TIMES CHANGE, BUT NOT LEAGUE COMPETITION\Coach marvels at Marmonte rivalry.Byline: Bryan Winchell Special to the Daily News When Beth Calcante looks around the 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. , she can't help but think how little things have changed since she played softball for Newbury Park in the late 1980s. "Everybody's a challenger for the league title," said Calcante, who is in her first year coaching Westlake High School Westlake High School may refer to:
"I couldn't say 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. will be better than Newbury Park, I just know all the teams are good." That includes her Warriors. Led by senior pitcher and cleanup hitter In baseball, the cleanup hitter is the hitter who bats fourth in the lineup. Strategy Cleanup hitters often have the most power on the team and are typically the team's best all-around hitter; their job is to "clean up the bases", hence the name. Kelly De Arman, Westlake is one of a handful of Marmonte League teams that has a plethora of talented sophomores and juniors. But most important to their success is De Arman. After going 20-3 last season, De Arman is ready to improve upon that record this year. "She likes to be perfect," Calcante said. "It makes her a better pitcher than anybody else." De Arman is a power pitcher In baseball, a power pitcher is a pitcher who relies on the velocity of his pitches, sometimes at the expense of accuracy. Power pitchers usually record a high number of strikeouts and statistics such as strikeouts per 9 innings pitched are common measures of power. who has command over a screwball screw·ball n. 1. Baseball A pitched ball that curves in the direction opposite to that of a normal curve ball. 2. Slang An eccentric, impulsively whimsical, or irrational person. adj. , a changeup and a riser. Calcante would take her over any pitcher in the area. "We've got the top pitchers in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, in this league and she definitely stands out," Calcante said. When De Arman isn't pitching, the job will go to sophomore shortstop Sarah Koppel. Because Calcante feels good about her team's ability to hold its opponents' scoring down through good pitching and a solid defense, she will focus on hitting. "When I played for Newbury Park there were a lot of one-run games," Calcante said. "This year I don't want there to be many one-run games. I'd like to build a good lead so we don't have to stress so much." The Warriors will attempt to score runs by getting the speedy top of the order on base and then having power hitters like De Arman drive them in. Starting at catcher is sophomore Heather King Heather King is the morning show anchor for WITN-TV, based in Greenville and Washington, North Carolina. The show runs weekdays from 5:00-7:00 AM. She also does the news updates during the Today Show every 30 minutes from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM. . King, who started as a freshman, broke her nose in the 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. tournament Saturday but came back two outs later. "That's a player after my heart because that's what I would have done," Calcante said. "She played summer league last year and she's just been ripping the ball." Junior Amanda Martin is the player the team wants to have at the plate when a hit is needed. In the Simi Valley tournament, the game with Simi Valley was scoreless with two outs and De Arman on third and Martin knocked her in with a game-winning double. 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 Gretchen LaTour is the only other senior starter and she is one of the team's top defensive players. Koppel plays shortstop and has a powerful bat from the No. 3 spot in the batting order Noun 1. batting order - (baseball) a list of batters in the order in which they will bat; "the managers presented their cards to the umpire at home plate" lineup, card . She is known for her odd batting stance. She doesn't take a step forward but uses very quick wrists to generate her power. Sophomore Michelle Notaro rounds out the infield at third base and is the team's leadoff hitter. "She can get on anytime," Calcante said. "She has a good eye, she bunts, slaps and can hit with a little power." While the infield positions are somewhat solidified, the outfield is still not settled. Sophomore Darci Miller and junior Amanda Heyl will be in left field. Both are having problems with their throwing techniques and need to work those kinks out. Senior Stephanie Miller also plays left field and provides the Warriors with a powerful bat. Sophomore Lisa Vadalma is a line-drive hitter with impressive outfield skills, Calcante said, and she has one of the best arms on the team. In right field, juniors Amanda Reiser and Jamie Litman are battling for the spot. Reiser is one of the team's most coachable players and Litman is learning how to slap the ball from the left side of the plate. Sophomore Shavonne Burns will also see time in the outfield after playing infield her whole life. For Calcante, this first year could come with great rewards if the team can utilize its talent and survive the tough Marmonte League. Yet she is not one to look down the road. "Our goal is to take this one day at a time One Day at a Time is a long-running American situation comedy that portrayed a divorced mother, played by Bonnie Franklin, her two teenage daughters (Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli) and their building superintendent (Pat Harrington, Jr.). , set goals every game and not to get too far ahead of ourselves," Calcante said. CAPTION(S): PHOTO Photo (1) Sophomore Sarah Koppel of the Warriors, shown diving for the ball, will go from shortstop to pitcher when hurler Kelly De Arman is off. (2) Westlake High's Andrea Reiser is battling for the right-field position. Terri Thuente/Daily News |
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