Rutland Herald Sports Guide Spring 2018 | Page 11

Rutland Herald Spring Sports Guide 2018 West Rutland High School Home of the Golden WEST RUTLAND VARSITY SOFTBALL 1 2 3 4 5 Alyssa Carey Kiana Grabowski Alissa Covarrubias Shelby Grabowski Rebecca DeKalb 6 8 9 11 12 13 14 Haley Parker Deanna Kenyon Kiera Pipeling Becky Sanderson Lily Turner- Burrell Madison Guay Kasey Serrani 16 18 19 20 Horde Bailey Sevigny Elizabeth Bailey Isabella Turner-Burell Hannah Bates Head Coach: Carl Serrani Asst. Coach: Laurie Serrani Softball Preview Continued from Page 10 The schedule will look a little different. They will not play Mill River but will be playing Burr and Burton Academy. They also have New York State foes Whitehall and Granville on the schedule. There is a traditional celebration on the last Saturday in April when all of Poult- ney’s youth league teams march through town in uniform and are then introduced before the Devils’ softball game. PROCTOR Coach Abby Bennett could become as well known for interchangeable parts as Eli Whitney. Isabel Valerio, who did much of the pitching last season, will move to shortstop where her range and arm has Bennett excited. Allie Almond was the catcher most of last season and a very good one. She will likely patrol center field where she covers plenty of ground. She is also a probable pitcher. Sydney Wood could slide into Almond’s spot behind the plate. She moved there for a game against West Rutland in the postseason and han- dled herself well. She stroked a double and made a spectacular diving catch near the backstop. She could also see some time in the infield. Valerio is the lone senior. Sarah Pecor is the only junior and likely the first baseman. Amanda Reynolds will again see time in the circle. Cheyenne Giddings, Sawyer Per- kins, Rachel Stuhlmueller and Katelyn Storey are outfielders. Storey gives the Phantoms yet another pitcher. Maddie Lee is a third baseman. The Phantoms have six eighth-grad- ers practicing with the varsity squad. Bennett will only keep one or two of them because she does not want to deplete the junior high team. “We have a lot of speed on the bas- es, ” Bennett said. RUTLAND Many a young softball player has grown up idolizing Jenny Finch, who pitched the United States to a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics. Rutland’s Skyler Bird did better than that. She went to her three-day camp over the summer in Chicago. “She had a great experience there, ” Rutland coach Dick Wright said. The returning Raider pitcher will be applying what she absorbed when Rutland opens the season April 10 at Otter Valley. Wright has a young team on his hands, but his hope is the Raiders can progress to where they will be a tough out when the Division I playoffs begin. “We’re young with only four return- ing from last year, ” Wright said. They are Delaney Courcelle, Sydney Veilleux, Em