Cheney High School softball head coach Gary Blake thought he would get about nine players back from last year’s squad that finished 12-11, earned a No. 4 league playoff seed and came within one win of a chance to play for a berth to state.
Instead, six returned, with two others missing the season to recover from off-season surgeries and another electing to play club ball only. Despite that, the Lady Blackhawks are in a position to reload for another good run at returning to the post season — and perhaps going deeper.
Five of the six returnees are seniors, led by three-year letter winner Cheyenne Wright, two-year winners Cheyenne Hanson, Julia Boyd and Adrianna Suiter along with letter winner Cassandra Schliep. Both Boyd and Suiter were All-Great Northern League selections in 2014, as was returning letter winner, sophomore Rachel Barsness.
Moving up from junior varsity this season is senior Jeena Bushnell. Newcomers sophomore Catrina Sneddon and freshmen Madison Kallsen and Meghan Krantz round out the squad, although Blake said he has a couple of “solid” freshmen on a large JV team he’ll likely call up at some point.
It’s a team with experience, not just at the 2A high school varsity level but also with softball in general. Five of the players, including both freshmen, play club ball in the off-season; something Blake hopes pays dividends down the stretch.
Blake feels the 2015 Lady Blackhawks should be “pretty solid” defensively; a team that also has some flexibility in the field. Boyd will get the majority of the innings on the mound, having gone 8-7 in her first full season in the rotation last year.
Kallsen will be her battery mate behind the plate, with Schliep starting at first, Wright at second, Hanson at third and Barsness in the hole at short. In the outfield it will be Sneddon in left, Suiter in center and Krantz in right, with Bushnell filling the utility role.
Blake has some options, however, and he’ll need them as he seeks to develop Kallsen on the mound to insert into the rotation with Boyd. When the freshman is pitching, Boyd can move into the outfield, with Barsness moving behind the plate and Hanson over to short. Blake said he’s also going to give Krantz some innings at third, which would move Hanson into the outfield where she is a strong player.
Offensively, Barsness will lead off, although she and 2014 senior Amy Anderson were neck and neck last season for the Lady Blackhawks batting crown. Anderson eventually won with a .513 average, with Barsness just below .500.
“I’d like to have her (Barsness) in my three-slot, but she’s also my fastest kid,” Blake said.
Wright will bat second with Suiter third. Suiter was the team’s home run leader in 2014 with six and finishing with a .827 slugging percentage. Krantz will hit fourth, followed by Boyd, Hansen, Schliep and Sneddon.
“Once we get going, I think we’ll be pretty darn good offensively,” Blake said. “In 2A varsity, if you’re solid through the No. 5 position you’re in pretty good shape. We might have more than that.”
The Lady Blackhawks will also have some speed to go with their pop. Boyd has “exceptional” speed along with Barsness, and Blake added that Sneddon has a pretty good set of wheels too.
As far as the GNL is concerned, it will be an interesting season. All five teams will get well acquainted with each other through four head-to-head match ups. Blake has managed to sprinkle in five non-league contests to keep Cheney fresh.
And with the departure of both of last year’s playoff teams, Colville and Deer Park, to the Northeast A League, it’s “up in the air” as to who will emerge as the leader.
John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.
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