It’s no secret that pitching is the most coveted of all luxuries on the fastpitch diamond.
Look to any season during the past 10 years of play in the South Puget Sound League North Division and the team that wins the title has at least one — if not two — standout pitchers.
That being the case, Kentwood coach Jason Wisor has plenty of reason for optimism these days. Because although the Conquerors graduated ace Kirsten Shreve, the North’s reigning Pitcher of the Year, Kentwood still has enough depth in the circle to be a considerable factor this spring.
Leading the way is senior Kayla Evans, a second-team all-league selection last spring. Though Evans worked just 17 2/3 innings a year ago (primarily because Shreve delivered complete game after complete game), she allowed just two earned runs. Add it up and Evans’ 0.79 earned run average was best among North Division pitchers with at least 14 innings of work.
But Evans won’t be alone in the circle. She will be joined by sophomore standout Brooke Thomas.
“I’d like to think we have the best 1-2 duo in the league,” Wisor said.
Kentwood’s depth in the circle, however, is just half of the team’s recipe for success this season. Although Kentwood lost Shreve, who now is pitching at Farleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, it also returns 10 players from last year’s team that finished third in the division.
Anchoring that depth is first-team infielder Jessica Glenn (.435 last season) and second baseman Ally Mittleider, a first-team third baseman two years ago before a back injury slowed her down last spring.
Kentwood’s key, however, remains with its depth. Few teams in the North can boast of having 10 returners, particularly 10 who provide the level of leadership and defense that oozes from the Kentwood lineup.
“We do have that attitude that we know what needs to get done,” Wisor said. “It’s really about finding the proper way to mix everyone together. The returners I have, they all feel like they have something to prove.”
And with depth around the diamond, especially in the circle, the Conquerors should be able to prove plenty this season.
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