The Women’s College World Series begins Thursday morning in Oklahoma City, and two Snohomish County natives are prominent players for teams that qualified. Here’s a look at them:
Sami Reynolds
School: No. 7 Washington (43-13)
Year: Fifth-year senior
Position: Left field
How qualified: At regionals, Washington beat Northern Colorado, then survived a three-game series against McNeese to advance. The Huskies swept two straight from Louisiana at super regionals to reach the WCWS.
WCWS opener: Versus No. 15 Utah (42-14) at 6:30 p.m. (PT) Thursday. No. 3 Florida State (55-10) and No. 6 Oklahoma State (46-14) are also on Washington’s side of the bracket.
Season stats: Batting .365 with eight home runs and 34 RBI in 55 games.
Postseason stats: Batting .333 with a double, triple, three RBI and two stolen bases in six games.
Notable: Reynolds, a four-time All-Pac-12 selection and Washington’s No. 2 batter, had one of the biggest hits in program history when her two-out, two-strike, three-run double in the top of the seventh inning in the third game against McNeese tied the score at 6-6, keying what was a miraculous comeback from a 6-0 deficit in the seventh. She also scored the go-ahead run, then made a sliding catch in the bottom of the seventh to help preserve the 7-6 victory.
Washington also has two members of its coaching staff who are from Snohomish County in assistant coach Kyle Nobach (Marysville Pilchuck High School) and volunteer assistant coach Shelby Jeffries (Sultan High School).
River Mahler
Stanford infielder River Mahler, a Monroe High School graduate, celebrates during a game against Oregon on March 18 in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)
School: No. 9 Stanford (45-13)
Year: First year
Position: Second base
How qualified: The Cardinal is a perfect 5-0 in the postseason, beating Long Beach State and Florida at regionals and hitting the road to upset Duke at super regionals.
WCWS opener: Versus No. 1 Oklahoma (56-1) at 11:30 a.m. (PT) Thursday. No. 4 Tennessee (49-8) and No. 5 Alabama (45-20) are also in Stanford’s half of the bracket.
Season stats: Batting .367 with no home runs and 21 RBI in 58 games.
Postseason stats: Is batting just 1-for-12, but has also drawn six walks and scored three runs.
Notable: Mahler has made an immediate impact at the college level, serving as Stanford’s leadoff hitter and leading the team in batting. Mahler is the only player who was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team, the All-Pac-12 Defensive Team and the All-Pac-12 Freshman Team.
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