Youth in action

Underclassmen a strength for Shiprock softball team

SHIPROCK

Most teams struggle with young players, but not the Shiprock High School Lady Chiefs.

About half of the softball team is underclassmen but instead of using it as an excuse, they consider it to be one of their strengths.

Shiprock assistant coach Marvis Frazier said the youngsters proved to be assets from the get-go.

“We have a lot more raw talent, it just needs to be perfected a little bit. We have a couple of older girls that are doing really well and the young girls are picking up really well,” he said. “The young-raw talent is what our strength is.”

The underclassmen are mostly freshmen and in the eighth grade, and often times it shows.

Leading up to their first district doubleheader last week with Thoreau, where they picked up the 17-0, 15-0 wins, the Lady Chiefs didn’t exactly have a winning record.

They were 3-7 overall going into the district match up and lost all seven of the games to mental shortcomings.

Shiprock senior outfielder Alyssa Sturgill said the team’s performance is like a roller coaster with its up and downs.

“We kind of had it and then we lost it all because of our mental mistakes and just basics we couldn’t pick up,” she said.

But, Shiprock head coach Levi Toledo said the wins they did get showed just how capable the young team was, despite their mental struggles.

He credited the wins to the team’s versatility.

“Fielding was pretty good, defense was pretty good and the hitting came around on the all the wins we got,” Toledo said. “We’re pretty much even on all pitching, infield and outfield, so the stronger we get, we’ll get even better.”

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