Extra Bases: Introduction… and a look at West Milford

West Milford enters the new year as The Record’s No. 10 ranked team in the Preseason Top 25. The Highlanders went 17-9 last season and won the outright Big North Independence title.

Before I get into what I wanted to say about West Milford, let me first introduce myself to the North Jersey softball world. I’m JJ, and some of you might remember my Forecasting blogs from last year, previewing that day’s action. It was very baseball/softball-centric, so I’m already familiar with some of the top teams, players, coaches and programs around the area. I even went and checked out IHA-Paramus in the Bergen County final last year on my own time, just because it’s not every year we see a team going for perfection. I covered Saddle Brook-Wood-Ridge in last year’s state tournament (and found out Saddle Brook coach Darren White was a fan of the Forecasting) and caught Indian Hills-High Point sectional final. By the way, how good is Indian Hills gonna be this year? The Aces think very good.

Anyway, Andy Vasquez and I will be taking on softball this season. Of course, Darren Cooper will always be around for the big games. And there might be a few scattered others involved throughout the season, but for the most part, it’ll be Andy and I. If there are any gymnasts or swimmers that are involved with softball, you probably already know who I am. If you don’t know me, you will in time. I’m really looking forward to this season because, just judging from what I’m coming across doing the season previews, there’s gonna be a lot of really good teams with chances to make deep runs in the county and state tournaments. And the way some of the Big North and NJIC leagues have been re-aligned, there’ll be some very interesting battles for division titles this season.

Alright, intro over. Time for my first crack at some softball coverage. Earlier this week, I made the trip to West Milford and caught the end of the Highlanders practice and spoke with senior pitcher Missi Townsend, junior shortstop Vic Torp, and second-year coach Nikki Gwinnett. West Milford comes in as The Record’s No. 10 ranked team in the Preseason Top 25.

As I was writing my story, which can be found in today’s paper, I noticed I was touching on last year’s season maybe a bit too much. But really, I think that is the story, and the way the Highlanders ended last year is certainly in the back of everyone’s minds. If you don’t know, West Milford went 17-9 last year — good for most teams, but not for the Highlanders. Although they won another league championship, they fell short of their annual lofty expectations in the county tournament (with a quarterfinal round loss to Passaic Valley) and state tournament (first-round loss to Sparta). That’s definitely something that’s motivating this year’s current bunch.

I led with it in my story, but Torp said at West Milford, “Championships are what we play for. … And last year, we didn’t get it done.” As much as Nikki Gwinnett might not want to hear it, former coach and softball legend Jim Dransfield built up a certain tradition that future teams are expected to live up to. Gwinnett even said herself last year was a disappointment, and “sometimes teams stumble.” The Highlanders have girls who have been a part of county championship teams in 2010 and 2011, and now it’s up to them to lead West Milford back there. “Softball is a game of mistakes,” Townsend said. “It’s how you learn from those mistakes that separates the winners from the losers.”

It’s not gonna be easy, though. There’s some quality pitching out there in Passaic County (That’s you, Jen Stoll of Lakeland, Ashley LaGuardia of DePaul, Kate Kallert of Passaic Valley, Caroline Medino of Pompton Lakes and Ashley Manger of Eastern Christian), but West Milford thinks it has what it takes to make deep runs this postseason. The Highlanders struggled to produce runs at times last season, and that’s something Gwinnett said will have to improve this season.

So who will they be relying on? Well, aside from Townsend in the circle, they’ll need solid production from Torp in the lineup. She’s been starting (at 2B) since she was a freshmen, but will be making the move to short this season. “She’s very versatile,” Gwinnett said of Torp, who’ll be replacing All-County SS Michelle Coyle. Torp said those are some big shoes to fill. “If we needed Vic in the outfield, she could do it. She can pitch. She’ll play short. She’s just one that’s not afraid to get dirty. She’s got a little attitude to her, too. And that’s a good thing. She’s a good leader. People follow her.”

In the middle of lineup, expect to see senior Christina Coppola, someone Gwinnett is expecting to be one of the Highlanders’ top run producers. Coppola is going to move from first base to third base this year and will need to replace the production of the graduated Erin Witherspoon.

Junior Mackenzie Porch is someone that Gwinnett says, “swings a really good bat.” She was a DP for West Milford last year, but is expected to start at first base this year.

Haley Godau is someone both Townsend and Torp says has looked good so far this preseason. They actually both praised her for all her diving she does in practices. She’s expected to start at second base, replacing Torp, who moved over to short. Godau’s only a sophomore, too.

Gwinnett said a pair of freshmen — Bre Csakvary and Alex Fiorenza – could vie for some playing time, but she has to figure out a way to get them in the lineup. “They both swing the bat very well,” Gwinnett said. Possible landing spots for these two are in the corner outfield spots, because right now, two outfield positions are up for grabs.

In center, expect to see senior Nicole Hunziker, who sounds like a speedster that can cause trouble on the base paths and make plays with her legs in the outfield. “She’ll probably be our leadoff hitter. She’s got good wheels, which is nice.”

Taylor Justin is someone that looks like she’ll be finding her way into the lineup somehow. “She’s gotta be in the lineup,” said Gwinnett, who expects Justin to start at DP early in the year. “We need all these bats. We need to score and make the most of our scoring opportunities. Last year we didn’t.”

And finally, handling catching responsibilities will be senior Amber Mazzocchi, who has experience catching both pitchers and is “very knowledgeable,” according to Gwinnett.

“Is there pressure to win here? Of course there is,” Gwinnett said. “But I think the culture has changed everywhere. The competitiveness all around has improved. People need to understand that you can’t teach competitiveness. And I think we have that group of kids here this year.”

Next up: Heading to DePaul, maybe today.. maybe Monday. Any suggestions where else I should head to next week? I have some ideas, but I’m open to suggestions.