ShawneeDispatch.com

Mill Valley's softball team will have a new look this season.

Long gone are the seniors who formed the heart of the power lineup that carried the Lady Jags to a league championship a year ago.

This year, the Jaguars will replace power with speed, an exchange Mill Valley coach Michelle Mages has already adjusted for and is more than comfortable winning with.

"We will play an entirely different type of ball from last year," Mages said. "We were a power team a year ago, but this year we possess a lot of team speed, so we plan on laying bunts, being very aggressive on the base paths and excelling by playing small ball."

Although the Lady Jags lost a great deal of production to graduation, they still return three proven players in letter-winners Jenny Smith (Sr.), Erin Wesley (Jr.) and Carleigh Barry (Jr.).

Smith and Wesley, both all-league selections last season, will play shortstop and third base for Mages and may be the strongest one-two infield punch in the entire Kaw Valley League.

Barry, a center-fielder with a flare for the dramatic who had several game-winning hits as a sophomore a year ago is a gifted and talented athlete who should excel in all facets of the game this year for the Jags, Mages said.

"We are going to look for a lot out of Carleigh," Mages said. "She is a clutch performer who we will look to step up for us this year."

While the Jaguars new offensive philosophy based on manufacturing runs is already in place, there are still lingering questions in regards to a pitching rotation heading into the season.

All of last year's starting pitchers graduated, and the Jaguars will start three underclassmen that have little to no experience pitching at the varsity level.

Nonetheless, Mages is more than confident in the abilities of juniors Cat White and Carlene Bolton, who will share pitching duties with sophomore Erin Ford for the Lady Jags this year.

"Cat, Carlene and Erin will do the majority of our pitching," Mages said, "and I think they are going to step right in and perform nicely for us.

"All three of them possess the tools to be successful on the mound for us this season."

Mill Valley players also will have their work cut out for them if they hope to retain their status as league champions.

Both Sante Fe Trail and Lansing will field strong teams this year and will battle the Jaguars tooth and nail for the league's top spot.

However, Mages believes the Jaguars will have the upper hand on opponents who choose to look past them because of their relatively unknown roster.

"We lost quite a few players from last year's teams, but I have been really pleased with all the girls and the improvement they have shown since last season," Mages said. "I think we are going to be under the radar this year, and teams will not know much about us.

"But we will surprise people and be in contention for another league title by season's end."

Confident enough to make such a bold statement, Mages says she is looking forward to a new year, a change of pace and the challenge of playing small ball.

"I am excited to have the opportunity to coach a different team this year," Mages said. "It will be fun to coach a finesse team, and the girl's attitudes have been great so far.

"They have been pushing each other in practice, and we are just focusing on this year and the new possibilities this promising group of girls presents, because I think we can be very good."