flournoy, the second most RBIs in conference. Reasoner has only struck out 8 times in 121 plate appearances, is second on the team with 92 putouts and has a .973 fielding percentage. Playing close to home at Mendocino in Ukiah, she hit her first college home run Friday. Flournoy has a .339 batting average, .383 on-base percentage and leads the team with a .517 slugging percentage, 61 total bases, and 16 extra base hits: 11 doubles and 5 triples. She has scored 25 runs while striking out just 9 times in 131 plate appearances and has a

.978 fielding percentage. "She's improved greatly from last season, and she's hitting with great confidence," Cox said.

Freshman June Woster of Medford, OR, who plays second base, is second in conference with 31 runs scored and is tied for third in conference with 11 stolen bases. She has a .301 batting average and .405 on-base percentage, is second on the team with 51 assists and has a .966 fielding percentage.

Ashley Falk is another sophomore who has upped her game this season, improving her batting average from .133 to .292, her on-base percentage from .235 to .346, and her slugging percentage from .133 to .344. She's also become a key member of the pitching staff with 10 games started, 16 appearances, 70 innings pitched, and a 3.20 earned run average that is fourth best in the GVC. She has a 6-6 win-loss record and threw a one-hit shutout at Ohlone after taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning. Falk is lined up to continue her softball career as both a pitcher and outfielder at York College in Nebraska.

Nevaeh Harry has picked up her offense down the stretch while continuing to be a key factor for the team with her defense in centerfield. She has made zero fielding errors on 37 total chances and has thrown out three runners. She's also one of two Eagles with more than one home run this season: she and Collier have both hit two.

Grace Hubbard, like Collier, was a starter for both the Eagle softball and women's basketball teams. Hubbard has been a major contributor on the infield for two years, playing third base and catcher. She's third on this year's team with 50 assists, second with 3 triples, has scored 21 runs, and hit her first college home run at home against Butte last week, a ball that banged off the top of the leftfield fence and bounded deep into the woods.

Megan Allen has been a key member of the pitching staff for two years, starting 9 games last year and 13 so far this season. She has lowered her ERA from 6.62 to 4.89 this year and improved her WHIP from 2.40 to 1.83 while increasing her innings pitched from 43.1 to 67.1.

Cox described sophomore Kanalei Brasch of Mount Shasta as "a great teammate and great kid from a great family." Playing first base this season, she has 31 putouts without an error.

As a group, Cox said this year's sophomores have been "consistent competitors on the field, are great students, and stay out of trouble. They've been perfect for what junior college athletics allow them to do."

Another freshman, 1B and catcher Madison McClure of Winnemucca, NV, leads the Eagles and is top 10 in the GVC with 97 putouts.

By Steve Gerace