Tigers softball is an emerging power

Published 11:47 pm Monday, April 19, 2010

When Candi Reeves took the job as Granite Falls head softball coach in 2007, she knew the girls had some work ahead of them if they hoped to be a contender, not only at state, but also in the league.

Now in the midst of her fourth coaching season, Reeves is extremely proud of the team’s improvement and accomplishments. After finishing with a 13-8 league record in 2007 and 14-9 in 2008, the Tigers made the leap to an 18-2 finish last year. After placing second in both the league and the district tournament and making its first state appearance since 2006, Granite Falls has some big goals this season.

“(We hope) to be first in league, first in districts and win state,” said senior shortstop Sarah Hensley.

With a 10-0 league record to start the season, including a pair of victories over Cascade Conference rival and last year’s league champion Archbishop Murphy, Granite Falls is on the right track.

“I think the first couple of years the players are getting to know you and I’m getting to know the players and we go through our ups and downs,” said Reeves. “By the fourth or fifth year, you kind of get the program exactly where you want it to be and I’m really happy with what these kids are doing right now.”

Four seniors have been on the varsity team since their freshmen year, including Hensley and pitcher Alyssa Arndt.

Reeves is proud of the work both girls have done this season, citing Arndt’s team-leading .529 batting average and Hensley’s over 1,000 slugging percentage as well as their overall stats. Last year, Hensley was named the league offensive player of the year and was First Team All-State as an infielder while Arndt put up an impressive 0.84 season earned run average.

“These kids were freshman when I started and they’re seniors now and we’ve all gone through incredible changes and really positive things in the program,” said Reeves. “They’re just climbing, climbing, climbing and I’m so proud of them.”

Luckily for Reeves the coming years look to be just as strong, partly in thanks to strong freshman performances by pitcher Alicia Amundson and Caitlyn Munce.

“We have so many incredible young kids coming into the program,” said Reeves. “The future of the program looks outstanding!”

The entire team shows a strong commitment to the sport with every member adding to their softball experience by playing on a select team. Arndt, who also plays basketball for Granite Falls, continued to practice her pitching during the off-season and after basketball practice to keep her arm strong for her senior season with the hope of having a repeat of 2009’s success.

Granite Falls had an impressive showing at last year’s district tournament, beating the eventual state champion Burlington-Edison in the semifinals before falling to Anacortes 3-2 in an 11-inning championship game. The Tigers continued their climb with a first-round, 4-2 win against East Valley of Yakima at the state tournament before falling to Tumwater in a close 1-0 game in the second round.

Reeves hopes the team will advance to state again this year. But first the girls have nine more regular season games, including another re-match with Archbishop Murphy on May 5.

The Tigers don’t take any game lightly, however.

“I talk to the kids a lot about going into the game that it doesn’t matter who we play, there’s a possibility we could get beat,” said Reeves. “I’m sure they don’t like to hear it but the reality is that you’ve got to be prepared for every game you play.”

Sounds like great advice for a team hoping to finish the season on a high note.