Even if rising to No. 1 in the OSAAtoday 6A softball coaches poll is flattering for Glencoe, don't expect the senior-led Crimson Tide to buy into the hype.
Led by many of the same players who sparked a Cinderella run to the 6A final in 2024 – and felt the sting of a first-round playoff loss last year – Glencoe is determined not to be distracted by outside noise.
“The girls don't care about that,” coach Wade Sahlfeld said. “That's the difference between last year and this year, those rankings don't mean anything.”
The Crimson Tide is off to an 11-1 start, its lone setback a 5-1 defeat to No. 9 Tualatin (9-1). Glencoe has bounced back from that loss with three wins, the latest a 4-2 home victory over No. 7 Sunset (10-4) on Monday.
The team features five seniors that are fourth-year varsity players. Three of them are fourth-year starters in third baseman Makena Petrick, second baseman Allison Glaze and center fielder Tuesday Mevis. Petrick and Glaze have committed to Liberty University and Mississippi Valley State, respectively.
When Sahlfeld took over as coach in 2022, Glencoe was coming off a 4-19 season and had graduated seven players. They went 13-15, 19-12 and 19-8 the last three years.
“It was nice to have that class coming in, something to build on,” he said. “It's to the point where I just get out of the way and let them do what they do. They take the underclassmen and say, 'This is how we do it here.' They hold themselves to a higher standard.”
Petrick, the daughter of former Glencoe and Colorado Rockies catcher Ben Petrick, has been an anchor for the team. This season, she is batting .575 and leading the Crimson Tide with six home runs and 19 RBIs.
“It's fun to have a kid that you can just rely on,” Sahlfeld said. “She's been steady since her freshman year. The girls look to her, and she doesn't even know she's giving them the answers.”
Petrick voluntarily moved from shortstop to third base this year to make way for freshman Amelia Bouska, who is batting a team-best .605 and has 12 RBIs.
“Makena said, 'Move me to third base, Amelia's got shortstop. Whatever it takes to win,'” Sahlfeld said.
Petrick and Bouska, a left-handed slapper with gap power, set the table at the top of the order. Mevis is batting .447 with 14 RBIs in the cleanup spot. Juniors Kendyl Mishler (.512, one home run, 14 RBIs) and Harlow Huson (.353, two home runs, eight RBIs) also are producing.
Hard-throwing sophomore pitcher Lexi Brester, a 6A third-team pick last year, is back as the team's ace. In 43 1/3 innings, she has allowed 41 hits, struck out 51. walked 16 and has an ERA of 2.75. Junior Kalli Farrimond (2.21 ERA) has thrown 31 2/3 innings as the No. 2 pitcher.
“Lexi's been banged up a little bit, and she's finally coming out of it,” Sahlfeld said. “She's starting to hit her groove a little bit.”
Sahlfeld said that Brester pitched her best game of the season against Sunset, tossing a five-hitter with seven strikeouts and two walks. Glencoe got all the offense it needed in the second inning when Petrick belted a grand slam for a 4-0 lead.
Against Tualatin, the Crimson Tide was looking for payback for a 7-1 first-round playoff loss last year. But the visiting Timberwolves scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning to break a 1-1 tie and win 5-1.
“I think we overthought it,” Sahlfeld said. “We came in so pumped up and so focused on the redemption game. We played a little bit too tight. If we do what we know we can do, we can hang with anybody.
The loaded Pacific Conference will provide a stiff challenge for Glencoe. The conference has two other top-10 teams in co-No. 2 Sherwood (10-2), the reigning state champion, and No. 6 Forest Grove (10-2).
“I think finally the Pacific Conference is getting some respect,” Sahlfeld said. “Every single game, they are heavyweight fights.”
Notes: Sherwood outlasted visiting West Linn 5-4 on Friday in a game between teams co-ranked No. 2 in the OSAAtoday 6A coaches poll. West Linn tied it 4-4 in the top of the seventh on a one-out double by senior Kendall Atwood. Sherwood got the winning run in the bottom of the inning when senior Daisha Cornwell drew a one-out walk and senior Jordyn Henderson followed with a walk-off double. Sophomore Presley Sarono-Ramos earned the complete-game win for Sherwood, allowing five hits and fanning 11. ... Caldera, No. 1 in the OSAAtoday 5A coaches poll, has outscored opponents 101-28 in a 12-0 start. The Wolfpack's latest win was a 12-0, five-inning blanking of Summit on Tuesday. Sophomore Elaina Santos Wagner pitched a three-hit shutout with four strikeouts and went 2 for 2 with two RBIs. Freshman Makenzie Guerin had a double and two RBIs for Caldera, which rapped 10 hits. …
No. 8 Ridgeview dealt No. 6 Mountain View its first loss of the season, beating the Cougars 10-7 at home Tuesday in a 5A Intermountain Conference game. It ended a streak of five consecutive shutouts for Mountain View (8-1). Junior Brezlyn Hagemeister went 3 for 4 with a home run, freshman Honey Sue Nunes had a double, triple and two RBIs and senior Josie Hopper went 2 for 3 with three RBIs for the reigning state champion Ravens (8-4). … No. 1 Scappoose handled No. 4 St. Helens 7-1 at home April 9 in the 4A Cowapa League opener for both teams. Senior Saige Casey threw a five-hitter with 12 strikeouts and no walks and had a home run and two RBIs. Senior Ava Freeman went 2 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs and junior Sophia Bloyd had a double and an RBI. …
No. 4 Heppner/Ione avenged its only loss of the season Tuesday by rolling to a 9-2 home win over No. 1 Weston-McEwen in a 2A/1A Special District 7 game. The Mustangs (8-1), who lost at Weston-McEwen 7-2 on April 7, led 5-0 after two innings and coasted to the win. Senior Sarah Estes went 4 for 4 with a double and four RBIs. Junior Maya Payne pitched a complete game, allowing seven hits, striking out eight and walking two. … No. 6 Pilot Rock/Nixyaawii's 11-game winning streak to start the season ended Saturday in a 2A/1A nonleague game against No. 3 Kennedy at Country Christian. The Trojans dominated the Rockets 14-4 in five innings, getting big games from freshman Addison Koffler (double, home run, five RBIs), junior Grace Traeger (triple, home run, three RBIs) and senior Brianna Traeger (3 for 4, four RBIs).
jerryu@osaa.org
Subscribe
