Na Ali’i In Preparations For DII Playoffs
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usThe Aiea girls softball team mission in the coming weeks is to get ready for the OIA Division II playoffs.
Na Ali’i reached the midway point of their season last week, taking a 3-3 record into last weekend following a 6-3 loss to Kalaheo earlier in the week. They entered the weekend tied for first with Waialua. The teams meet at 10 a.m. Saturday in a doubleheader at Waialua. With the White West conference crown in the balance, the outcome of the series should go a long way in determining the league champion.
A double-header in Na Ali’i's regular-season finale April 24 also looms large on the schedule. The top three teams from the West and East will move on to the league’s post-season conference tournament, which begins later in the month. The top three finishers there earn bids to the Division II state softball championships in mid May.
With her team hitting the home stretch, Aiea head coach Tracie Koide took some time away from the field to assess her team’s prospects at mid-season.
Who has been your most valuable player to date? No one really stands out as the MVP as of right now.
How would you assess your offensive play at the midway point of this season? Despite not playing with our starting nine more than one game, I would say our offensive play so far has been pretty good. Our problem so far has been getting good hits at the wrong time. We started the season with a lot of strikeouts and have cut that down drastically, which makes me very happy. As of now, we need to focus on putting it all together and bringing the runners in to score.
How would you assess your defensive play so far this season? Right now our errors are killing us defensively. We have too many errors on routine plays. On the bright side, the errors are physical and not mental.
Who’s been your most improved player from your first practice to now? I would say Janelle Makalena. Janelle is a senior outfielder who does not have a lot of experience.With that said, she isn’t the best player, but she is definitely the most improved. Her strength is her leadership and ability to keep team morale up. Her skills have improved to give her a great chance of making our starting nine when we have the whole team to choose from.
What’s the key to beating Waialua next week? Our defense has to hold up. We’re expecting Waialua to do a lot of bunting and generally putting the ball in play. Our pitching has to get ahead in the count, and we have to limit the amount of walks and base runners. Our defense has very little to no room for errors. We need our bats to stay consistent as they have been and come through when we have people on base.
What are your thoughts on the second half of the West race? What will separate the champion from the contenders? It’s going to be interesting, and it’s going to come down to the very end. The team who can consistently play well, stay healthy, show up to play on game day, and above all keep mentally strong will be the champion. At this level, putting the ball in play on offense and having the defense making plays will separate the champion from the contenders.
What aspect of your team’s play has pleased you the most? Our hitting this year up to now. The girls are hitting the ball pretty well, but our problem is that the hits are not coming when we need them. In the past we always had only two to three, maybe four players that could hit the ball well, but this year we have a good bunch that have been consistently putting the ball in play. As we go forward, we need to put it all together and execute when runners are on base.
What part of Waialua’s play is foremost in your mind as you get ready to play them? DEFENSE. We have to buckle down and make routine plays. We are expecting Waialua to do a lot of bunting and generally putting the ball in play. The defense has to show up, stay mentally strong, and the pitching has to be there ... keep the walks down and get ahead in the count.
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