SOFTBALL PREVIEW: BLONDES HAVE MORE FUN : THEY DO AT A.V., WHERE THINGS ARE LOOKING UP.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Daily News Staff Writer

Perhaps when softball coach Kristi Speir promised she would go blonde if and when Antelope Valley surpassed last year's win total of four, the ploy was more of a motivator than a true gamble.

With an influx of new talent and an attitude that players say is 100 percent better than last year, how could the Antelopes not do better?

Sure enough, Antelope Valley won its first two games and was competitive in Monday's 8-1 loss to area power Paraclete.

Two down, three to go, and Speir is the school's answer to Goldilocks. The team hopes to get their coach closer to the peroxide today with a matchup against visiting Mojave at 3:15 p.m.

``A lot of us on the team are blonde, so she kind of picks on us and makes `blonde' jokes,'' said senior pitcher Kelly Bleyl, the team's top returner and one of the blondes in question. ``So this should be very interesting. . .''

Bleyl, a four-year starter who jumped into prominence when she hit five home runs as a freshman, is tired of being the good player on the bad team, something that happened last year when the Antelopes went 0-10 in the Golden League.

Bleyl had a 2.54 ERA in 1998 but was usually the loser because her beleaguered teammates batted a collective .178. Imagine how happy she was when Antelope Valley beat Rosamond 17-3 - 17 runs in the opener, followed by a 3-1 win over respectable Victor Valley.

Bleyl picked up the victory and had seven strikeouts against Rosamond. Then she hit a triple in the Victor Valley win and had a home run against Paraclete.

``Oh, things have definitely started really good,'' Bleyl said. ``It feels real good.''

Bleyl said there is a whole new vibe.

``Last year all of our attitudes kind of clashed,'' she said. ``Things just did not go well. This year we all get along better and that helps because we trust each other and we're more together.

``Plus, last year we did not field well and we did not hit well, so as the pitcher there was a lot of pressure on me. It's hard to strike out everybody, so whenever people hit the ball, they got on base. Having better fielders this year is helping a lot - fielders I can trust. I'm looking forward to a good season.''

Three freshmen - shortstop Traci Nolte, second baseman Tiffany Minor and catcher Amanda Mathias - have bolstered the infield and give Bleyl the kind of support she so desperately needs in a competitive league like the Golden, which produced Division II champion Quartz Hill and 24-game winner Highland.

Nolte is a switch hitter with good speed and a slick glove; she takes over for Kelly DeVeney, who would have been a returning senior this season but opted not to play.

First baseman Brittany Drenan returns after making second-team all-league last year. She was 2 for 2 against Rosamond. Outfielder Nicole Swearingen is another starter who returns.

``This year's team has a mix of young and old,'' said Speir, in her second year. ``We just look really strong. We have worked on our hitting, and we are just a lot more solid. We're a scrappy team.''

Speir, so desperate for talent that she said she had to ``recruit on our own campus,'' is most impressed with Bleyl - not just her arm, but her mind set.

``Kelly is very determined,'' Speir said. ``This year she came up to me and said, `Coach, I want to pitch every game.' She is going to go until she can't go anymore.''

Speir also likes newcomer Veronica Aranzubia, an inexperienced junior soccer convert who's already made an impression as a burgeoning outfielder.

Of course, Antelope Valley is still chasing Quartz Hill and Highland - and perhaps Lancaster and Palmdale and Littlerock, too.

``We're in one of the toughest leagues in Southern California, definitely one of the hardest,'' Bleyl said. ``There are some top teams and we all know that. So when we play these teams we will be kind of nervous. But this year we think we can hang in there.''

AT A GLANCE

Team: Antelope Valley High softball

Record: 2-1 entering Wednesday's game against Mojave (4-20, 0-10 last year)

Coach: Kristi Speir

Key returners: P Kelly Bleyl; IF Brittany Drennan; OF Niclole Swearingen

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BOX: AT A GLANCE (See text)