SIC’s formidable fivesome looms for Coeur d”Alene

It’s no fluke that five of the eight teams in the State 5A softball tournament are from the Southern Idaho Conference.

SIC teams are talented. More than anything, though, they are battle-tested by the time state rolls around.

Timberline (24-3) captured the SIC’s District III championship for a third consecutive year by knocking off regular-season champ Borah (23-4) 4-1. Meridian (13-11) captured the district’s third automatic state berth, and three-time defending state champ Eagle (16-10) and Mountain View (13-16) advanced by winning play-in games. Mountain View qualified with a 3-1 win over Lake City, which finished tied with Region I champ Coeur d’Alene (19-6) for the Inland Empire League title.

“It’s the power conference,” Coeur d’Alene coach Larry Bieber said. “They have eight teams and they play a grueling conference schedule. It’s great preparation.”

CdA and LC wanted a taste of some of the SIC’s best, so they played in an informal tournament at Boise in late March. CdA defeated Timberline 2-1 and Meridian 13-1, but lost to Borah 9-4.

The IEL’s top two teams waged a few intense battles following their trip south. The teams split four tightly contested league games and the Vikings prevailed 1-0 in eight innings in the regional final.

“We’ve got some confidence going into state,” Bieber said.

Four afternoon games today open the state tourney, which will be held the first two days at Ramsey Park in Coeur d’Alene before concluding with trophy games Saturday at the Vikings’ home field. In openers at 3, CdA faces District IV-V-VI runner-up Idaho Falls (18-9), and District IV-V-VI champ Twin Falls (24-3) meets Meridian. A pair of District III showdowns, Timberline-Eagle and Borah-Mountain View, follow at 5.

Asked to pick a favorite, Bieber didn’t hesitate.

“Timberline – even though we beat them,” Bieber said. “They have a great pitcher (Mandy Klein). We got to her, but not by much.”

In the sport of fastpitch, pitching is one of the most critical elements. The Viks returned their two starters from a year ago – junior Heather Helmhout and sophomore Jenna DeLong – but DeLong (13-5) has carried most of the load. Helmhout (6-1) has been out since the trip to Boise with inflammation in her throwing shoulder that she said doctors called bursitis tendonitis. DeLong may have some relief at state.

“Heather might pitch,” Bieber said. “It’s a huge surprise to us because we thought she was done for the year. She got clearance last week. There’s no way she’ll be 100 percent, but she could give us a spot inning here or there.”

DeLong thought she would play mainly at first base and be used in a supporting role on the mound as she was last year. It took her a while to adjust to full-time pitching when she was thrust into the spot.

“After Heather got hurt, it took everybody a while to get their confidence in me,” said DeLong, who sports a 1.00 ERA. “Not only do I have confidence in myself now, but the team has confidence in me.”

Junior right fielder Brianna Robson said a turning point early for the Viks was when they had a meeting following their 9-4 loss to Borah.

“We’ve come together since then,” said Robson, who leads the team in most offensive statistics including batting average (.410). “We realized we need to rely on each other more and not look at (softball) as an individual sport.”

CdA won back-to-back state titles in 1998-99. The Viks, who have played in the state final six of the past seven years, have come close several times, including three straight runner-up finishes to Eagle.

“We know what we’re up against; it’s not a new thing for us,” DeLong said. “We have the confidence finally to take it all the way. We’re sick of getting second place.”