STANWOOD — It’s one of the best problems a coach can have: Two dominant pitchers and only one mound.
The Stanwood High School softball team is 14-0 this spring. A big reason the Spartans are still unbeaten and enjoying one of the best seasons in program history is their pitching.
Right-handed throwers Brittany Jeans, a junior, and Corinne Stillman, a senior, consistently keep opposing hitters in check. Both pitchers have an earned-run average of less than 0.70 and have combined to allow just 18 walks in 102 innings. Jeans (11-0) has logged the bulk of the work, tallying 127 strikeouts in 762/3 innings.
Although Jeans is the primary thrower for first-place Stanwood (11-0 in the Western Conference North Division), third-year Spartans coach Cherlyn Schander said she doesn’t decide who will start on the mound until game day.
“It’s awesome to have that option,” Schander said, “because we all have good days and we have bad days, so it’s nice to know you’ve got (two capable pitchers).”
Stillman (3-0) and Jeans each have a reliable repertoire of pitches. Jeans’ top weapon is the riseball, which she started throwing at age 12 and has been honing ever since. “It’s not a pitch that you can just pick up,” she said. “I’ve definitely put in a lot of time and effort.” Hitters tend to pop up Jeans’ riseball or foul it off, allowing Jeans to quickly get ahead in the count, said Schander.
Jeans, whose velocity tops out in the low 60-mile-per-hour range, throws a bit harder than Stillman, who throws in the upper 50s. But Stillman — a slugger who alternates with Jeans at first base, depending on who pitches — gives batters a different look, relying on a wicked curveball which she throws harder than her fastball.
“People playing against you don’t know necessarily what’s coming at them, whether it be a rise, a drop or curve,” coach Schander said. “That helps.”
It also helps that Stanwood players get along so well. The team lost only one girl from the 2008 squad that reached the Class 4A District 1 tournament. Many of the current Spartans also played on the 2007 team that got to districts.
“The battery helps,” said Schander, referring to the two pitchers and standout catcher Samantha Bingham, a third-year starter, “but just as a team they have good chemistry.”
Some of the girls have played together six or seven years, which makes a huge difference, said Jeans, who plays with Bingham on a select team. Bingham leads Stanwood with a .415 batting average. “They both have dreams of going Division I, which I think are highly achievable,” said Schander.
Understandably, Stanwood expected to be good this season, but maybe not quite this tough. Its unbeaten streak has lasted nearly two months. The Spartans have outscored foes 59-10 and have not allowed more than three runs in a game.
“I knew we were definitely capable of being a more dominant team,” Stillman said, “but I don’t think I really imagined being this on top and going undefeated this long.”
Stanwood has already clinched a spot in the 4A district tournament, which begins May 19 in Monroe. After advancing to districts the past two years and failing to qualify for the state championships, the team is ready to take the next step, senior shortstop Jordan Nemo said. Stanwood’s previous postseason appearances were “really important,” Nemo said, “because we know what it’s like (to lose) so we knew we had to change.”
Ultimately, Stanwood’s top objective is to do something no other Spartans softball team has achieved: Qualify for the state tournament. Although Stanwood went to the slowpitch championships in 1993, it has never made an appearance in fastpitch.
“It would definitely be good to update some of the hardware. I think just going would be a fabulous experience for this group of girls,” said coach Schander, a 1989 Lynnwood High graduate who coached Arlington two years before going to Stanwood.
To get to state, Stanwood must finish among the top three teams at the eight-team district competition. Accomplishing that goal would be awesome, Stillman said: “We can have a legacy.”
Leading the way will be Stanwood’s potent pitchers, Jeans and Stillman.
Mike Cane: 425-339-3471, mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.
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