Corbett softball senior Madi Later is one of the players leading the team this season.
Courtesy photo: Corbett Softball
Amid new schools and burgeoning rivalries in a stitched-together conference, a talented Corbett softball team is swinging with confidence headed into the 2023 season.
“Our goals this year are to stay competitive and enjoy the little things,” Coach Samantha Byron said. “We get so caught up in the sport that we forget to embrace the little things and remember the love we have for this game.”
This season Corbett is part of the Coastal Range League, which was crafted by various schools that reclassified or moved in the summer. The Cardinals come off a second-place finish last year in the 4A Tri-Valley Conference; Banks and Valley Catholic also dropped from the 4A Cowapa League; Warrenton and Rainier were part of the 3A Special District 1; and Neah-Kah-Nie bumped up from 2A.
“We want to be just as competitive as we were the previous years and continue the success the softball program has had over the last three years,” Byron said.
The star for Corbett stands tall in the circle. Senior Paige Dillard is the Cardinals starting pitcher, and is the glue that holds the program together with her poise and leadership.
Joining her are a quartet of girls basketball players fresh off a silver finish in the girls basketball state tournament — senior shortstop Madi Lanter, who is an all-around athlete with a drive to improve every season; sophomore centerfielder Taylor Donahue, who is speedy and hits hard; junior second baseman Ally Schimel; and junior third baseman Ella Holwege.
“We have a great group of girls — it’s hard to not name them all,” Byron said.
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Christopher Keizur is a reporter based in Gresham, Ore.
