The softball program is the early stages of the season and the program is experiencing a solid level of success.

Currently, the softball team owns an overall record of 5-7, and is ranked 28th in the state, while sixth in the Mount Hood Conference.  Although they are ranked sixth in conference, only three games separate Centennial and the first ranked Central Catholic.  This shows the very competitive nature of the Mount Hood Conference.

Coach Steve Baker reached a large milestone in 500 career wins this season.  He entered the season with 495 wins and has been coaching for 35 seasons.  Baker took a humble approach regarding the 500 win milestone saying with a laugh, “You’re only as good as your last win.”  He also said that he is not content at 500 wins and hopes to continue to reach other even bigger winning milestones in the future.

Baker also noted that the team is ahead of where they were at this time last year.  He noted that the team is making “good progress this season.” One factor negatively impacting the team is the injuries.  For one specific game there were five starters that were all injured.  Baker said that the injuries were “freak injuries” and doesn’t expect them to be a problem in the future.  Additionally, he also said that it shows the strength of the team to be able to perform despite the injuries suffered.

Coach Baker noted that Jill Uyeda was a key player, especially on the offensive side with her talents as a lead off hitter.  Next, Cailin Warner is a crucial two-way player that makes a defensive impact through her strong pitching and her solid hitting. He also stated that Katie Atkinson and Caitlin Gaylord are standout players. Those players are what Baker described as the “core 1-3-4-5 hitters”.  He also stated that the entire team provides “good production”, and that is impressive to get such production from 12-13 players.

League play started Wednesday,  April 13 with a 10-6 loss to Oregon City.  Up next is a home game tonight versus Clackamas.