Scio has been one of the state's most dominant softball teams since 2015, losing in the state semifinals five times before finishing as 3A runner-up the last two seasons.
If the Loggers are going to get over the top and win their first title, this season might be their best chance for a while. That's because it's the final year of Myleigh Cooper, a force as a pitcher and hitter.
Scio is counting on Cooper, the two-time reigning 3A player of the year, to show the way for a team that has a mix of veterans and young players. So far, the Loggers look as good as ever, outscoring opponents 112-9 in an 8-0 start. They are a unanimous No. 1 in this week's OSAAtoday 3A coaches poll.
“We don't necessarily talk about making the state championship game,” said coach Jim Mask, who is 170-39 in nine seasons at Scio. “We talk about if we continue to get better, we should be right in that conversation at the end. It's tough to get there, and obviously, it's tough to win there, too.”
The Cal Poly-bound Cooper makes the difference for the Loggers. Through eight games, she is 15 for 22 with nine home runs, 17 RBIs and 23 runs scored. She has pitched 32 1/3 innings, allowed 11 hits, struck out 58 and walked 14, posting a 1.52 ERA.
Cooper has hit 58 career home runs, second in state history to Marist Catholic's Ariel Carlson (72, 2016-19). She hit 19 home runs as a freshman, tied for the fourth most in a single season.
“She's fantastic,” Mask said. “She works harder than anybody else. When your best player has that kind of work ethic, it brings everybody else along. You can see it in the younger girls, kind of learning from her what it takes to be great. You can see them getting significantly better as we go along.”
Cooper nearly pitched Scio to its first title in 2023, going head-to-head with Burns ace Ayla Davies in the state final before losing 1-0 in 12 innings. Last year, Cooper took a 0.44 ERA into the state championship game but lost to South Umpqua 9-1, giving up seven runs in the fifth inning.
Cooper is one of five starters back from a team that finished 25-2. The others are junior catcher Cam Dalke, senior first baseman Meagan Trissel, junior shortstop Macy Johnson and junior third baseman Skylur Brown. Dalke and Trissel were 3A first-team picks last year.
Senior Taryn Ramsay, a 3A first-team outfielder the last two seasons, has opted not to play this season to concentrate on volleyball. She has committed to play at Oregon Tech.
With Ramsay gone, and juniors Rilee Nelson and Maggie Shook not playing, Scio has a brand new outfield with freshman left fielder Mae Ferrando, sophomore center fielder Emma Thatcher and sophomore right fielder KJ Eaton. The Loggers also have a new second baseman in freshman Gracie Ferguson.
The offense is averaging 14.0 runs per game. Dalke is 14 for 19 (.737) with four doubles, two home runs and 17 RBIs. Brown is 10 for 19 with three doubles and 18 RBIs. Trissel has 11 RBIs and Ferrando and Eaton have nine each.
“We've got some young starters in there that are figuring things out and doing a good job,” Mask said. “As long as we continue to keep them improving, I think we'll be in a good position later on.”
Scio opened the season with a 5-2 home win over No. 7 Douglas as Cooper pitched a no-hitter and hit a home run. The Loggers' most important win so far came April 2, a 10-5 home victory over No. 2 Yamhill-Carlton, their Special District 3 rival.
“We play them so much, they're not fazed by our pitcher,” Mask said. “They battle with her.”
Special District 3 is loaded with state contenders, featuring the top four teams in the coaches poll in Scio (8-0, 4-0), Yamhill-Carlton (5-5, 4-1), No. 3 Dayton (8-1, 3-1) and No. 4 Willamina (10-1, 5-1). The Loggers play at No. 3 Dayton on Tuesday.
Notes:
Jesuit (12-1) has bounced back from its first loss – 17-5 to No. 2 Sherwood on April 2 – with five consecutive wins and holds on to the No. 1 spot in the OSAAtoday 6A coaches poll. The Crusaders beat No. 9 West Salem 13-1 on April 4 and No. 7 McMinnville 3-2 on April 9. Sam Blachly led an 8-1 win over Oregon City on Friday by going 3 for 4 with two home runs. … No. 3 Sunset (11-2) went on the road to hand Sherwood (11-1) its first loss of the season, winning 9-6 on April 9. The Apollos faltered Monday at Glencoe, however, losing 4-0 as freshman Lexi Brester tossed a five-hit shutout. …
La Grande, No. 2 in the 4A coaches poll, improved to 15-0 with a doubleheader sweep of visiting Lewiston (Idaho) on Saturday. The Tigers won the first game 2-1, scoring the winning run on an error in the bottom of the seventh. Carlee Strand pitched a three-hitter with 14 strikeouts. La Grande rolled 17-7 in the second game as Cassidy Hogge went 3 for 3 with a triple and four RBIs. … No. 3 St. Helens (11-1) tagged its rival, No. 5 Scapooose (10-1), with its first defeat by topping the Indians 5-2 in a 4A Cowapa League game April 10. The Lions got payback for a 2-1 quarterfinal loss to Scappoose last season. … Tualatin's Emalee Andrade went 4 for 5 with two triples, a home run and six RBIs in a 24-0 win at South Salem on April 9. …
No. 1 Weston-McEwen edged No. 2 Heppner 7-5 in the 2A/1A Special District 1 opener on April 9. The host TigerScots scored four runs – three on errors – in the bottom of the fifth inning to open a 6-2 lead. Hope Berry had a solo homer and RBI single and Kylie Kramer also homered for Weston-McEwen. The TigerScots suffered their first loss to an Oregon team two days later, splitting a doubleheader with visiting Union/Cove. In the second game, the Bobcats trailed 2-1 in the top of the seventh, but got a three-run homer by Cabella Gregory and a solo shot by Amanda Lawyer and won 5-2. …
In wins over Klamath Union and Mazama last week, Phoenix's Destiny Christlieb had two homers and nine RBIs. She also pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing one earned run. … South Medford senior Jordan Knutson led a 15-0 and 23-0 doubleheader sweep of visiting South Eugene on Saturday. She pitched a no-hitter and drove in four runs in the first game and had three homers and seven RBIs in the second game. … Hidden Valley posted its first-ever win over Henley, defeating the host Hornets 12-2 in five innings Friday. Scarlett Gordon went 3 for 4 with a double and four RBIs and struck out eight in five innings. … Crook County's Alyson Ware drove in six runs in a 14-7 win at Caldera on April 8. She hit a triple and two homers, including a grand slam.
jerryu@osaa.org
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