Coming off back-to-back 6A softball titles, it's no surprise that Sheldon starts this season at No. 1 in the OSAAtoday 6A coaches poll.
But if the Irish – who carry a 40-game winning streak against Oregon teams into Tuesday's season opener against visiting West Salem – are going to extend their supremacy through 2025, they will have to do it with an almost entirely new cast.
Sheldon lost seven starters from its championship starting lineup, including ace pitcher Payton Burnham, the two-time 6A pitcher of the year, and catcher Kinley Pappas, the 6A player of the year. Burnham and Pappas are starting their college careers at Arkansas and Utah Tech, respectively.
The Irish have plenty of talented players who have been waiting their turn, and second-year coach Avery Morehead-Hutsell is hoping that the winning ways of their predecessors have rubbed off on them.
“It's a brand-new roster, basically,” Morehead-Hutsell said. “Many of them didn't get any varsity playing experience last year. It's going to take them some time to get used to the shift in speed. They've been with these girls that have this crazy work ethic, so they understand what it takes to get there.”
The biggest X-factor for Sheldon is replacing Burnham, who tossed a no-hitter and fanned 10 in last year's 6A final against Glencoe, giving her 704 strikeouts in the last two seasons.
The Irish will hand the ball to junior right-hander Soraya Dorsey, last year's JV ace. Morehead-Hutsell said that Dorsey had varsity-caliber stuff last season but had to wait behind Burnham. Now she is ready to shine.
“She looks really confident and relaxed,” Morehead-Hutsell said. “She pitches heat. She picked up a lot of speed this year. I don't think she has quite the spin control as Payton did, but she's working on it. I think that since Soraya did have Payton to look up to, she understands what it takes to pitch at that level.”
Dorsey got valuable experience last summer pitching for the Northwest Vandals club team. It helped prepare her for being under the spotlight at Sheldon.
“Obviously, people have a lot of expectations with our team,” Morehead-Hutsell said. “But I think Soraya is taking it really well. She understands that it's a different year and she's going to work with what she's got.”
Sheldon brings back two starters from last season in senior second baseman Jazmin Gallegos and sophomore Savannah McKibben, who moves from center field to third base.
Sophomore Sasha Fendrich and senior Kara Pierson are vying to replace Pappas at catcher. Other new starters are junior first baseman Presley Debaldo, junior shortstop Braelyn Stone and senior center fielder Lilian Geddis. Several players are competing for the corner outfield spots .
The top five players in the batting order graduated, including the leadoff hitter in third baseman Brooke Peterson, a 6A first-team pick who now plays at Idaho State. McKibben, the No. 9 hitter last year, jumps to leadoff. Gallegos moves up to the No. 2 slot, with Dorsey and Debaldo to follow.
The Irish will miss the powerful bat of Burnham, who hit .544 with 16 homers and 57 RBIs last season. They are counting on Dorsey and Debaldo to supply power. Gallegos and sophomore Natalia Shoemaker – a transfer from 3A Elmira – can drive the ball, too.
Sheldon's nonleague schedule is challenging. The Irish play at 5A No. 1 Lebanon on Thursday and will face No. 5 McMinnville and No. 4 Oregon City next week in the Spring Break Tournament in Medford.
“It's going to be a really fun year,” Morehead-Hutsell said. “It might just take them a little bit to get their feet under them, and find out how to play together with this new dynamic. … Obviously we lost a lot of talent. They need to believe in themselves.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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