A loss in the first round of the district playoffs in 2006 left a sour aftertaste for a 24-13 Clarkston softball team.
Third-place in the OAA I a year ago, the Wolves return leaders Caitlin Morris (SS), Katie Smith (RF), Kara Wandrie (2B) and fellow third-year starter Lindsey Upchurch (CF).
Coach Don Peters expects leadership out of Morris, a senior.
‘She’s an excellent fielder and a good hitter and I hope she does all those things for us,? Peters said.
Smith should continue to be a force on the top of the batting order and equally aggressive on the base path, Peters said.
Wandrie is strong on the defensive side, Peters said, and her range makes her a threat to opposing hitters.
‘She has great range and has a great sense of the game, where she should be and what she should be doing,? he said.
Upchurch will help the Wolves? infield with a strong arm from centerfield, Peters said.
‘She gets a real good jump on the ball and has a very strong arm.
?(Our) defense is strong. We have several returning starters and we have a lot of athletic girls in athletic positions.?
The team isn’t quite settled from the mound where senior Megan Moehlig is the team’s only returning pitcher. A pre-season scrimmage last weekend was to give Peters more insight into the Wolves? pitching picture.
The girls only have one game on the docket prior to their spring break exit. The Wolves were set to take on Utica Stevenson in a double-header at Clarkston Tuesday. Look to our Web site, www.clarkstonnews.com for the results of that and every game this season. Clarkston has four games in as many nights when they return after the break. They visit Auburn Hills Avondale April 16, return home to take on Fraser April 17 and rival Lake Orion April 18, and then visit Rochester Hills Stoney Creek April 19.
Visit www.highschoolsports.net for a glance at the girls? schedule for the remainder of the season and stay with The Clarkston News for the latest action from the Wolves.