Tritons rebuilding softball program

The Edmonds Community College softball team has demonstrated that it can be a competitive team.

The Tritons defeated Peninsula 5-3 for their first victory of the season on March 21. Unfortunately, the victory is the only one of the year so far and Edmonds has struggled to even field at team due to lower numbers.

The Tritons had to forfeit games to Olympic and Peninsula on April 4-5 because they did not have enough players. Edmonds, however, returned to action on April 7 with a doubleheader against Skagit Valley.

The process of rebuilding the Edmonds program is taking some time under first-year coach Jeannie Nieman. The Edmonds CC physical education and health instructor was officially hired in September, well after the optimal recruiting period.

“I was very limited on who I could recruit,” said Nieman, who was a coach at Meadowdale High School and at Pacific Little League.

Nieman focused her efforts at Edmonds Community College, seeking out individuals who had played the sport in the past who were attending the school. Part of the challenge was educating potential players that Edmonds has revived the softball program after the program was suspended in 2007.

Many people weren’t aware that Edmonds had a softball program, Nieman said.

The make-up of the Triton roster is somewhat unique in that the team has four players in their mid-20s and only a pair of individuals who are coming straight out of high school.

Freshman second baseman Michelle Sanchez was going back to school last fall and heard about the team from Nieman’s brother. She last played softball in 2002.

Getting back into playing condition has been somewhat of a struggle for Sanchez, who tore a ligament in her left foot and then developed Achilles bursitis in her other foot as a result of overcompensating.

“It’s been a little difficult coming back, but other than (the injuries) it’s been pretty good,” Sanchez said.

Edmonds started out with 13 players but now has a roster of only 10. The recent forfeits were because two players were unavailable.

“It’s really difficult, especially when one of us is injured or is sick,” Sanchez said.

The level of talent, however, is good, said Sanchez, who added that “there’s a lot of potential on this team.”

Nieman couldn’t agree more.

A clear standout on offense is freshman infielder Sara Lausch (Bothell), who already has smacked three home runs. Pitchers Mallorie Davies (Bothell) and Jamie Hermanson (Pullman) both have pitched well, Nieman said. She added that “they are not fresh out of high school. They still are on the rusty side. Both are getting back into the sport.”

Freshman Heather Davis (Juanita) is handling most of the catching duties.

“She’s very good at taking charge and pushing the girls,” Nieman said.

A player who is making an impact in the outfield is freshman Alison Grimm, who was a member of the Triton soccer team. Grimm had never played soccer until this spring.

“She’s just a very talented athletically-inclined individual,” Nieman said. “She really wants to come out and stay in shape and learn a new sport. She just picked it up like you wouldn’t believe.”

Nieman had planned to name captains but then decided against it.

“I decided to let everybody be in charge,” she said. “If you see something going on you need to step up and take charge.”

The first game of the season was a nerve-wracking experience for many of the players and the nervousness resulted in a number of errors.

But once the Tritons got settled, they realized that they, in fact, can play the game and Edmonds pulled out a victory over Peninsula.

“They bounced out there and swung the bats,” Nieman said. “We had quite a few standing strikeouts the first game.”

Edmonds struggled against first-place Bellevue, losing 16-1 and 28-0 on April 1.

Sanchez hopes Edmonds won’t have any more of those lopsided games.

“We want to be a competitive team,” she said. “We had a couple of difficult games against Bellevue and I think a lot of that was people’s commitment to practice. … We just want to go out there, have fun and start building our program. We want to be rebuild our program.”