SAINTS PUT DEVILS ON THE HOT SEAT

The Mt. Hood softball team is yet again on track for a playoff run this spring. But that’s nothing new: School records show the Saints have made the playoffs 22 straight seasons and this year shouldn’t be the exception.

 

Through Thursday’s games, MHCC stands second in the South Region of the NWAC conference with a record of 14-4 (22-10 overall). The Saints’ win total already exceeds last year’s 10-19 record. Though they did qualify last season for the playoffs, they finished seventh in the South, were seeded 15th in the 16-team championship tournament and were quickly eliminated.

“Last year was a rough year,” said second-year Saints head coach Brittany Hendrickson, prior to a Tuesday evening contest with Chemeketa Community College. “I wouldn’t say it was horrible; we ended the season around 500 (19-23 in all games played). It just wasn’t where we necessarily wanted to be.”

It was definitely a transition season for Hendrickson. She followed a remarkable 15-year run by her predecessor, Meadow McWhorter, who left to take over the Portland State softball program. Under McWhorter, the Saints were dominant, winning five NWAC championships in her last eight years – including the 2016 team.

Hendrickson said she respected all the returning (and defending champion) sophomores in her first season at Mt. Hood, but that it was tough to bring her own philosophy to the program, bringing together the new freshman players and the veterans used to McWhorter’s style.

She’s enjoying this season more, saying she’s been more free to put her own twist on things. The results show her philosophies are working, and she’s happy with her team.

“I think we’re the most talented team in the NWAC,” Hendrickson said, crediting the great leadership of sophomore Makiah Johnson, her first-string pitcher, McKenzie Pierce, and freshman Kennedy Jantzi, who is batting nearly .500 in conference play.

The Saints will be put to the test this weekend: They host South Region leader Lower Columbia Community College, just one game ahead of them, in a double-header starting at noon Saturday in Gresham.

Go-to leader

Johnson, from Newport, Oregon has signed a letter of intent to play with Corban University in Salem next year. The Saints centerfielder posted a .392 batting average last season and was awarded with South all-region first team honors. She said settling on Corban has relaxed her this season, while her personality lends to a leadership role at Mt. Hood.

“I’m a people person!” she explained about her ability to get along with everyone on the team and simply be approachable. Many teammates come to her for help, which not only makes her happy but also shows why the team is so successful and united, she said.

Asked how far she thought Mt. Hood can go this season, she confidently said, “Oh, we’re going all the way.”

‘Backyard’ ace

Pierce is a local product from Sam Barlow High School, who said Mt. Hood is pretty much her backyard, living just one minute away from campus. She knew the program from some friends who had committed to Mt. Hood and had attended some camps here, as well. The freshman loved the atmosphere and after talking with coach Hendrickson, decided to become a Saint.

“I love it! I love it here,” said Pierce. “The competition here is different. (After) playing in high school with the same girls for four years, coming in here, being my first year, having all these teams come, different players from different states come, just seeing these different skills in college, is really nice.”

Pierce has been a key for the Saints from the start. She was awarded NWAC Softball Player of the Week honors in Week 1 of South Region play, picking up a pair of complete games with only one earned run allowed.

“McKenzie has been pitching phenomenal for us,” said Hendrickson. Pierce gives credit to the team, saying, “I wouldn’t be in the position I am without the other pitchers in the team, our pitching coaches, and the rest of the team because they push me so hard to get my spots down, get my spins right. They’re the ones that make me perform the way that I can.”

Confident slugger

Jantzi, first-baseman from West Albany High School, is a confident one, to say the least. She’s not shy at expressing her play, and her numbers back her up. She is batting .423 in conference play, with a team-leading 9 home runs.

“My goal isn’t to hit a home run every game. Like, that’s just something that comes naturally,” said Jantzi. “My goal, honestly, is to help out my team. I want to do whatever I can to put my team in the best position to win, like, to bring in the runners before me that are on base.”