Lassen Community College head softball coach Glen Yonan discusses strategy with the team before practice Thursday, March 8.  Photo by Maddie Musante

March 12 — The Lassen Community College Lady Cougars fast pitch softball team is gearing up for the season and raring to go. According to head coach Glen Yonan, the team gets better every week. While they have lost some pre-season games, the team has played competitively, beating several tough teams while continuing to hone their skills.

Unfortunately, the Lady Cougars haven’t been able to perform for their home crowd, as their first scheduled home game against the College of the Redwoods was cancelled due to snow. Prior to that, the Lady Cougars had played 19 non-conference away games and had a record of 7-12. Yonan stressed that the team is constantly improving, saying they are much better now than they were a month ago and emphasizing how on point they are with hitting.

He believes the Lady Cougars can make it to league playoffs this year, as long as they play well and continue to improve. After researching the other teams in the Golden Valley Conference, Yonan is convinced each team is beatable. That being said, he does see Shasta College as one of the big challenges in the conference, based on their pre-season record.

When asked about team captains and star players, Yonan said everyone on the team pitches in at the same level. However, the team does have some new and returning talent. Sophomore Siera Barton was an All Northern California selection last year and was ranked fourth in the state in hitting. Barton’s current batting average is in the low 400s. Becky McConnell, who was second team All Conference last year and just signed a scholarship offer from William Jessup University, has a batting average in the high 300s and has hit two home runs for the Lady Cougars. Newcomer Lauren Knorzer is also batting in the 400s and has scored two home runs in the pre-season.

As far as his strategy for the remainder of the season, Yonan said, “We need to pitch well, we need to play good defense and we need to have timely hitting. Those are the three main ingredients we have to have. If we get those three things, we’ll be okay.”

The Lady Cougars’ next home game is against Feather River College at 12 p.m. Friday, March 22.