18Preview2002.page

Danes 18's Preview -- Press Release May 7, 2002 -- Tim Husted

Pitching depth and veteran leadership look to lead Danes 18's in 2002

Winning softball always seems to revolve around pitching and "ace" pitchers specifically. In 2002, the Danes 18's will have two "ace" pitchers for their opponents to deal with.

Playing the role of the veteran ace will be Stacie Reichert (Mosinee, WI '01) while Mallory McKinney (Brooklyn Park, MN/Champlin Park HS '03) will be the future ace. Reichert will finish her freshman year of college at Gardner-Webb University and this will be her third season with the Danes 18's. McKinney has been the "ace" for the Danes 16's the past two years and has had considerable success leading the 18's staff during the fall and winter season.

"Stacie is a hard thrower who really has developed a ton since she joined our system. We have to make sure we don't overuse her this summer as she will probably come home with 150-200 innings of college ball underneath her belt. Her real value will be to win the key innings/games for us and to help McKinney develop the maturity to follow Reichert to Division I." said Husted

McKinney is well on her way to college ball throwing well this fall at the Rising Stars Showcase and for college coaches in the Rice and Arlington Dome League. Featuring a 4 pitch selection and elite velocity, McKinney can work hitters or just throw the ball by them if needed.

If McKinney and Reichert are the "aces", the jack will be workhourse Gina Cuneo (White Bear Lake, MN '03). Cuneo joined the Danes this winter and was very successful in the Dome Ball environment. Cuneo will throw a ton of innings and really carry the burden of getting the Danes to the Championship games on Sunday. A change of pace, Cuneo relies on decent speed but outstanding movement on all 5 of her pitches and can work the entire strike zone with success.

"Gina is the real key to the pitching staff, she is a strong enough pitcher to beat other team's #1 and her style will be a nice set up for the rest of our staff. I would expect that at the end of the year Gina will probably throw the most innings of the group."

Where most travel teams will stick with three pitchers, the Danes have built success in numbers and this year the staff has 3 more arms that can win games in Danielle Malek (Winnconne, WI '03), Nikki Gumenss (Bloomer, WI '02) and Alaina Ryberg (Hudson, WI '01).

Malek pitched for the Danes 18's last year with limited success but looks as though she has gained control in the off season and should get some starts early in the weekend and close games for Cuneo in elimation play. Probably the 2nd hardest thrower on the team behind Reichert, Malek throws 3 pitches at 4 speeds and if she can find the strike zone she can dominate teams.

Gumness will close games for Reichert and McKinney using 3 pitches that move and the experience of filling that closer role for the past 3 years at 16U and this off season for the Fall and Winter seasons.    Gumness also will start in RF for the Danes 18's and bat in the 9 spot in the order. She will move on and play for UW-Eau Claire next season.

Ryberg has been with the Danes for 3 seasons but was on the IR after ACL Surgery last year. This year she has moved on and is throwing for Bemidji State University. For the Danes, Ryberg will play 1B and offers insurance if the pitching staff runs thin during the summer.

"Malek learned on the job last year and now we think that investment will start to pay dividends, it is my hope that I can count on Malek to win one pool play game each weekend and work with Cuneo to win the first two elimination games as well." said Husted. "Gumness is a tremendous asset to the team and as a pitcher she can really shut a team down when she is on."

Certainly a strong pitching staff is a great starting point but the key to winning games is to match them with a group of great backstops and the Danes 18's have done that.

"We are going to fill two spots with three kids, Catcher/Center Field; all three are tremendous athletes". expains Husted.

The "big 3" catchers are last years starter Jessica Wilke (Marinette, WI '02), 16U starter the past two years Nikki Jensen (WI Rapids, WI '03) and Rachel Lemon (Eden Praire, MN '03). Wilke, who recently signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Gardner-Webb Unviersity will primarily start in CF although last year she did an oustanding job behind the plate and offers depth and competition to the younger players.

Jensen has an elite arm and the attitude and confidence of a star catcher. She has worked hard with the guidance of Danes Assistant Coach Andrew Husted on her ability to catch pitches and call games. Jensen has worked with McKinney the past two years at 16U and will move up to catch for her again in 2002.

Lemon is a newcomer to the Danes for this summer but her pedagree is from an elite high school program and she will be a great addition to the defense behind the plate as well as building the line-up.

