As evidenced by a 3-2 win over Auburn Riverside this past Tuesday, the Auburn Trojans are well removed from their dismal 2-18 softball season of 2006.

In his first season at the helm last year, coach Charlie Frampton led the Trojans to a postseason berth and a three-game appearance in the West Central District III tournament. The Trojans finished 9-14 overall.

“It was kind of a big turnaround for us,” he said.

With the exception of two seniors, the entire squad from 2008 is back and ready to compete in its new 4A classification.

“You’ve got some really high-level teams and then a pack of mid-level teams, but we saw that in 3A last year as well,” said Frampton, whose team is off to a 3-1 start. “You move up to this SPSL (South Puget Sound League) 4A division and there are some real strong programs.”

This season the team will rely on sophomore catcher Amber Morrow, a second-team all-SPSL 3A selection last year. A standout hitter with a touch of power, Morrow helped the Trojans overcome Amanda Fitzsimmons and the Ravens with a walk-off home run on Tuesday.

Defensively and offensively, Frampton said the team also will look to junior Jasmine Hubley at shortstop.

“Our pitching staff is strong,” Frampton added. “We’ve got a young pitching staff.”

The team features the one-two pitching punch of sophomore Nicole Kelsoe, who earned the win against Auburn Riverside, and junior Shannen Morgan.

For leadership, the team will rely on senior co-captains Sarah Carson and Alexis Burt.

With a strong core of players in place, Frampton said a trip to the state tournament this year is not out of the question.

“I’d like to make it through to the district tournament and then see from there,” Frampton said. “The competition gets stiff then, so we’ll have to play well.

“We need to work on our hitting against really high-end pitching,” he said. “We’re seeing much better pitching, starting this week, than we saw last year. We had a couple of good pitchers in SPSL 3A, but overall it’s a big step up with some of the 4A starters.”

Morgan adds: “I think we definitely just need to work. We have a great group of girls. We work together really well. We just need to get our skills down and work together. We have amazing talent on our team. We just need to put that into effect all the time, instead of just sometimes.

“We need to communicate with each other,” she added. “We get along well and communicate most of the time, but there are times where better communication might have meant better hits. We need to hit better during crunch times, just clutch hits. But for the most part, we’ve got a pretty solid team.”

In addition to talent on the field, Frampton said the team chemistry with the Trojans is just right.

“We have a good team atmosphere,” he said. “They are really, really quality young ladies to coach. They pay attention, they learn quickly and they’re always enthusiastic about the game. They come ready to play every day.”

Auburn Riverside

For her work in 2008, Amanda Fitzsimmons was awarded the SPSL 3A MVP.

This year, the senior hurler is back on the mound, healthy and surrounded by a capable cast of young athletes eager to help propel the Ravens through the SPSL North 4A division and on to the state tourney. Last season the team made an appearance in the 3A state tourney, but lost in the quarterfinals.

In addition to Fitzsimmons, the team returns second-team all-SPSL 3A selections Hannah Melick at shortstop and Jamie Koenig at third base. Also back is senior catcher Roxy Schwarz, an SPSL 3A honorable mention.

According to coach Chris Leverenz – who was selected as SPSL 3A Coach of the Year last season – the team will have its hands full making its way through the tough SPSL North.

“This will be a tough league with the top six teams battling all season,” she said. “(We are) a little young in age but not in experience.”

The team lost five seniors to graduation last year and also will have to deal with the loss of SPSL 3A all-leaguer Mercedes Wetmore who didn’t turn out this season. Fitzsimmons is the lone senior on a squad that boasts three freshman, six sophomores and two juniors.

“Our strength will be pitching experience and team closeness,” Leverenz said. “These kids really like each other and enjoy spending time together. They play beyond their limits sometimes because they are playing for each other.”

Leverenz added that one of the keys to this season will be getting the younger players up to speed at the plate.

“Our weakness in the beginning will be bringing along our younger kids and their hitting at this level,” she said.

Auburn Mountainview

The Lions will look to pitchers Kelley Voss and Kristin Herren, both league honorable mentions last season, to power their way through the SPSL 3A division this year.

In addition to Voss, a senior, and Herren, a junior, the team returns junior catcher Deanna Colburn, senior shortstop Andrea Fletcher and senior outfielder Kelsey Hall.

The team’s last state appearance was 2007, where the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Timberline.

Last year the Lions were 8-12 overall.