SOUTHERN SECTION SOFTBALL PREVIEW: MARMONTE TO BE LEAGUEWIDE BATTLE; COACHES PREDICT FIGHT TO THE FINISH.Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Daily News Staff Writer The good news for Marmonte League The Marmonte League is a high school sports league primarily made up of schools from Ventura County. The Marmonte Leauge is part of the CIF Southern Section. Click here to view the league schedule. softball teams is that Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. High ace pitcher Jennifer Sharron is 1,500 miles away in South Bend, Indiana This article is about the city in Indiana, US. For other uses of the name South Bend, see South Bend (disambiguation). South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. , playing for the University of Notre Dame Notre Dame IPA: [nɔtʁ dam] is French for Our Lady, referring to the Virgin Mary. In the United States of America, Notre Dame . Now for the bad news. The league is as tough as ever, featuring premier pitchers like Camarillo's Cindy Ball and Simi Valley's Brittney Green and Lori Tande. And even though Thousand Oaks lost Sharron, the Lancers lanc·er n. 1. A cavalryman armed with a lance. 2. A member of a regiment originally armed with lances. 3. lancers (used with a sing. verb) a. A kind of quadrille. b. are still powerful with shortstop Kristen Combe combe Noun same as coomb and outfielders Shelly Teverbaugh and Jenna Allen. Newbury Park is strong behind sophomore Oli Keohohou. Agoura returns a talented group of players and Westlake and Royal are young and improving. ``It should be another interesting year in the Marmonte League,'' Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. coach Suzanne Manlet said. ``The league championship will be a battle. It will come down to the last games of the season.'' The same can be said about the Mission League, where Chaminade, Alemany, Harvard-Westlake and even Notre Dame are expected to battle for the conference title. In the Foothill League, Hart and Saugus are likely to be the teams to beat and in the Pacific League, Glendale is ready to make a run at Hoover and Crescenta Valley The Crescenta Valley is a small inland valley in Los Angeles County, California. Its name derives from its crescent-like shape, with the convex portion facing roughly northeast and the concave portion southwest. . Teams to watch in the Southern Section: Simi Valley: Manlet is reluctant to accept the role of favorite in the Marmonte League, but the rest of the coaches have no problem praising the Pioneers. And why not? They return Tande, a talented pitcher who also plays shortstop; Green, an athletic sophomore; and infielders Tracie Hall and Dawn Carifi from a team that won 21 games last season. ``We're excited and enthusiastic,'' Manlet said. ``We had a nice year last season in a tough league and we feel like we've improved.'' Chaminade: Pitching. Defense. Speed. The Eagles have it. The only question is offense, although junior pitcher Maureen LeCocq will keep Chaminade in every game. The Eagles return seven players who made big contributions on the Mission League's second-place team a year ago. But the key is catcher Lauren Rousselet, who has caught LeCocq since both were in youth leagues. ``To have an experienced pitcher and catcher returning is a huge advantage,'' Chaminade coach Steve Harrington said. Camarillo: The Scorpions will challenge Simi Valley in the Marmonte League behind Ball, one of the best pitchers in the area, and Stanford-bound infielder Jessica Mendoza Jessica Mendoza (born 11 November 1980) is an American softball player who won a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. She was a four-time first team All-American at Stanford University from 1999-2002. Mendoza was named Softball player of the year in 2006. . ``I expect Camarillo to be one of the top teams in our league,'' Manlet said. Glendale: With 14 seniors, the Dynamiters are experienced. Shortstop Kelly Cook, a Fresno State signee sign·ee n. One who has signed a document, such as a contract or petition. , leads the way, but big years are expected from Kristina Kirk (1B), Julie Choi (CF) and catcher Christine Paknik. Quartz Hill: The Rebels, who return all nine starters from last season's Golden League co-championship team, might have their best team ever. The leaders are Jodie Cox (.481, 23 RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in ), Amber Slaton (.321, 14 RBI) and Penny Wood (.329). Saugus: The Centurions are the defending Foothill League champions. And even though star Nicole Giordano has left for the University of Arizona (body, education) University of Arizona - The University was founded in 1885 as a Land Grant institution with a three-fold mission of teaching, research and public service. , there is no shortage of outstanding players. Second baseman second baseman n. Baseball The infielder who is positioned near and to the first-base side of second base. Noun 1. second baseman - (baseball) the person who plays second base second sacker Amanda Melton is headed to Michigan State next year and Julie Watson, Kelli Cornelison and Sandy Volk form an outstanding outfield. Newbury Park: The Panthers are another team to watch in the Marmonte League. Keohohou was a sensational hitter last year, batting .420 with 23 RBI, and this year she is expected to be one of the league's best pitchers. Hoover: Sophomore Cori Herbert is a fine all-around player, compiling a 0.59 pitching ERA with 246 strikeouts while batting .342 with 21 RBI. TOP RETURNERS Here are the top returning softball players in the Southern Section (listed alphabetically). Name Pos. School Kristen Combe SS Thousand Oaks Has become one of the top hitters in the area Kelly Cook SS Glendale Headed to Fresno State Jodie Cox P/OF P/OF Pinhole Occulter Facility Quartz Hill The leader on a good Quartz Hill team Kim Deiner P Alemany A tough, hardnosed competitor Jennifer Durost 2B Highland Slick fielder Amanda Fortune P Hart Sensational as a freshman, should be better as a sophomore Brittney Green IF/P Simi Valley Fields. Hits. Pitches. What else is there? Cori Herbert P Hoover This stingy stin·gy adj. stin·gi·er, stin·gi·est 1. Giving or spending reluctantly. 2. Scanty or meager: a stingy meal; stingy with details about the past. pitcher can also hit Oli Keohohou P/OF Newbury Park Best pure hitter in the area. Also an outstanding pitcher Maureen LeCocq P Chaminade Will be the top senior next year Jessica Mendoza IF Camarillo Will play at Stanford next year. Great athlete Melinda Moulden P/OF Crescenta Valley Can be the difference in a Pacific League championship Corrie Roberts SS Harvard-Westlake An outstanding defensive player Lauren Rouselet C Chaminade Team leader Lori Tande SS/P Simi Valley Controls the middle of a talented Pioneers infield -- Vincent Bonsignore CAPTION(S): Photo, Box PHOTO The future looks bright for junior Chaminade pitcher Maureen LeCocq, who is expected to keep the Eagles competitive. Daily News File Photo BOX: TOP RETURNERS (see text) |
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