"No player has been coached harder then Jensen and she is a sure-fire big time college recruit but Lemon offers us the ability to match pitchers and catchers up and not lose anything behind the plate." said Husted.   "As for Wilke, she has been there before, knows what we expect and probably is the best "third" catcher in the Midwest,"

The infield will be redesigned in 2002 after losing standout players in Rachel Riopel, Danielle Melchert and Sky Flanders after last summer. The one returning player will be Stephanie Farenbaugh (Brownton, MN/McCloud West HS) who will bat leadoff and start at 3B in 2002. "Hoyt" is the cornerstone of the team and will be counted on for leadership in this infield. Elite speed, a quick release and strong understanding of the game make this future Minnesota State University -- Mankato athlete a tremedous weapon. Hoyt will bat leadoff again in 2002 and also serves as the Danes emergency catcher.

Replacing Rachel Riopel will be difficult for the Danes. Not only was she the best offensive weapon the past 3 years but the defense was built around her skills at the Shortstop position. Husted feels like he has filled the position with a strong player again in 2002 -- Angie Christensen (Mahtomedi, MN '02).

"AC joined us for Dome ball and showed a gun for an arm, a ton of power at the plate, decent speed and a great atttidue. Although she will only get one year with the Danes, I am excited about being able to coach her this summer and know she will improve our offense in the 5 or 6 hole in the lineup." said Husted.

Second Base remains a question mark for the Danes and although Farenbaugh or Malek or could fill that spot, the Danes are also excited about Suzi Schmutzer (Columbus, WI '03) and two younger players from the '04 class, Jenna Bergmann (Mosinee, WI) and Claire McConnell (Neilsville, WI).

Schmutzer is new to the program but comes from the very strong Columbus High School program where she starts at 3B and bats leadoff. She played her first two years at Lakeland High School as a pitcher.

Bergmann started at 3B for 16U last seasoin and showed a maturity and swing that made her a natural player to move up and play at the older level.   Bergmann's days at 3B were limited due to some ongoing elbow soreness so she has moved to teh other side of the infield. She will also backup Gumness in RF and can play some 1B as well.

McConnell is a newcomer to the Danes but fiqures to be a nice addition for the long term. This year she will play 2B, backup Lemon in LF and probably be used a runner/hitter off the bench as well.

"I'm excited to have two young high school second baseman to develop over the next three years. I'm sure they will be key parts of this years team even if they are not going to start every game." said Husted.

First base has been the Danes weak link year in and year out. This year some old, some new and a ton of compeitition should result in an improvement. First opportunity will go to Ryberg who started at 1B for the Danes 16's in 2000. Closly pushing Ryberg will be Susan Taylor (Minnetonkka, MN) a new comer who will be in the line-up every game playing either 1B, 2B or DP.   Taylor is a power hitter with quick hands and good plate dicipline. McKinney, Jensen, Lemon, Farenbaugh, Cuneo, and Bergmann have all played 1B in the past.

The Oufield will be a combination of a few players but starters will be Gumness, Wilke, and Meghan Bell (LaCrosse Central HS '02) from left to right. Backups will be McConnell, Malek, Bergmann, Jensen, Lemon as well as Reichert or Hoyt in an emergency.

"Bell has been the most respected opponent we have played against the past few years, she has elite speed, tremendous power and a is down right fun to watch play. Our team is excited to add Meghan and I feel she will win games for us with her abilities." said Husted.

The lineup looks to be versatile at the top, powerful in the middle and speed at the bottom. Bell, Hoyt, Wilke and Jensen can really keep the top of the order moving on the basepaths and with one of them as well as Gumness in the 8 and 9 spots -- there is quite a small ball potental. That said all four can also match up with McKinney in the 4 spot and play long ball. Taylor and Christensen will probably manage the 5 and 6 spots. Lemon, Bergmann, Ryberg, McConnell and Schmutzer will probably bat 6, 7, 8 when they are in the lineup.

"I think we will be able to score more runs and our 5, 6, and 7 hitters will be the major difference from last year, I also love the versatility of the top of my order with Bell, Hoyt, Wilke and Jensen. All four players are 3.0 Home to First speed with HR power on 200 foot fenses. McKinney, Taylor, and Christensen all have the ability to hit the long ball and will probably ensure that we average at least 2 extra base hits a game. We will score runs this year" predicts Husted.

With a strong team in place, the Danes have a competitive schedule for the 2002 summer. Starting the year at the Eagan Down and Dirty, the Danes will then take to the road to attend one of the early summer showcase events in Slugger Fest II in Cincinatti, OH. Returning to compete in what looks to be a great White Bear Lake Showcase the last weekend in June, the Danes will take July 4th off to send a team to the ASA State Tournament and then return to the site of their 2001 Tournament Champioinship in Woodstock, IL. The regular season will end for the Danes 18's at the Chippewa Valley Flash Invite. The Danes look to qualify for Nationals again in 2002 as well.

The Danes are coached by Husted as well as Associate Head Coach Katie Hamilton and assistant coach Andrw Husted.