Beavers begin quest to return to Women’s College World Series

By Steve Gress
Gazette-Times Sports Editor

Kirk Walker doesn’t believe in looking back.

Sure, the Oregon State softball coach could be concerned about the loss of several key players from last year’s team that reached the Women’s College World Series.

But that would be counterproductive.

“You don’t look back to go forward,” Walker said last week as the Beavers prepared for their season opener this Thursday.

“You focus on what you have now and what you need to do to go forward.

“Our focus has been as a unit being more efficient and complete at what we are. We have great depth and great ability and so we don’t put any prejudgment on where we are compared to last year or how much better we are than last year or weaker than last year. It doesn’t do anybody any good. You focus on right now.”

Right now, the Beavers are preparing for the grind that is a long season, one that has them scheduled for 62 games, not counting the postseason.

It’s a grind they expect to see end back in Oklahoma City, Okla., site of the WCWS.

“The only reason we have a Division I program at Oregon State is to win a national title,” Walker said. “It makes no sense to have a team that isn’t competing for a national title. So in terms of that ultimate goal, it’s been there every year. It’s still there. It will always be there. It will be there if we win it. It will always be there, that doesn’t change.

“If we are only focused on that alone, then we’re going to have a hard time reaching it. It’s the ultimate goal, but it’s never the daily focus.”

That focus is to get better. There are holes to fill with the loss of seniors Lisa Allen, Adrienne Alo, Maggie DeWall, Vanessa Iapala, Amy Klever and Ingrid Lochelt.

But there is a strong nucleus back, including the four infield positions and Brianne McGowan in the circle.

“We lost a lot of leadership last year and there’s so much to gain right now,” senior shortstop Mia Longfellow said. “We’re a growing team and day by day we’re getting better but every day we have to get over that single hump to get to the final peak we want to be.”

The returners know what it takes, and what it feels like to be one of the final eight teams playing.

And while they may have gone two-and-out a season ago, that didn’t make the experience unpleasant.

It does add some motivation.

“Being that close, it’s kind of hard to go out in two,” junior Cambria Miranda said. “I know this time when we go back there it’s not going to be just like, ‘Oh, we made it.’ We’re going to try to accomplish something, go farther and ultimately win the national championship.”

If that sounds farfetched, look at what their counterparts on the baseball diamond did last year.

The Beavers baseball team went 0-2 at the 2005 World Series before winning it all last June.

“I’ve been saying that,” Miranda said. “But you can’t look too far ahead; one day at a time.”

That approach will be key for a program that may not have higher expectations than it has had in the past, but knows what it is capable of achieving.

“The expectations are now set,” Longfellow said. “Anything below that now in some regards is a disappointment. We know where we want to be and now we don’t want to just get there; we want to win and we want to be national champions.”

But is there more pressure? McGowan says no.

“That’s not how our girls think,” she said. “We’re going to do everything we can step by step to get there. It’s not like, ‘oh no, we have all this on us.’ We just go out and play our own game.”

Still, there was a different feel throughout the offseason after getting to the WCWS.

The previous seven seasons, while filled with 40-plus wins six times, had always come up short of reaching the WCWS.

“I think our offseason we were more intense, knowing what it’s going to be like and we have to prepare a lot harder,” McGowan said. “Now teams are looking for us, we’re not underdogs and sneaking up on them.”

Added Longfellow: “Every workout, even during summer, every workout was to be back there in June. Every time you are a little bit slacking — and there are days you’re going to not feel 100 percent right then — you really just suck it up and ask, ‘Why am I here right now?’ I’m here right now because I love this game and I want to be a national champion. That’s every college athlete’s dream, to have that big nice ring and say I accomplished this in college.”

If the Beavers can do that, Walker may not be able to not look back at the 2007 season.