What will happen to the landscape of prep softball this season with three of the most dominant pitchers in recent memory graduated?
Everett alum and The Herald’s All-Area Softball Player of the Year Cory Mattson is pitching for the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Hillary Barker, who tossed a string of 10 straight shutouts for Cedarcrest last season, is at Dartmouth. And Monroe alum and The Herald’s 2007 All-Area Softball Player of the Year Jordan Birch is at Illinois State University, where she was recently named the Missouri Valley Conference co-pitcher of the week after shutting out South Carolina and one-hitting Kent State.
What affect will their departure have?
Not much, say area coaches.
“You always have a dominating pitcher, they’re going to graduate, and someone will take their place,” Marysville-Pilchuck head coach KT Allyn said. “I’m not sure (the Wesco North) have two pitchers to fill (Mattson’s and Birch’s) shoes, but somebody will be the pitcher to beat this season.”
That sentiment was echoed by a Wesco South coach.
“There’s going to be someone we don’t know about, much like Marysville-Pilchuck’s (Riley) Fritz last season,” said Mike Moran of Jackson. “People maybe knew her from (her select) team, or her coaches knew about her, but she came through and had a very, very good season.”
Fritz, who pitched the Tomahawks to the Class 4A District 1 title and a berth in the state tournament as a freshman last year, is one of several potentially dominating pitchers Wesco North coaches listed when asked.
“I think Stanwood has two real good pitchers — Brittany Jeans is only a junior and she’s tough, they also have Corinne Stillman, and she’s a senior,” said Monroe head coach Curt Eskeback. “Christina Rayner at Arlington is a senior and she’s going to North Dakota State; Janelle Kasch at Snohomish is also tough.”
Stanwood head coach Cherlyn Schander said Jeans and Stillman may initially share time on the mound because “they’re both equally good. We’ll wait and see what the season brings.”
Although he will rely on Rayner a lot this season, Arlington head coach Daniel Eng said the Eagles are also looking at their offense, because “the greatest pitcher in the world can strike out 20-21 batters, but if you can’t score a run at the end you’re going to lose.”
In the Wesco South, division coaches also have their eyes on several pitchers poised for big seasons.
“(Kori Seidlitz) at Terrace, she’s one of the best in the South,” Moran said. “Dani Jackman from Jackson is very good, she’ll be tough. (Olivia Jacobs) at Shorewood will be good. (Julie Nealer) at Lynnwood … she’s pretty much a strikeout pitcher, she’s tough on teams.”
First-year head coach Matt Rockne of Lynnwood noted that Nealer, a four-year varsity player, has had a different head coach every year of her prep career.
“Our season will go as Julia goes,” Rockne said. “We’re looking at her, as well as a pitcher, as a senior, for overall leadership. … She’s ready to take that leadership role, and to take the team on her shoulders.”
Although Seidlitz, who has verbally committed to South Dakota State, has garnered attention from league coaches, Mountlake Terrace head coach Kim Stewart said “Talking about it is one thing, she wants to do it on the field … Kori is one of those people, the minute she walks between the lines, she competes.”
The pitching situation is no different in the Cascade Conference, where Lakewood head coach Steve Barker said “Hillary (Barker) was the cream of the crop last year.”
Barker said he expects Archbishop Murphy senior Brittany Allen to compete for those accolades this season.
“Last year, at times, Brittany was really dominating,” Barker said. “We beat her once when she walked some people, but she’s matured and I would expect her to be that dominating pitcher.”
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