Cheney softball eyes deeper postseason run

Hitting is something Cheney High School softball head coach Gary Blake has always been able to count on from his Lady Blackhawks teams, and this year is no exception. Through their first six games - all wins - Cheney is batting .424, averages 12 runs per game and has outscored its opponents 70-17.

But it's that last number - 17 - that makes Blake smile because it signifies something new for his team this season.

"We're hitting like we've hit the last several years, but this year, we've got some pitching to go with it," he said.

Maddie Kallsen was tabbed to be Cheney's No. 1 pitcher last year, but suffered a concussion in the preseason and didn't get back to the field until the halfway point. The Lady Blackhawks relied on sophomore Maria Guglielmo, who Blake said is really a middle infielder, for most of the innings.

This year Kallsen, a senior, is healthy and producing in the pitching circle, backed by freshman Shyla Courchaine, who tossed a no-hitter on March 29 against Central Washington Athletic Conference perennial power Othello. Guglielmo will still get some innings as she's a different style pitcher than Kallsen and Courchaine.

The Lady Blackhawks not only return a lot of experience, but experience with a pedigree. Cheney is the three-time defending District 7 champion, and won the Great Northern League regular season title in 2016.

But making a deeper postseason run is on their minds, and there's plenty to achieve that goal.

Defensively, junior Shelby Melton starts her third year as catcher, backed by freshman Kyla Olson. Sophomore Logan Krantz returns at first base, backed by freshman Ella Gregory, who will play some at third and in the outfield.

Kallsen is at second when not in the circle, with Olson at second when Kallsen pitches. Guglielmo is at short with senior Megan Krantz at third, backed by Gregory, and will play short should Guglielmo get called to the circle.

Junior Courtney Hanson returns in center field, with freshman Lindsay Hagreen in left and Courchaine on the other side in right, with junior Allyson Dassow in right when Courchaine pitches.

Varsity veteran junior Mercedes Mitzimberg will get innings in left, with freshman Alexis Mitchell backing up at second - that is when she's not pitching every other day on junior varsity.

"I've got quite a bit of flexibility this year," Blake said. "I can move some people around."

Cheney has some speed on the base paths in Hanson, Guglielmo and Hagreen, one of the reasons Blake has them hitting in the batting order where they do - Hanson at leadoff, followed by Guglielmo with Hagreen ninth.

Kallsen bats third, followed by Megan Krantz, Logan Krantz and Courchaine - an order currently batting .563, .714, .444 and .579 respectively. Melton bats seventh with Gregory hitting eighth.

If there's a weakness, Blake thinks it might be in the field. After giving up eight errors in their first five games, Cheney fielders committed six miscues against Othello.

It's something the Lady Blackhawks will be able to work on, and until that happens, good pitching and hitting should carry Cheney a long ways.

"We get our defense playing solid, we should be a threat to a lot of people," Blake said.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].