2003 PREVIEW SOFTBALL: ONE BIG QUESTION MARK PARACLETE'S PROSPECTS ARE MYSTERY EVEN TO COACH.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne Staff Writer

The one thing Paraclete High softball coach Margaret Neill can definitively say about her team this season is that she really can't say anything definitively.

Who's going to be the ace?

``Well, right now Melissa Little and Krystle Carr are splitting time until someone wants to prove they're No. 1,'' she said.

How about your chances for a return to the postseason?

``If we can stay focused we'll do well, but this team has a tendency to wander a bit. Our biggest problem is going to be mental. We have the ability to be better than last year, but now it's just a matter of playing some games.''

And your lineup?

``We're still toying with the lineup. We don't have a clear third baseman yet.''

So even though Paraclete lost only three seniors from last year, there are a lot of questions to be answered before it tries to improve on last year's 13-12 record and third-place finish in league at 3-3.

The Spirits better answer them in a hurry because the new Olympic League is much tougher than the Alpha League in which they played last season. In addition to playoff teams Village Christian of Sun Valley and L.A. Baptist of North Hills, the Olympic League has added stronger teams such as Montclair Prep of Panorama City, Maranantha of Sierra Madre and Brentwood of Los Angeles, which will make it tougher to qualify for the playoffs.

Part of the reason Paraclete has so many holes to fill is that two of those graduated seniors, pitcher Sara Gonzales and leadoff batter Heather Brown, were the cornerstones of the team.

Stepping into that role will be senior Cathryn Buttrey, who will be Paraclete's top offensive threat at cleanup. She led the team in RBI last year and hit well over .400.

``Sara was definitely our strongest pitcher last year and we struggled after she got hurt (broken ankle),'' Buttrey said. ``But this year, I think we have varied talents and we all get along really well, so that's a good thing.''

Setting the table for her will be junior second baseman Taylor Wilson, a left-handed slapper who also can hit for power, who moves from fifth in the lineup to the leadoff spot. Sophomore shortstop Jamie Prather will be moved from seventh in the lineup to third or fifth.

One of the only constants from last year will be senior catcher Jamie Paradiso, who played catcher for the first time last year and is looking more comfortable behind the plate this season.

But the flip side of uncertainty is possibility, and Paraclete has loads of that.

Perhaps most intriguing is freshman Bria Fields, a standout basketball player in the winter. Fields is up for the third-base job as well as a spot in the outfield because of her speed and athleticism.

PARACLETE AT A GLANCE

Team: Paraclete softball

Last year: 13-12, 3-3 (third place)

Playoffs: Did not qualify

Key returners: Melissa Little, Sr., P; Krystle Carr, So., P; Cathryn Buttrey, Sr., 1B; Taylor Wilson, Jr., 2B; Jamie Paradiso, Sr., C

Key newcomers: Bria Fields, Fr., UT.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1) Senior Cathryn Buttrey, who hit better than .400 and led Paraclete in RBI last season, is expected to be a key player this year.

(2) ``We have the ability to be better than last year, but now it's just a matter of playing some games,'' said Paraclete coach Margaret Neill, who guided her team to a 13-12 record in 2002.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer

Box:

PARACLETE AT A GLANCE (see text)