Stranger Things Will Happen Junior Centerfielder Has Kept Vikings Ticking On Way To State
Odds are that the State A-1 softball champion will come from this city.
And if Coeur d’Alene junior centerfielder Patti Stranger has anything to say about it, the Vikings will defend their state title when the tourney begins a three-day run this afternoon at Quad Park in Post Falls.
She may be one of CdA’s shortest players at 5-foot-2, but Stranger stands tall among the Viks’ top contributors.
Junior pitcher Blake Hoorelbeke (16-3) is the team’s leading hitter (.529). But right behind her is Stranger (.476), CdA’s leadoff hitter.
If CdA repeats, it’s a good bet that Stranger will be in the middle of her team’s success.
CdA (21-4) will take on Centennial (20-10) at 5 in a rematch of last year’s state final.
Inland Empire League champ Lake City (20-6), meanwhile, which fell to CdA in the regional title game, will meet Meridian (21-7) on one of Quad Park’s adjacent fields at 3.
In other openers, Twin Falls (20-7) goes against Idaho Falls (18-11) and Rigby (20-8) takes on Eagle (23-7).
After losing its state opener last year, CdA won six in a row, including back-to-back wins over Centennial to claim the title.
Although Hoorelbeke’s name is at the top of many of CdA’s statistics, Viks coach Larry Bieber considers Stranger equally as valuable.
“It all starts with Patti,” Bieber said. “She’s pretty much the heart and soul of our team. She’s our tablesetter.”
CdA fell short of its first goal, a league title. During a late-season lull, Bieber had his players do some self-evaluation.
“We asked them `who do you look up to on the team’ and to a kid they said Patti,” Bieber said. “She’s always there, she’s always focused. She gets her teammates focused to play hard. She’s a real team leader.”
Stranger gets it done at the plate as a leadoff batter. She is the team leader in on-base percentage (.522), and she’s also tops in stolen bases (13) and walks (7).
She said she tries to be a leader both vocally and by example.
“When I’m on the field, I talk a lot and I try to keep all of our heads up,” Stranger said.
Stranger said one of her goals this season was to improve her batting average, which she did by more than 110 percentage points. But her top priority was getting on base.
“If I get on base, the hitters behind me can usually score me,” she said.
Stranger said a key for the Viks at state is remembering the feeling of winning last year.
“When we came up against Centennial we wanted it so bad,” Stranger said. “That’s what we need to get back.”
She thinks the Viks took a big step toward regaining some intensity at regionals.
Bieber agreed.
“I know it meant a lot in league, but it meant a lot more at (regionals),” Bieber said. “We’ve got to pick up the intensity again (at state).”
Neither CdA nor Lake City is looking past their first-round opponent. But they can’t help but think about a possible all-North Idaho showdown.
LC coach Darren Taylor thinks it would be the perfect scenario - sort of a rubber game.
“I think it’s meant to be,” Taylor said. “The series is 2-2. We’ve scored 22 runs against them, they’ve scored 20. We’ve got the league title, they’ve got the (regional) title. There needs to be another game.”
Or two. Or three. The teams could meet as many as three times at state, beginning with a winner’s bracket final on Friday.
“In the back of our minds, we’d like to play them, but we’ve got to get out of our bracket,” Bieber said. “I think Lake City is going to do well. I envision them being the winner out of their bracket. They put the ball in play and in a state tournament, that’s a big deal. They have everything to be successful.”
Taylor returned the compliment, saying that CdA’s state experience is priceless and something his team lacks.
“To have been there and won it and know you can win it … there’s no substitute for that,” Taylor said of the Viks.
Lakeland has hands full
The State A-2 tourney will also be held at Quad Park, a four-field complex.
Lakeland (17-3) heads to state coming off a loss. The Hawks fell to Orofino 2-1 in a cross-district seeding game Saturday.
The Hawks will meet Bear Lake (22-5) at 5. In the same bracket at 3, Orofino (21-2) takes on Middleton (14-9).
So a semifinal showdown looms between Lakeland and Orofino.
It may not matter which team emerges from the Lakeland-Orofino bracket. Two-time champ Bishop Kelly (22-4) is heavily favored to make it three straight titles.
Bishop Kelly, which downed Lakeland in the state final last year, opens against Preston (11-13). In the other opener, Shelley (19-8) takes on Filer (21-6).
Notes
CdA will be playing without senior right fielder Stacy Weber. A four-year starter, Weber was suspended before the regional tournament for an athletic-code violation. Bieber has moved junior left fielder Cassandra Vig to right and will start junior Megan Hull in left.
LC’s first opponent, Meridian, lost its starting pitcher Crystal Peel for state. She was throwing a perfect game in the district title game against Centennial when she blew out a knee sliding into second base, trying to avoid a tag.
1. STATE TOURNEYS They’re here The Idaho State A-1 and A-2 softball tournaments begin today at 3 p.m. at Quad Park in Post Falls.
2. OVERVIEW State softball A-1 When: Today through Saturday Where: Quad Park, Post Falls To get there: Go west from Coeur d’Alene on Interstate 90. Take State Highway 41 north. Turn left on Mullan Avenue. Follow for about a half-mile. Four-field park will be on the right. Admission: General per session, $5; discount session, $4 (for senior citizens, students in grades 1-6 and grades 7-12 with an activity card). Tournament pass, general, $15; discount pass, $10. Children under 6 are admitted free. Pairings: Today - Twin Falls (20-7) vs. Idaho Falls (18-11), 3 p.m.; Coeur d’Alene (21-4) vs. Centennial (20-10), 5; Meridian (21-7) vs. Lake City (20-6), 3; Rigby (20-8) vs. Eagle (23-7), 5 Friday: Loser-out games at 10 a.m.; winners-bracket games at noon; loser-out quarterfinals at 3; loser-out semifinal at 5; winners-bracket semifinal at 5. Saturday: Loser-out final at 10 a.m. (loser third place); Championship game at noon; If-necessary game, 2 p.m. Defending champ: Coeur d’Alene
A-2 When: Today through Saturday Where: Quad Park, Post Falls To get there: Go west from Coeur d’Alene on Interstate 90. Take State Highway 41 north. Take left on Mullan Avenue. Follow for about a half mile. Four-field park will be on the right. Admission: General per session, $5; discount session, $4 (for senior citizens, students in grades 1-6 and grades 7-12 with an activity card). Tournament pass, general, $15; discount pass, $10. Children under 6 are admitted free. Pairings: Today - Orofino (21-2) vs. Middleton (14-9), 3 p.m.; Bear Lake (22-5) vs. Lakeland (17-3), 5; Bishop Kelly (22-4) vs. Preston (11-13), 3; Shelley (19-8) vs. Filer (21-6), 5 Friday: Loser-out games at 10 a.m.; winners-bracket games at noon; loser-out quarterfinals at 3; loser-out semifinal at 5; winners-bracket semifinal at 5. Saturday: Loser-out final at 10 a.m. (loser third place); Championship game at noon; If-necessary game, 2 p.m. Defending champ: Bishop Kelly