MaxPreps 2017 Oregon preseason high school softball Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard

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1. Jesuit (Portland)
2016 record: 30-2, 6A state title
Head coach: Jim Speciale

The Crusaders allowed one or no runs in 21 games last season and swept through the postseason at 5-0 by outscoring opponents, 40-4. With six returning starters, more of the same is expected this season. The key returnee is junior pitcher Olivia Strickland, who won 30 games last season and struck out more than 300 batters.

Strickland will have plenty of support with the return of state champion starters Jaclyn Flood, Emma Gordon, Hannah Malin, Jenny Marnin and Reyan Tuck. Add talented Annalisa Williamson, Ashley Renda and Britney He and the future looks bright.



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2. Marist (Eugene)
2016 record: 24-6
Head coach: Jon Burke The Spartans lost one senior starter from last year's team that batted .455 and hit 47 home runs in reaching the state 5A semifinals. Back are six players who batted over .400, including MaxPreps All-American Lauren Burke, an Oregon signee who hit .701 with 75 hits in 30 games and 40 of those hits went for extra bases (21 home runs, 18 doubles). She teamed with Oregon pledge Ariel Carlson to drive in 111 runs (Carlson batted .495, homered 16 times (national high for a freshman in 2016) and drove in 52 runs. She also struck out 130 in 90 innings.

Other big sticks returning are sophomore McKenna Williams (.434 batting average) and seniors Noel Balderston (.453), Lauren Martin (.432) and Baylee Eaton. Balderston has signed with Biola. Add to the mix freshman Abby Doerr (Oregon pledge and daughter of former Duck standout Missy Coe). Junior Abbey Siroshton has committed to Portland State.

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3. Glencoe (Hillsboro)
2016 record: 22-9, state 6A runner up
Head coach: Jason Eastman

The Crimson lost two starters from a team that reached the 2016 6A state finals. Key returnees include Sydney Sahlfeld (Pacific signee) and Linfield signee Jessica Vice (.343 batting average), juniors Ashlynn Bailey(.387 batting average), Taylor Butterfield (OF) and Isabel Womack (12-8 with a 2.91 ERA and averaged a strikeout per inning). There's more with sophomores Morgan DeBord (.441 batting average, 37 runs and 35 stolen bases) and Jensen Becker (.329 batting average). DeBord was a MaxPreps freshman All-American.

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4. North Medford (Medford)
2016 record: 27-3
Head coach: Mike Mayben



North Medford will have a solid core of returning players with seven seniors and two juniors expected to start. And three of those have signed to play in college – Olivia Lethlean (Oregon Institute of Technology), Taelor Mayben (Southern Oregon) and Danyelle Milam (Wenatchee Valley College). The two juniors are Rylan Austin and Alex Barry, starting at shortstop and second base for a third-straight year. Other seniors are Mahal Miles, Ashley Ripplinger, Jordan Neathamer, Jovanna Salvador-McColly and Courtney Williams. The top newcomer is freshman infielder Lauren Barry, who will be hard to keep off the field. En route to all-state honors, Mayben batted .476 and Lethlean .419 a year ago.

The question mark for the Black Tornadoes will be pitching with the graduation of two senior standouts. Austin and Williams will battle junior Monique Kruse and sophomore Ella Ivens for innings.

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5. Oregon City
2016 record: 20-7-1
Head coach: Dave Adelhart

The Pioneers graduated four key players from last year's conference-winning squad. One of them was not junior pitcher Morgan Hornback, the Mt. Hood Conference Pitcher of the Year for the second year in a row. Hornback, an Oregon pledge, struck out 20 batters in one game last season when she had a 20-7 record and a 1.56 ERA, with 296 strikeouts in 197 innings. Hornback was joined on the 6A All-State team by teammate Jadwyn Parrish, who signed with Presentation College in Aberdeen, S.D.