Bruins, Dons look strong

Though no prep softball teams from Utah County surfaced above fifth place in the state tournament last year, the Mountain View Bruins started this season ranked No. 1 by Class 4A coaches, and the Spanish Fork Dons are expected to be another stiff challenge.

The Bruins should also find plenty of competition from their Region 7 foes. The league has five tough teams, all of which should contend for one of three playoff spots. Most coaches in the region believe Mountain View and Orem have the inside track for finishing 1-2 as they did last year, but any of the other three could pull off an upset.

The Bruins have ace Chelsey Mikalauski back on the mound and Mallary Gillespie, whose been hitting lights out this spring, shores up shortstop. JaNae Wright is a tough catcher that can call a tight game and snag most wild pitches. Coach Cal Jones has tried a few combinations at third and first to find replacements for the loss of key players Ashley Henry and Kaycie Zimmerman.

The Orem Tigers will once again be led by the duo of Devrie Downey on the mound and Marsha Heimuli behind the plate. The combo produced 16 victories last year, and now they'll be one season more experienced. The team is senior-laden and should be relatively sure of itself this season.

Timpanogos, Lone Peak and Pleasant Grove are all much improved and should mount quite the battle for that final playoff berth.

Last year, the Payson Lions and Spanish Fork Dons battled until the final day of the season to see who would land atop Region 6. They finished in a dead heat, and this year promises to be more of the same according to the region's softball coaches.

Spanish Fork is the consensus No. 1, mostly because of their solid experience and the pitching prowess of left-hander Bridgett Miller. The Dons return most of their starters from last year and should field a similar team, according to coach Don Andrews. Though he believes his team will be better than last year, Spanish Fork will miss Heather Barney, the state record-holder for RBIs in a season with 38.

The Payson Lions will have to make their run at the top spot with an entire new cast of characters as they only return two starters. They're also going to be playing under new head coach April Mangum. But pitching should keep the Lions in the running as all-state basketball player Sandy Marvin and Keelie Ballard split time on the mound. Spanish Fork head coach Andrews noted about the Lions, "When you have a good pitcher it makes your infield look pretty good."