Grant Union’s spring sports preparing for the 2008 season during March. The boys track and field team is defending a state championship title. The softball and baseball teams are trying to get back to the playoffs. The golf team is in their third season back. The Eagle/David Heldreth

Baseball team gets better with ageJOHN DAY – Youth and inexperience may help the Grant Union baseball team this year.

The Prospectors have fielded young teams during the last two seasons. They started two freshmen during the 2006 season and a freshman and four sophomores in 2007. Although that was not optimal for those seasons, it means a large group of returners for this year.

Grant Union’s 2008 team includes three seniors and 11 juniors.

“We are definitely more experienced coming into this season,” Grant Union coach Doug Sharp said. “The last couple years we’ve been playing the card that we’re young and inexperienced. We have more depth too. The last few years we had absolutely no depth. Our depth was freshman and sophomores. Now we have some depth at the junior level.”

Despite the team’s youth, Grant Union has had success during the last few seasons. The Pros finished in second place in the Eastern Oregon League with a record of 19-9 last year, behind only the 2007 3A state champions Burns Hilanders. They beat Reedsport 18-2 in the first round of the playoffs, but lost 7-6 to Regis in the second round.

Grant Union will play its first game of the season against Heppner at 2 p.m. this Friday, March 14, at the Seventh Street Complex.

“I’m looking forward to the season finally starting,” Sharp said. “It’ll be good to get out on the field for our first game.”

The Prospectors should be tough on the mound this year. They have juniors Cash Wenick and lefty Austin Ranft pitching this season. Wenick had a 2.74 ERA last year, but he won’t be throwing at the start of the season due to some shoulder soreness. Sharp said the team may use him as a designated hitter early in the year.

However, there are plenty of arms to cover Wenick’s spot. Sophomores Dillon Porter, Jake Reynolds and Cody Williams will also be pitching for the Prospectors. Williams won nine games for the team as a freshman.

The team had a .338 batting average last season and .330 in 2006. While many coaches would be happy with those averages, Sharp said he wants his team hitting above .380.

Grant Union will host three tournaments this season. The McDonald’s Ice Breaker will be March 14 and 15, the Bank of Eastern Oregon Baseball Classic will be March 20-22 and the Subway Mid-Spring Break Baseball Classic will be March 24-26.Softball looks to get past first roundJOHN DAY – DeAnna Nash is ready for Thursday.

Nash, the Grant Union softball coach, and her team have practiced for this season for the past month. The team will test that preparation when they face Culver at 2 p.m. March 13 at the Seventh Street Complex.

“I’m anxious to see how we perform,” Nash said. “It’s hard to tell how your offense will do until you see it in a game. Our defense is pretty sound. We have a lot of returning kids.”

Grant Union has seven juniors returning from last year’s team. The team made the playoffs for the first time last season. It was also only the team’s second season in existence. They lost 11-2 to Regis in the first round of the playoffs. They finished in third place in the Eastern Oregon League in both of their previous seasons, but only the top two went to the playoffs in 2006.

“It was obvious we hadn’t been there before,” Nash said. “We had some unforced errors, but it was a good experience for us. The girls want to get back and prove themselves now.”

Nash said she believes the team saw early success due to a solid youth program. The youth softball program started in 2003 and has continued to grow each season.

“95 percent of the girls on varsity and JV started in the youth program,” Nash said. “It helps us when they’ve already played together for three or four years.”

Taylor Croghan will control the mound for Grant Union. She has pitched nearly every inning for the team during the last two seasons. There is no pitch limit in softball. On the opposite side of the ball, LaShawnda Gill, Christina Hansen and Megan Nash lead the team offensively. Nash said Hansen is the team’s power hitter.

“Megan and LaShawnda probably accounted for 60 percent of our runs last season,” Nash said. “The other girls are pretty good at getting those two in when they’re on base too.”Golf team building new foundationJOHN DAY – The Grant Union golf team is set to tee off this week.

The Prospectors will travel to the Echo Hills Golf Course to compete in the Echo Invitational Friday. The invitational will be the team’s first test of the season.

“I have a good feeling about the season starting,” Grant Union coach Ron Lundbom said. “They’re beginning to get some good swings. There’s still things to work on. A lot of the problem is confidence. We should be pretty good.”

The team has 15 members, including six returning from last year’s team. There are three seniors, three juniors, four sophomores and five freshmen on the team. A large reason for the inexperience on the team is that the program has only been active since 2006. There was a team previously, but it was dropped in 2002.

The Prospectors have only had a few practices with the entire team heading into the season. Many of the kids are still wrapping up dance, mock trial, drama and other activities. Grant Union isn’t alone in a lack of practice this season. Burns, Wallowa and Enterprise are all just beginning to have outdoor practices due to the cold and snow.

Grant Union will host its only home competition March 21 at the John Day Golf Club at 11 a.m.Boys track and field look to repeat, girls work for stateJOHN DAY – The Grant Union boys track and field team hopes to repeat history.

The Prospectors earned their first state championship last season, but they didn’t just win the state meet – they dominated it. Grant Union finished the meet with a score of 84, nearly double the score of the next closest schools. Bandon and Catlin Gabel both finished the meet with 49 points.

“I think we have a good shot at it again this year,” senior Jacob Lallatin said.

Grant Union won’t have Eric Coats, Caleb Sturgill, Dustin Kreger, Jamison Soupir, Mark DesJardin and Miro Zadubenec when the season starts this year. The six, all state competitors, graduated last May. However, Jimmy Cook, Ryne Smith, Connor Smith and Andrew Judd have all returned.

Cook, a junior, is the defending javelin state champion, and he took fifth place in the discus and shotput last year. He won the javelin with a throw of 176 feet and 1 inch. Grant Union assistant coach Dorman Gregory said he believes Cook can break the state record of 182-6 this year.

“Cook is a naturally gifted athlete,” Grant Union head coach Sonna Smith said. “He competes in several events and he won the javelin as a sophomore. He has a chance to be a three-time state champion.”

Judd, a senior, finished in eighth place in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 43.27 seconds. The Smiths were both part of the 400-meter relay team that took fifth place at state. Ryne, a senior, was also on the state champion 1,600-meter relay team.

The Prospectors also return several athletes who did well at the district meet, but didn’t qualify for state last year. The team’s other seniors are Walter Hunt, Rhett Elliott, Brady Long, Sam Rawlins, Hunter Born, Josh Wiese and Ian McLeod.

The Grant Union girls track and field team had a successful season last year, but couldn’t match the boys team. They finished in 11th place out of 30 teams in the state. They also finished third at the Eastern Oregon League district meet.

The EOL traditionally does well in track and field. Burns’ girls team won the state championship last year, and Vale took fifth in boys and girls.

“The Eastern Oregon League champions won the state last year,” Smith said. “We usually see the toughest competition we’re going to see all season from our league.”

The girls had a young team last season, which should help them this year. They took a junior, a sophomore and two freshmen to the state meet last year, and all four are back this season.

Senior Sabrina Hoffman finished in third place in the 300-meter hurdles at the state meet. Jacee Retherford, a junior, finished in third place in the 100-meter hurdles and the long jump. She took sixth place in the triple jump. Melissa Walker ended the state meet in ninth place in the high jump, and Brianna Murphy-Johnston earned eighth place in the triple jump. Walker and Murphy-Johnston are sophomores this season.

Katelyn Page, a junior, didn’t make the state meet last season, but finished in third place in the shot put at the district meet.

The boys and girls teams will open the season at the Umatilla Ice Breaker on Friday.