Leaving Their Mark
By Kevin Hampton –
They came to
Alo and Iapala arrived from
Klever and Allen were in-state recruits.
Not necessarily the recipe for great chemistry, but the players found it.
They, along with transfers Maggie DeWall and Ingrid Lochelt, will be winding up their career in the NCAA Tournament, beginning with the Corvallis Regional this weekend.
“I love that group of girls,” Iapala said. “We’ve been together so long and through everything together.”
Iapala said they were pretty much on their own as freshmen and decided to make sure everyone on the team would be included.
“Our whole freshman class formed a clique and that was our main goal, was to make each class below us feel included,” she said. “We hang out with all the freshmen and sophomores.”
They spend time together off the field, studying and eating meals and participating in activities such as bowling.
Alo said it’s not a typical situation.
“Girls always have attitudes and they don’t like hanging around each other, but in this class the girls we have, we always all get along and we all look out for each other,” Alo said.
The togetherness is evident when recruits are in town.
“The chemistry we have, we show it and that’s how we pick up the class of recruits,” Alo said. “They see how we get along.”
Allen, Iapala and Alo quickly had an impact at the plate and Klever stepped in as a backup pitcher. OSU coach Kirk Walker said she has been adept at forcing ground balls for outs.
“Individually, they bring a lot of different things,”
“Those seniors all bring their own personalities and bring a lot to this program.”
Expectations have changed for the program since the seniors arrived in
When Allen, Alo, Iapala and Klever first stepped on the field for the Beavers, the program had been on a four-year run to the NCAA Regionals, but it wasn’t far removed from some bleak records.
The run nearly came to an end their first year.
“I remember we were barely over .500,” Allen said. “I think we were one game over .500, so we were hoping and praying to even make it into regionals.”
The team finished 44-28 the next year and had a breakthrough last year when it finished 43-16 and won the Pacific-10 title at 13-8, the first finish above .500 in conference play.
The Beavers were ranked in the top 10 and seeded eighth going into the NCAA Tournament, but a slip against
The Beavers are back after another big season and are the home team for this year’s regional. Their sights are set a little higher than getting through to the Super Regional.
“When we first came on the team we were just trying to keep the streak of going to regionals alive and trying to make it to the next level,” Iapala said. “Last year we won the Pac-10 and that kind of brings it up to a whole new level. Now we expect a lot out of ourselves and, of course, this year we’re trying to make it to the World Series. That’s our ultimate goal.”
DeWall said the senior group is special because the athletes stick together in every situation.
“We’re all like one big group and we’re all a bunch of friends and I enjoy being around all these girls.
“It’s a long season and the key is to get along. I think that’s what made this group and it’s the best I’ve been on.”
