Behind the exceptional play of battery mates Amanda Friemel and Ali King, the Bellevue Christian Lady Vikes softball team has jumped out to a 3-1 start and looks poised to make a push for an Emerald City League championship.
Playing in the ECL, Kelly believes his team will be right in the mix with perennial league-favorite Cedar Park Christian, who has made the state tournament in every season since 2002. But with Friemel in the circle and King working behind the plate, BCS knows that 2011 presents an opportunity to knock the Eagles from their perch.
Under head coach Ryan Kelly, now in his tenth season in the dugout for the Lady Vikes, BCS has been placing their focus on improving their defensive play behind Friemel in an effort to make it back to the state tournament for the first time since 2006.
“We’re blessed to have a really strong pitcher in Amanda Freimel and she’s got a great battery mate in Ali King,” Kelly said. “If we can play defense behind them, I think we should be able to get back to the playoffs.”
With five returning starters, fine-tuning their play in the field has been a major focus early on. “We’ve worked on a lot of situational stuff,” Friemel said.
Thus far, BCS has shown the ability to blow games open at the plate and also ride the arm of Friemel to wins. The Lady Vikes began the year with a 9-4 win over Cascade Christian and a week later, devastated Life Christian by a score of 10-0. In their latest matchup with Lindbergh, Friemel held down the opposition for five scoreless innings after surrendering two runs in the top of the first before a four-run Lindbergh outburst in the top of the seventh. But a five-run bottom half of the inning gave BCS the win and reinforced the winning attitude Kelly’s team has been fighting to establish. King said that a strong belief in one another and the coaching staff has been the foundation for the team this season.
That belief could be tested on April 1, which will be the first of two matchups with the league-favorites from Cedar Park Christian, who Kelly said will be the highest hurdle on his squad’s run to a league title.
But the Lady Vikes have plenty of confidence in their own ability as well. “We can be as good as we set our minds to,” Friemel said. “This is probably one of the better teams we’ve had and we can win league, compete in districts and go to state.”
King had a similar position on expectations for 2011. “We can be big places,” King said. “This team is really hard working and I see us going really far”.
Kelly knows that with Friemel and King setting the tone, a renewed emphasis on quality defense behind them and clutch hitting, knocking off the Eagles and moving to the top of the ECL is entirely possible. “If our youth can continue to grow and we can continue to work together, I think we can avoid most stumbling blocks,” Kelly said.
Kelly knows that if his team can fight their way into districts, they will be only two wins away from their state playoff goal. “If we can get back to districts, anything can happen.”
Lady Vikes at a glance
Coach: Ryan Kelly, 10th season
Returning starters: Five
Impact Newcomers: Kristen Ruhnke, 3B
Crucial Matchups: 4/1 VS Cedar Park Christian @ Inglemoor HS, 6:30pm; 4/7 VS Cedar Park Christian @ Hidden Valley Park, 4pm
