Published: September 03, 2008 10:11 pm      

Edlam softball still taking shape

Piece of Mind

We are now three weeks into the fall softball season, but many questions still linger. After losing a number of key seniors from a year ago, many area teams are still searching for their true identities.

One of the biggest questions this young season, is who will be Edmond’s top dog?

Edmond Memorial (8-2) appears to have the early advantage this year with a strong mix of young talent and experience. The Lady ‘Dogs have consistently been able to put runs on the board, and come through in the clutch hits, but have struggled lately with their pitching and defense.

While the Lady ‘Dogs no longer have a dominant starter like Lisa Hughes, they have gotten by with a promising young rotation that includes Audrey Barrow, Rachel Baker and Caitlin Zuerker.

Santa Fe (8-4) may be the only team with an Edlam win under their belt, an 11-1 victory over North, but it is uncertain if the Lady Wolves can find enough offense against Memorial.

This season, the Lady Wolves have rode the arms of Evan Gray and Sierra Bronkey. Both have kept opposing hitters in check, but the Santa Fe girls won’t get anywhere until they can find some consistency at the plate.

The Lady ‘Dogs and Lady Wolves are the likely favorites for the city title, but North cannot be overlooked. They have ended up on the wrong side of a few routes this season, but many were due to a couple of bad innings.

Like many teams, North is also trying to find their identity this season. The young club has a number of new faces that are coming along offensively, but still have some work to do in the field. Kristen Stevenson has handled most of the pitching duties, and has steadily improved in her first year in the circle.

The Deer Creek squad went through a number of changes this season. The Lady Antlers had to adjust to new head coach Erin Regier, and a number of position changes. But after a number of rain-outs and rough start, the Deer Creek girls appeared to get the hang of things.

The Lady Antlers knocked off perennial Class 5A powerhouse Carl Albert, before putting together a strong performance in the Shawnee Tournament.

There is still plenty of season to come, but the Edlam picture should come into focus soon. On Friday night Memorial is set to take on Santa Fe in their first match up the year. And next week the Lady ‘Dogs will then play host to North.