RAVENS AT A GLANCE
COACH: Bryce Strand, third year
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 4-16 overall, seventh place in South Puget Sound League North 4A with 4-12 record
TOP RETURNERS: Taylor Poe, senior, pitcher/shortstop; Hannah Juth, senior, outfielder; Emily Polkow, senior, third baseman/outfielder; Loreah Maranan, senior, shortstop/third baseman; Alli Hand, junior, catcher; and Lyzelle Maranan, junior, second baseman.
TOP NEWCOMERS: Precious Atafua, senior, outfielder; Kiana Drumheller, senior, outfielder; Mindy Wanner, freshman, third/first baseman; and Jordyn Judge, freshman, pitcher/outfielder.
OUTLOOK: Last year the Ravens struggled through the SPSL North 4A with a 4-12 league record. This season Auburn Riverside looks to work its way through a tough SPSL 3A stocked with solid teams like Bonney Lake (state 3A competitor last season) and Enumclaw (second place at 3A state). Already, the Ravens are showing improvement with a 3-2 nonleague record. To make the most out of the drop to 3A, the Ravens are looking to returners like Poe, who had three of the team’s victories in the circle and hit .388, and Hand, who hit .445 last season. The addition of Atafua and Drumheller, both natural athletes who helped Auburn Riverside capture the 3A state volleyball title this season, should help bring a winning attitude and hopefully fuel Auburn Riverside’s first playoff appearance since 2010.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: The Ravens host Auburn Mountainview for a league contest on April at Sunset Park. The Ravens play Enumclaw and Bonney Lake for the second time on April 21 and 23, respectively.
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LIONS AT A GLANCE
COACH: Alicia Thompson, fourth year
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 13-11 overall, second place in the SPSL 3A with a 9-6 record.
TOP RETURNERS: Zoe Collins, sophomore, pitcher/outfielder; Emily Martinez, sophomore, catcher/shortstop; and Savanna Gusman, senior, outfielder/third baseman.
TOP NEWCOMERS: Lilly Hope, freshman, shortstop/catcher; Caitlyn Rhoades, freshman, pitcher/shortstop/second baseman; Emily Houck, freshman, second baseman/outfielder; and Emily Bartholomew, freshman, outfielder.
OUTLOOK: With five freshman, four sophomores, a junior and three seniors on this year’s roster, the Lions look to grow quickly in the SPSL 3A.“We are very young,” Thompson said. “With one junior and one senior starter, the rest of our starting lineup is sophomores and freshmen. My sophomores are carrying on the winning tradition and leadership left by Delene Colburn and Rylie Decker.”That leadership brought Auburn Mountainview to the cusp of the state 3A tourney, with the Lions falling a win shy in the district tourney.“We will need to play very consistent defense and produce and execute offensively,” Thompson said. “Our pitching this year is not as strong as we have had in the past, so we are using a rotation that best fits each game situation.”Stoking the competitive fire isn’t a problem with this group, Thompson said.“This is a very competitive group of girls,” she said. “I am confident that we will finish in the top three in league play.”
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: The Lions take on crosstown rivals Auburn Riverside on April 2 and Auburn on April 7. Auburn Mountainview gets a test against last season’s state 3A runner-up, Enumclaw, on April 14.
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TROJANS AT A GLANCE
COACH: Charlie Frampton, eighth year
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 0-15 overall, last-place in the SPSL North 4A with a 0-14 record.
TOP RETURNERS: No information received.
TOP NEWCOMERS: No information received.
OUTLOOK: To say the Trojans struggled last year is an understatement. The team finished dead last in the SPSL North 4A without a win and was outscored by an average of more than 12 runs a game. This season, the Trojans have already shown improvement with a 2-2 record in nonleague play as they head into SPSL 3A play. In a pair of games against Kent-Meridian on March 16 and 19, Auburn outscored the Royals by a combined 40-0. The team’s two losses were 12-1 to White River – a 2A state competitor from last year – and Interlake 18-8.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Everybody in the SPSL 3A will measure themselves against Enumclaw this season, with the Trojans squaring off against the Hornets on March 31 and April 22. Games for city bragging rights are against Auburn Mountainivew on April 7 and 30 and Auburn Riverside on April 14 and May 7.
