Clatskanie softball returns with a strong team

The Clatskanie girls softball team opened its season Monday with a statement 16-6 win at Rainier. Coming off last year’s 20-8 record, all but one Tiger returned from the previous season’s roster with two new Tigers. “We have a lot of experience and have only had to fill that one spot,” said Coach Teauna Hughes. “We are really getting to play the girls in different spots to try and find the perfect fit. They are doing great with the changes and are willing to do what is best for the team.”

So far, the roster looks promising, not only for this season but for those to follow as well. “We are still pretty young,” said Hughes. “For the second year in a row, we have only had one senior, which is a great thing. We have a lot of younger girls that are dialing in and getting a lot of game reps.”

The girls have their first home game of the season on Thursday, March 21, against Scio at 4:30 p.m. and some tournament play next week. According to Hughes, the girls have a pretty competitive non-league schedule; however, one positive is most of the games are local this season. Excited for her girls to put “their efforts to the test,” Hughes is already off to a good start. “I am proud of these girls,” she said. “We have been working hard in the offseason, and there have been multiple days where the girls have volunteered to get extra reps after practice. Our year didn’t end like we wanted it to last year, and these girls are hungry to learn and get better every single day.”