All of the Totems Varsity team deserves accolades for their performance in the post season. I was excited to see the talent and passion that I know was there, shown to everyone who watched us play. Alix Van Zandt had 2 "out of the park" homeruns in the district tournament, along with many key defensive plays. Tina Jacobsen showed her defensive skills by helping to turn several double plays in the post season, and was able to feature her bat with her timely hitting. Danita Gill was critical at 1st base and was able to help her infield to make important outs. Emily McKaig and Ally Brown did their jobs and pitched games that allowed the Totems to beat good teams. Tania Quijada's catching skills were noticeably on a different level in the post season, which was a big reason why our pitchers were successful. Amie Huynh and Courtney Nasset were solid in the outfield, keeping runners guessing, as well as offering great offense for the Totems. Liz Guilford showed her running skill with several stolen bases and a creative bat to get on base when we needed it, as well as her solid defense in Center field. Taeler Parker stepped in a difficult situation and ended up working at 3rd base in the post season. Her strong bat and good defense showed that she will be a great addition to the Varsity. Several others such as Tara Hughes, Marina Howell, and Iesha Banks played very important roles even though they did not see the playing time in the field. Their contributions were very necessary in the Totems' success. Great job to the entire team!
Emily has been a utility player for the Totems all year. She has played 3rd, 2nd and pitched for us. This last week, she stepped in to the role of starting pitcher for the district tournament and did an amazing job. She pitched 4 innings in the win against Nathan Hale and then threw the entire Bainbridge and West Seattle game. Her toughness was apparent as she fought to help her team. Her talent was shown in the West Seattle game. Although we lost in a 2-1 showdown, Emily held West Seattle to a one-hitter. She kept her poise and also made several defensive plays that helped the Totems to end the season on a high note. Thanks Em, for your excellent pitching!
Amie Huynh- Amie has done an excellent job this year. In this last week, Amy has been key in the Kingco tournament with her bunting skills. Bunting is a great way to advance runners and force the defense to make a play. Amie has been doing that very well for us. In the game against Liberty, Amie was 3 for 4 with 3 singles, a sacrifice and 3 RBI's. Amie is quick on the base path, a smart runner and is a definite asset to the Totem team. Thanks for your hard work Amie!
"Ally Brown is a deserving athlete this week. In the first round of Kingco playoffs, Sammamish played Liberty. Ally started the game pitching strong and continued to do so throughout the game. Her poise on the mound and the confidence her field has behind her is noticeable. As a coach, when I call a pitch, I know that Ally will throw it to the location that I asked for. This is key for a pitcher. Ally is a freshmen with a bright looking future with the Totems. Ally, congratulations on a job well done to help the Totems secure a spot to the District Tournament!!!"
This week, Alix has played superb defense. She has been diving to field balls, making double plays, taking away would-be base hits and playing all around great defense. In the game vs. Bellevue, Alix had 9 put outs, including a double play and helped snag 2 hot shot ground balls in the hole behind 3rd base, and from her knees, made the play at 3rd to Emily McKaig for the outs. That held the lead runners and did not allow them to score. Her defense has been one of the exciting things about watching Totem Fastpitch. Great glove Alix!
Elizabeth has been all about offense this week. As our lead-off hitter, her job is to hit to get on base so the rest of the order can move her around the bases and score her. That is exactly what she did. In the game vs Interlake, Liz went 2 for 4 with 2 singles, and scored 2 of our 5 runs in the game. She is quick and smart on the base path. Friday, versus Bellevue, Liz was 4 for 4 and scored 4 of the 5 runs. She is also able to steal bases, and create opportunities for the Totems. Her creative hitting, whether she is dragging, bunting, slapping or all out hitting has been very successful and fun to watch. Keep swinging Liz.
Tania is the catcher for the Totems. She is always hustling and working hard to help the pitchers get the calls. Offensively, she has really been stepping up her game. In the game against Mt Si, Tania went 2 for 3 with a single and a double. Versus Liberty, she was 2 for 4 with two singles and an RBI. Against MI, she was 1 for 2 with 2 RBIs. A well-rounded athlete, Tania is an asset to the Totem program.
A senior, Tina Jacobsen is one of our captains and leaders. She is always encouraging everyone on the field and showing her skills with her defense and offense. This week, Tina played her normal 2nd base position, as well as pitched and played shortstop. Her versatility is evident. Offensively, Tina is a solid hitter. In the game against Juanita, Tina was 2 for 2 with a single and a triple. She had the only two hits of the game for the Totems, despite many solid contacts by her teammates. In the Mt. Si game, Tina was 4 for 5 with 4 singles . Great job this week, Tina!
Lea came up from the JV team and has done a great job for us. She has filled in as needed in the outfield. In the game versus Interlake at Sammamish, Lea started in right field. Having never played in a Varsity game before, she showed great enthusiasm and skill. She contacted the ball well at the plate and was able to reach base safely on an error and advance to 2nd. She also had 4 fly balls hit to her, all of which she caught for outs. Excellent job Lea!
Danita is one of our most consistent players, and an anchor in the infield. Her presence on the field, while quiet, is strong. In both the Bellevue and Interlake games, Danita had many close plays at first and did a great job to get the out for the Totems. She went 1 for 3 in both games with singles and 2 RBIs in the Interlake game. Her offense often times brings in runs at clutch times. Thanks for your hard work, Danita!
Elizabeth is a centerfielder, and good one. But for our 2 Spring Break games, she was moved into the infield. For an outfielder, this is intimidating, but Elizabeth was up to the challenge, whether she knew it or not. In Monday's Juanita game, Elizabeth, playing 3rd base, made several great plays gunning the runner out at first. The plays went fast and her reactions were right on the money. On Tuesday's game vs Hazen, Elizabeth played both 2nd base and shortstop. Her versatility was very apparent. It is always an asset to have an athlete that can step into just about any role and fill it well. Great job Liz!
For 2 games during Spring Break, Tina Jacobsen took a break from being our second baseman to try her hand at Shortstop. She proved that she can play the middle infield well, no matter what side of second base she was on. There were multiple times in the Juanita game, in particular, that her defense stopped the Rebels. She was able to make some difficult plays, all the while making it look easy. Congratulations on a job well done.
Courtney has one of our highest on base percentages on the team. In our game against Roosevelt, she was up to bat in a tough situation. We were down by 1, 2 runners on, and 2 outs, in the bottom of the 7th. She did what she does very well, got on base with a single that scored 2 and won the game for us. Great job Courtney!
Ally has been a great addition to the Totem team. As a freshman pitcher, she shows poise on the mound and does well at the plate. This past week, she came into the game against Roosevelt in the 2nd inning and was able to quiet their bats. She has good movement on her ball and is able to get the ball in play for the field to get the outs. Keep it up Ally!
In the game against Hazen on March 18, Emily showed her talent for hitting by hitting a grand slam to help the Totems win their first season game. Additionally, on Saturday, March 21st, Emily was the starting pitcher. She posted 10 strikouts and threw a 2 hitter vs. Seattle Prep. Good job Emily!
Alix VanZandt is a great asset to the Totoem Fastpitch Team. On Saturday's game against Seattle Prep, Alix hit for the cycle. Her hit order was a double, triple, homerun and she rounded out the day with a single. She was 4 for 4 that day. Her contribution helped lead the Totems to a second season win. Keep up the good work!
