When it comes to high school girls softball, parity has yet to enter the field. There is still a definite line between the haves and have nots, and that shouldn't change for the 1999 season.
Familiar names once again fill the first Deseret News rankings for the season, having already proven their cases with strong preseason results. Here is a brief look at each classification:CLASS 5A: Region 3 once again dominates the scene with three teams claiming the top three spots in the initial rankings. Defending champion Jordan is ranked No. 1 and for good reason. The Beetdiggers return a trio of heavy-duty pitchers and hitters in Lacee LePrey, Jamie Hendricks and Amy Welcker.
All three juniors posted earned run averages of under 0.5 and batting averages of .324 and higher in helping Jordan to a 25-2 record and No. 11 national ranking. Last year's MVP LePrey pitched a no-hitter while the Beetdiggers were at the Best in the West tournament in Arizona last weekend.
"We lost three starters, but our superior pitching staff is all back as juniors," said Jordan coach Steve Hendricks. "Our senior captain and third baseman Stephanie Foster is showing our new freshmen how to work hard and maintain a winning tradition."
The Hawks were ousted sooner than expected in last year's state tournament and have some unfinished business to take care of. Alta returns sophomore pitcher Nikki Anderson and juniors Kate Peterson and Nicki Hill, who were all second-team all-state selections last year. Alta already owns a preseason victory over Bingham.
Mountain View returns seven starters from a team that placed third in state last year. First-team all-state pitcher Shannon Lewis has already thrown a perfect game against Taylorsville and a one-hitter against West Jordan.
Hillcrest is the wild card in the region, hoping to crack the top three with a strong freshman class.
Region 2 will also feature a strong battle between three teams for the top spot. Fourth-ranked Bingham was hit heavily by graduation, losing four first-team all-state players and returning just one in sophomore Bryanne Durrence.
Fifth-ranked Copper Hills opened region play by defeating Taylorsville 2-1 and will count on the leadership of Katie Feroah and Sheryl Molen to mold a young Grizzlies team.
Taylorsville is solid and returns all-state infielder Kari Satterfield in the run for the region title.
Region 1 will also have a strong battle for the region title, with Cottonwood, Viewmont and Skyline expected to finish in the top three.
CLASS 4A: By virtue of its preseason victory over Box Elder, the Springville Red Devils hold the No. 1 ranking. Despite the loss of all-state players Nicole McCarty and Candace Bringhurst, the Red Devils are off to a strong start, having already posted a pair of shutouts en route to a 2-0 region record.
Fifth-ranked Payson is also off to a 2-0 start in Region 6 thanks to the hitting and pitching of Diana Forsey. The defending region champs also share the current top spot with Spanish Fork.
Region 4 also features three teams that will contend for the state title, including second-ranked Box Elder, third-ranked Fremont and Bonneville.
The Bees had their run of three straight state titles snapped last year but return seven starters to the field, including three-time all-state pitcher/infielder Marcie Neff.
Fremont tied Box Elder for the region crown last year and could do so again. All-staters Kristin Dominquez is back on the mound, while Amber Williams is the leading outfielder for the Silver Wolves.
Bonneville placed third in state last year and is buoyed by the return of all-state infielder Kelsy Stireman and outfielder Camille Cook.
Defending state champion Roy took a heavy graduation hit last year, losing its top pitcher, catcher and outfielder.
Fourth-ranked Murray is again the favorite for the Region 5 crown. The Spartans are off to a 3-0 record already in region play and hope to put behind them the disappointment of two straight early exits from the state tournament.
Cyprus coach Cristy Crane expects her team to once again compete for the region crown after a down season last year. The Pirates are 2-0 in region play so far and count on the arm of junior Crystal Johnson to carry a heavy load.
Judge is the surprise team of the early season, having already posted a 3-0 record in region play.
CLASS 3A: The Snow Canyon Warriors are probably still kicking themselves after watching Tooele beat them twice on the final day to win the state championship last year. A return trip to the finals is a strong possibility for the top-ranked Warriors. Snow Canyon returns two first-team and two second-team all-state players, including pitcher Lyndi Frei.
Pine View, behind pitcher Brooke Bohannon, and Dixie are expected to give Snow Canyon a run for the Region 9 crown.
Second-ranked Union and fourth-ranked Lehi are considered the top two teams in Region 10. The Cougars placed third in the state tournament last year and return first-team all-state pitcher Hilary Hamlin and three second-team all-state selections in the field.
Lehi lost just one senior from last year's team, returning its all-state battery of pitcher Kim Allan and catcher Stacey Johnson.
Tooele coach Linda Kimball is taking a wait-and-see approach to her team after losing five starters from last year's championship team. The Buffaloes are expected to get heavy competition for the Region 7 title from Bear River.
Fifth-ranked North Sanpete has just two seniors but is the preseason favorite of the Region 8 coaches to win the region title.
CLASS 2A: Region 12 will again have an interesting race on its hands between Grantsville and Manti. Defending 2A champ Grantsville was led last year by junior pitcher Angie Strickland, who pitched every inning for the Cowboys, tossing three no-hitters and batting .344 in an MVP season. Grantsville also returns two first-team and two second-team all-state players.
Second-ranked Manti will count on the golden arm of first-team all-stater Kim Dalene to carry them far.
Third-ranked San Juan and fifth-ranked Grand are again the favorites in Region 13, with Monticello right behind.
Fourth-ranked South Sevier has been the surprise so far in Region 11. Under new coach Randy Madsen, the Rams are off to a 2-0 region record, including a 16-1 pounding of last year's state runner-up Parowan.