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See a Utah player go all out in a playoff game.MaxPreps 2017 Oregon preseason softball Fab 5 presented by the Army National Guard
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.
See the MaxPreps Oregon softball computer rankings2. Marist (Eugene)2016 record: 24-6
Head coach: Jon Burke
Baylee Eaton, Marist
Photo by Deborah Mundorff
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.
See the MaxPreps Oregon softball stat leaders3. 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.
See the MaxPreps Oregon softball photos4. 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.
See the MaxPreps Oregon softball playoff brackets5. Oregon City2016 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.