Cougar fastpitch earns conference honors

Four Lakewood girls made the list when coaches of the Cascade Conference announced their picks for the spring 2007 all-conference team.
Junior catcher Becca Bean led teammates Kahlee Barrio, Kally Behen and Emily Burkholder with a first-team selection.
Lakewood fastpitch coach Steve Barker credited Beans leadership and well-rounded game for her recognition.
Becca was one girl that actually was nominated by other coaches, not me, for both offensive and defensive MVP, so shes well respected by coaches, Barker said.
She was our captain and she was one of our co-MVPs on the team. And she won the most inspirational player award. So she won three of our four awards. She shared the MVP award with Kahlee. The voting was so close we couldnt ignore one or the other.
Barrio, a freshman who started at shortstop, finished just a few votes from a first-team appearance herself. She and Bean each left their mark on Lakewood softball history with the schools first-and fourth-best season batting averages. Beans .493 average was 52 points better than the old school record, while Barrio finished with .390.
Pitcher Behens recognition follows a season during which she shattered a school record for victories by a pitcher. In the juniors third year starting on the mound, she won 12 games, beating the old record by three wins. Behen also tied the school record with 129 strikeouts this season.
Barker credited Burkholders game at the plate with the Cougars success this season.
In a mid-season victory over a tough Cedarcrest team, Burkholder hit her second double of the game to drive in the winning run, Barker said.
That big hit right there was one of the biggest reasons we were able to turn around and elevate ourselves to the top of the league, he added. She got hot with the bat, and thats when we sort of turned around and became a winning team.

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