The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON -- Bulldog softball head coach Terry Robbins has a soft approach to starting the season with his team.

"I don't push them too early in the season," he said.

His group of girls includes a number of basketball players coming off a successful come-from-behind season that propelled them to second place in district.

Instead, he wants his players to relax, have some fun and remember that softball is still only a game.

"If success doesn't come, we can still say we had a great year," he said.

But his first speech to the Lady Bulldogs at practice this year also had an obvious dare that would make any athlete feel they want to step up to the plate.

"The first thing I tell them is that they have an opportunity to do well, but that it's up to them," Robbins said. "They're excited about the season. They know they have a quality team. They have the desire and they need to have the mental focus."

The head coach is counting on a core of returning seniors to provide the leadership that helps fulfill the team's potential. Though not as big as last year's contingent of six seniors, the four veteran athletes play key positions on their team.

On defense, Shelby Smith is solid on first base and in right field. Nicole Lambert covers center field. Coleen Delp anchors third base and acts as relief pitcher. Darci Hall helps control the outfield.

It's hard to fill the shoes of 2011 lead pitcher Kayla Turner, but Sam Harting is up to the challenge while Lexus Ward and McKayla Bickelhaupt will be right behind her. To avoid potential injury to a key player, Robbins will try to spare Bickelhaupt from too many pitching rotations because she is also his starting catcher.

Harting, Ward and Bickelhaupt will be supplemented as pitchers by freshmen Lexie Ramirez and McKinsey Delp, while Sarah Phillips and Taylor DeRuwe will see time as up-and-coming catchers.

Last year, Turner on the mound and starting catcher Miwa Umeda helped the Bulldogs set a 22-6 record for the year and send them to the state playoffs in Yakima where they went 2-2.

"This sport is pitcher-dependent and we could be quite competitive," Robbins said.

On offense, Robbins said, "we have about as good a hitting team as we did last year. I feel comfortable with our hitting."

Where the head coach is less comfortable is bunting to help steal and load the bases. It's a play Robbins will practice intensively to encourage improvisation and surprise acquisitions.

They'll need that against formidable teams like De- Sales, which has the league's best pitching, and Waitsburg- Prescott, the perennial crossvalley contender.

Asotin and TOR also have the potential to make life in the diamond rough for the Lady Dogs, followed by Liberty Christian and Tri Cities Prep.

But if last year's team was more light-hearted and fun, this year's team seems more focused on its goals.

"They're more serious and driven," he said.