Seven letter winners return to help push the Coupeville fastpitch team up the Cascade Conference standings.

Five of the seven are sophomores and were forced into varsity action last season as freshmen.  They suffered through a few growing pains along the way, but now they expect the year of experience to help better last year’s 1-18 record.

One of those youngsters, second baseman/third baseman Madeline Roberts, earned all-league honorable mention and received Coupeville’s Rookie of the Year award last spring.

The two upperclassmen are senior pitcher/second baseman Alexis Trumbull and junior catcher/first baseman Bessie Walstad. Trumbull, like Roberts, was a Cascade Conference honorable mention choice and was the team’s MVP in 2011.

The other letter winners are sophomores Breeanna Messner (utility), Haley Sherman (outfield), Chevy Reyes (shortstop/third base) and Sydney Aparicio (outfield).

Three other members of last year’s team, junior Danielle Rickard and sophomores McKenzie Kooch and Julia Felici, also return.

In addition to the seven regulars returning from last year, two former letter winners are back after a year’s absence, senior outfielder Taya Boonstra and junior pitcher/shortstop Maria Rockwell.

Heading the newcomers, according to co-coach David King, are freshmen first baseman/third baseman Hailey Hammer and pitcher/outfielder McKayla Bailey.

King said, “With the core group of players we have, we expect to be competitive all season and come out and put up wins. We will be aggressive on offense and put pressure on the other team’s defense.”

King is impressed by the nucleus of experienced players and said, “They are eager to learn and work hard.”

He added, “Our pitching will be a strength led by Alexis and followed by Maria and McKayla.”

The coaches are trying some of the players at new positions, and King said, “We may have some growing pains with this, but they understand the team comes first and have embraced the process to become a successful team.”

Co-coach Jackie Calkins said, “We have some talent coming together this year…We also have more speed, power and leadership in some of our returning and our new players.”

She said the “Coupeville Wolves are going to be a different animal this year.”

Coupeville hosts Concrete at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 10, in the season opener.