Team returns eight veterans; assumes role of title contender
The varsity softball Eagles are nearing the start of the 2018 campaign this month, hoping to continue a tradition of excellence that has stamped the program among the best in the Redwood Empire.
Veteran coach Margaret Fitzgerald is back to guide a highly talented squad, hungry to re-establish its own identity as the top dog in the NCL 1.
The Eagles are coming off a great 2017 season that saw the team battle eventual league champion Kelseyville for the title, coming up just a game short in finishing the NCL 1 with a 12-2 record. Cloverdale went on to the North Coast Section playoff tournament, advancing to the semifinals before falling to St. Vincent to end the year at 19-5.
The Eagles return eight players from last year’s team, including some of the top talent in the North Bay.
Heading the list of varsity returnees is sophomore pitcher Tehya Bird, who enjoyed one of the best high school seasons ever recorded as a freshman in 2017, including a .727 batting average, 11 homers and 53 runs batted in. Her OPS (on base plus slugging percentage) of 2.329 was virtually off the charts.
Bird was nearly as good on the mound, posting a 19-5 record, with 220 strikeouts in 151 innings and an earned run average of 2.09.
The sky may be the limit for the gifted sophomore this year.
Other top returning players for Eagles are senior infielder Alma Beltran, junior outfielder Aly Bernal, infielder Nicky Martinez, junior outfielders Heather Sterling, Emma Adams and Angelina Cordova and sophomore catcher Lane Hughes.
Moving up to the varsity level is a group of talented freshmen that features shortstop/pitcher Vanessa Fisher, first baseman/pitcher Kayli King and utility-player Janaye Hammond.
With a couple of players still finishing up an extended basketball season, the Eagles will open the much-anticipated spring schedule at Laytonville on Tuesday, March 13 (4 p.m.). Cloverdale will host Calistoga in the home opener on Thursday, March 15 in a 4 p.m. start.
Although it’s early, the top teams (in no particular order) in the NCL 1 title chase are expected to be Cloverdale, Clear Lake and Kelseyville. The Eagles will kick off the league schedule on March 29 at Clear Lake.
