After being eliminated from the 3A state tournament by Auburn last season, the Yelm fastpitch team has returned to practice and is set for its first game of the season on Saturday, March 18 at the Auburn Riverside Invitational.

Head coach Lindsay Walton said the team is almost “completely new” after they graduated eight talented seniors in 2022. This year, there is just one senior on the varsity team and plenty of young, competitive athletes.

“We’re just going to put people where they fit best and also where we need them. With high school teams, you get what you get. You can’t recruit,” Walton said. “You put people where you need them the most and sometimes it isn’t where they want to play, but it’s for the better of the team.”

Walton said juniors Elissa Dewees and Madisyn Erickson stepped into leadership roles during the off-season. The two each played big roles during the Tornados’ postseason run in 2022.

“The girls look to them to be that role model and they do a really good job at it. They’re great kids, they work really hard and they lead by example,” Walton said. “Those two, especially when we were doing open gyms, took the reins. I was very impressed with that.”

Walton added sophomore Layah Hicks, who had an impressive freshman season, is another young player the girls look up to.

The experience of the postseason run last year and the returning players’ hunger to repeat it has benefitted Dewees, Erickson and Hicks, the coach said.

“It was huge for Layah, Madisyn and Elissa to play big parts of last year’s team,” Walton said. “To have some girls that’ve been there and know what it feels like will help the younger, less experienced girls. I’m really hopeful for what this season can bring.”

Walton added she saw a lot of “really good signs” from the girls that made the varsity team after tryouts. She said the team will sport several power hitters and three or four girls that can pitch.

She listed several players, including Austin Hitchner and Mallory Houk, who she expects to see good things from. 

The Tornados first games of the season are set for Saturday, March 18 at the Auburn Riverside Invitational. They’ll play Adna High School at 12:15 p.m., before taking on Skyline High School at 4:45 p.m.

Their first home matchup of the season is set for Wednesday, March 22 against Eatonville High School. After their home matchup against Eatonville, they’ll travel to Bellevue College on Friday, March 24 for two games. At 5 p.m., the Tornados will play Ellensburg High School, followed by a 7 p.m. matchup against East Valley High School.

Yelm will begin South Sound Conference action on Monday, March 27 against Gig Harbor High School at 3:30 p.m. Then on Tuesday, March 28, Yelm will host Peninsula High School at 3:30 p.m. in what Walton described as a tough, early season matchup.