Senior Rebecca Armstrong highlights a group of five returning letter winners for the Coupeville High School fastpitch team.

Armstrong, a third baseman, earned second-team, all-Cascade Conference honors last spring.

Returning letter winner sophomore catcher Bessie Walstad was an honorable mention selection last season.

Juniors Alexis Trumbull (P), Autumn Stevenson (P) and Roxy Piechowski (SS) are the other letter winners suiting up for the Wolves this spring for first-year coach Jackie Calkins.

Calkins said the key newcomers are sophomores Danielle Rickard (OF) and Chelsea Huff (P/Utl) and a “strong freshman group”: Chevy Reyes (IF), Sydney Aboricio (OF), Julia Felici (P), Leanna Franklin (DH), Mckenzie Kooch (C), Breeanna Messner (Utl), Madeline Roberts (IF) and Haley Sherman (Utl).

Calkins said the team also welcomes German exchange student Dana Haupt who joined “the team for the experience of playing an all-American game.”

The team’s strengths, Calkins said, are attitude, enthusiasm and upperclassmen leadership. She added that the pitchers and catchers are working well as a unit, that speed and contact hitting have stood out and that the team has a “flexibility with lineup due to the strong freshman group.”

Calkins is concerned about the team’s youth with over half the club being freshmen.

She said, “Strength will take some time, but fundamentals are improving rapidly.”

Coming off a 3-20 year, Calkins says she expects more wins and “a year of building team, friendship and skill.”

She added, “The future looks bright with this group.”

The Wolves head to Concrete today, March 12, for the opener at noon.  They play their first league game in the home opener Wednesday, March 23, at 4 p.m. against Cedarcrest.