1989 PREP SOFTBALL PREVIEW : Superstar Pitchers Have Left the Field Wide Open to Successors

Michele Granger has left for Northern California. Tiffany Boyd now slings softballs at UCLA. Terry Carpenter is piling up the strikeouts at Fresno State.

Well, there goes the county.

Maybe it’s not that bad. Perhaps it’s just a lull in the cycle, a void between yesterday’s superstars of high school softball in Orange County and tomorrow’s.

“It’s just a changing of the guard,” said Cary Baker, coach of the county’s top-ranked team at Fountain Valley High School. “People know these new kids are good, but they have not made a name for themselves.”

When the names will be made and the niches carved is difficult to tell, but two things seem clear--hitting should improve, at least slightly, and talent will be more spread out, from seniors to freshmen.

Right now, ask coaches about the best talent around the county and the same names come up: Rae Rice, a sophomore pitcher at Fountain Valley; Chanele Chambrone, a senior catcher at Canyon; Cheryl Longeway, a sophomore pitcher at Kennedy, and Shannon Dolan, a senior catcher at Fountain Valley.

“There was more great pitching in last year’s freshman crop than in many years,” Laguna Hills Coach Cary Crouch said. “It’s just going to take some time for them to get their stats.

“There’s more good pitchers spread out among the leagues this year. We might not have all those no-hitters and one-hitters, but you will still see the two- and three-hitters.”

The dominant senior pitchers in the Southern Section hang out in Los Angeles County, with Lisa Fernandez at St. Joseph of Lakewood and DeDe Weiman at Gahr. In Orange County, Rice and Longeway are expected to be the top pitchers. But the question remains, will the game stay limited to the pitcher, catcher and umpire?

“Even off Rice in a scrimmage against Fountain Valley, we made contact,” Canyon Coach Lance Eddy said. “(Talent is) pretty spread out and balanced.

“Last year was an excellent graduating class. Now, I think the sophomore and junior classes are equal.”

Already, many more 4-2 and 3-1 games are showing up in the box scores, and hitting promises to improve once teams settle into league play.

“I hope so,” Western Coach Debbie Harless said. “It’s been a pitchers’ game too long. I’d like to see the hitting come around.”

Here’s a look at this season’s top players:

PITCHERS

Shannon Akau, Buena Park: She is considered one of the better pitchers in the county, but she might not be good enough to save Buena Park.

Marta Bickert, Trabuco Hills: She had a 0.89 ERA with 11 shutouts and batted .350 as a junior last season.

Jennifer Brundage, Irvine: A sophomore on the verge of becoming a great pitcher, she might make a big splash in a league deep in pitching. With a strong fastball and changeup, Brundage could give the Vaqueros a better chance at the South Coast League title.

Kelly Cook, Brea-Olinda: She posted 219 strikeouts and an 0.23 ERA as a junior last year.

Amy Huett, Sunny Hills: One of the better senior pitchers in the county, she throws for one of the county’s underrated teams.

Cheryl Longeway, Kennedy: She led the Fighting Irish to the Southern Section 3-A title last year as a freshman with 23-3 record, 0.48 ERA and 188 strikeouts. Longeway said she’s not quite as nervous this season, but still needs to work on control.

Margo Melendrez, Laguna Hills: Possibly the best control and finesse pitcher in the county. Melendrez had a 0.35 ERA as a junior last season while hitting .354.

Marla Pickard, Ocean View: Another virtual unknown, many coaches think she will helpOcean View become a pitching power again.

Rae Rice, Fountain Valley: The sophomore earned second-team all-county honors last season for compiling 216 strikeouts and an 0.18 ERA for a team that reached the Southern Section 4-A semifinals.

Lisa Wehren, Woodbridge: She has a tough assignment in filling the cleats of pitcher Tiffany Boyd, but most coaches feel Wehren is up to the challenge.

POSITION PLAYERS

Suzie Berdis, Kennedy: She hit .299 with 22 runs and 18 RBIs last year. The senior center fielder is a catalyst for the Fighting Irish offense.

Chanele Chambrone, Canyon: The Comanches will rely on their hitting this year and the transfer from Tustin (.516 batting average and 22 RBIs) is a big boost at bat and behind the plate.

Shannon Dolan, Fountain Valley: Besides handling Rice behind the plate, she hit .301 last year with a school-record 28 hits.

Krissy Kyriazis, Canyon: The third baseman hit .290 last year and played stingy defense. She is hitting .545 this season.

Linda Lunceford, Trabuco Hills: A transfer from Esperanza, she hit .375 last year while pitching and playing shortstop. A junior, she will play shortstop this season.

Erin McKenney, Sunny Hills: She is among an elite group of catchers in the county. McKenney doesn’t hit for power, but most coaches expect her to keep a high average while catching Huett.

Ivy Pinkerton, Western: She switched duties between pitcher and shortstop last year, but this year, the senior is likely to remain at shortstop.

Kris Vucurevic, Kennedy: Yet another of the county’s best catchers, she handles one of the county’s best pitchers in Longeway. Vucurevic helped lead Kennedy to the Southern Section 3-A title last year.

Christa Yorke, Marina: Relatively unknown, she has caught the eyes of a few coaches, who say she will be one of the better catchers this year.

OTHERS TO WATCH

Tricia Barr, a senior shortstop at Brea-Olinda; Shelley Carey, a sEnior catcher at Villa Park; Collene Conahan, a freshman pitcher at Western; Missi Gyde, a senior shortstop at Kennedy; Terri Kobata, a freshman pitcher at Mater Dei; Krinon Lapihuska, a junior pitcher at Loara; Paige Lauby, a junior pitcher at El Toro; Carrie Lucas, a senior pitcher at El Dorado; Beth Queypo, a freshman pitcher at Western; Sara Roberts, a sophomore pitcher at Canyon; Sami Sawyer, a senior third baseman at Fountain Valley; Jennifer Smith, a sophomore pitcher at Capistrano Valley, and Stephanie Wills, a senior second baseman at Canyon.