The faces have changed on the Kentwood High fastpitch diamond this spring.
Gone this season are most of the players who helped the Conquerors win their first South Puget Sound League North Division title last spring since 1994 and advance to their second state berth in four years.
But the cupboards at Kentwood aren’t empty.
“There’s definitely a drastic difference,” said All-SPSL North infielder Ally Mittleider. “But we have something that other teams don’t. And that’s the fact that we’re a family. We’re very tight knit. This year, win or lose, we will definitely be a tight team. We want to be league champs and go to state for a second year in a row.”
Repeating last year’s 15-1 league mark won’t be an easy task for the Conquerors, especially when considering the team lost all-leaguers Katie Adams, Liane DeHart, Kayla Evans, Jessica Glenn and Alex Lucas to graduation.
That’s only part of the hit the Conquerors took this spring. First-teamer Brooke Thomas, second-teamer Shelby Mastroianni and honorable mention selection Sophia Mastroianni also didn’t turn out. Meanwhile, up-and-coming sophomore Jalynn Rohweder, an infielder, suffered a knee injury at the end of basketball season and also won’t be hitting the diamond this spring.
Yet, there’s something to be said for tradition, which is certainly on Kentwood’s side after three straight years of finishing in the upper half of the North.
“I think we’re definitely underdogs this year,” Mittleider said. “We are a team that other teams probably will look past.”
Despite going through a makeover, Kentwood has shown early on this season that it remains a team that shouldn’t be taken lightly. The Conquerors showed as much last Friday, opening league play with an 8-6 victory over Auburn, a team that’s expected to be in the mix for a playoff berth.
“I think right now that we still feel really confident about the talent we have,” said coach Jason Wisor. “We see ourselves competing with our league. Nobody picked us as the team to beat last year and we came out and surprised a lot of people. This team can do that.”
If the Conquerors are going to be the surprise team of the league, Mittleider (second base), C.J. Brooks (third base) and Breanne Cossey – the only three returners – will be leaned heavily upon. Mittleider, a senior, was a second-team selection at third base last year and second base as a freshman. The only season Mittleider missed out on all-league accolades as when she suffered a shoulder injury as a sophomore. Mittleider was among the league leaders last year in runs scored (6) and on-base percentage (.375).
“Kentlake and Tahoma are favored to win it, but I definitely think we have a chance and that we’re going to turn some heads this year,” said Mittleider, who will play next year at Northwest Christian University in Oregon.
If the Conquerors are going to turn some heads, however, it will come from a lineup dominated by underclassmen. Kentwood will start two seniors, one junior and the remaining roster will be filled out with freshmen and sophomores.
“It’s definitely a different team,” Wisor said. “I think they realize that. Nobody is going to roll over because we’re Kentwood. We haven’t established ourselves yet.”
But on a team – and in a league – where many of the faces have changed, there’s no reason to believe that the Conquerors won’t be there when the dust settles.
