Western-Star.com

Tim Lotspeich said he knew he'd have a solid Cincinnati Christian Schools junior high softball team for 2008.

But what he's also excited about is the '09 season.

This year's version of the Cougars featured 15 players on the roster — including 11 seventh-graders — as they finished 12-4 overall and 4-0 in the Miami Valley Conference. CCS also captured the postseason MVC tournament by winning two games.

"They fell in love with the game, even the new players that had never played before," Lotspeich said. "By the middle of the season, they were getting excited to play and they were having a lot of fun."

The Cougars were led by seventh-grader Anna Wolford, who was 11-4 in the circle, hit four home runs and was named the team's Most Valuable Player.

"I knew I had a good team because I coached last year, and I knew who was coming back and I knew Anna was coming up," Lotspeich said. "She's just an exceptional athlete. She could probably play any position on the field, she's that good."

Eighth-grader Krista Summe, the third baseman, led the team in RBIs, runs scored and stolen bases, while fellow classmate Megan Lowry hit a homer in the tournament and won the team's Best Defense award.

Eighth-grader Abby Pruett was the club's center fielder and leadoff batter; seventh-grader Brooke Nichols played second base; and seventh-grader Rebekah Lotspeich was the catcher.

"It's going to be a good team," Lotspeich said. "The pitcher and catcher are going to be very effective in the years to come if they stay together. The catcher's got a great arm. She's throwing people out stealing, which in middle school, you're doing pretty good if you've got a seventh-grade catcher throwing people out."

Kaitlyn Reed, Katie Bandenburg, Kirsten Paul, Marissa Ansari, Jaime Ayers, Hannah Bradds, Brittany Cassano, Kayla Brandts and Candace Henderson made up the rest of the Cougars' roster.

"I just try teach them the fundamentals," said Lotspeich, who was in his fourth season coaching at CCS. "I like to teach them to enjoy playing the game and have fun, and really get them ready for high school if they're going to go on and play. That's my goal. It's not really about winning. It's more about doing your best and learning and wanting to improve."

Lotspeich's assistants were Ernest Lowry and Cheryl Summe.

Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5113 or smatthews@coxohio.com.

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