ARLINGTON — The Eagles are in a precarious position at the start of the softball season.
Arlington caught a glimpse of what it was capable of at the 2010 District Tournament, coming just a game away from the state tournament.
“They really decided to focus on the little things in that period,” said manager Lonnie Hicks. “And that built up and is why they were successful.”
On the flip side of that coin, those returners said goodbye to coach Dan Eng and hello to a new coach in Hicks. So there is a mixture of wanting to maintain the momentum from the past while doing things differently.
Hicks will be charged with helping the Lady Eagles take the next step from finishing 12-4 in the Wesco North and 17-7 overall, earning the No. 3 spot in the district tournament.
And the Eagles feel that they got the right man for the job, as Hicks has been a manager in the college ranks at both Western Washington University and Edmonds Community College as well as being the founder of the Pacific Northwest Softball School. Through all his experience, he said he could tell right away that they had the ability to achieve their goals this week.
“These kids are very motivated and excited to go to state,” he said. “And they have the tools to make that happen.”
The Eagles lost their pitcher this season, but have a ready replacement in sophomore Veronica Ladines, who was an all-Wesco North honorable mention.
“We have a couple other pitchers available to help fill in,” said Hicks. “But we’ll be relying on Ronnie to finish the majority of innings.”
Also returning will be senior Kailee Basher, a first-teamer who Hicks sees as an anchor in the lineup, living up to her name.
“We’ve been working on her to complete her swing and generate even more power,” he said.
Despite just coming into the Western Conference, Hicks is familiar with the softball landscape.
“I know that Stanwood lost quite a bit, but Marysville will be strong and Jackson will be too,” he said.
The Eagles will also be returning Lynsey Amundson, a second-teamer, and honorable mentions Brittany Bovard, Kaitlyn Botten and Torrey Herrington.
