Lakeridge softball aiming high in 2023

The Pacers hope to challenge the TRL’s best in the 2023 league race.

Team: Lakeridge softball

Coach: Howard Hoyle

Team Leaders: Junior pitcher Delaney Hoyle, junior catcher Elayna Jansen, senior center fielder Lucie Lappin, junior third baseman Ella Privatsky, sophomore outfielder Lauren Beach.

“Delaney’s pitching ability should keep us close in all our games, where if we play well, we will always have a chance,” said Lakeridge first-year coach Howard Hoyle. “Plus, she is a very good, consistent hitter that moves and scores runners.”

Jansen, who returns after a year away from the lineup due to injury, “hits bombs and leads the defense,” Howard Hoyle said.

The Lineup: Pitchers — Delaney Hoyle and sophomore Marin LaFrance. Catchers — Jansen and junior Livia Safranski. First base — LaFrance. Second base — Sophomore Macy Safley. Shortstop — Freshman Madeline Moehl. Third base — Privatsky. Left field — Sophomore Finley Dickson. Center field — Lappin. Right field — Beach. Outfield — Junior Braelynn Jenkins and sophomore Millie MacKenzie. Utility — Safranski, freshman Grace Kriwanek and freshman Anna Hubbs.

Howard Hoyle described Lappin as the Pacers’ “queen of the outfield,” said that Safley and Moehl should be tough up the middle, while Privatsky is “a real leader on the team” and Beach is a “really experienced outfielder who hits bombs.”

Outlook: “I think we’ll surprise a few folks, but the season is a journey, not a destination, so it’s about how much we learn and improve during the (year),” Howard Hoyle said. “We have the ability to keep the games close, and when kids believe in themselves, sometimes a little magic happens.”

League race: “I don’t think there’s any question that Oregon City is the team to beat. They are stacked, they are deep and they are experienced,” Howard Hoyle said. “There is also no weak team in the conference. … And while I don’t think the conference overall is as deep as it was last year, it is still one of the best and deepest in the state.”

See the West Linn team preview by clicking here.

See the Lake Oswego team preview by clicking here.

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