In 2008 Tahoma High fastpitch coach Tom Milligan told his players the season was a marathon but with the shifting talent in the South Puget Sound League North Division he thinks this year is going to be a sprint to the playoffs.

“This year it’s, ‘Wait a minute, it’s a 50 yard dash,’” Milligan said. “You’ve got some teams in the middle, us, Kentlake, Kentridge and Auburn that could beat anybody on any given day. What’s in the middle is pretty stinking competitive.”

The Tahoma team is returning eight players from last year’s squad including seniors Hailey Granlund and Kim Reese-White.

Milligan said he’ll rely on Reese-White and Granlund to lead the team as they serve as captains of the squad this year.

“They know what to expect. They know how I tick,” he said. “It’s a long season and it’s a short season all at the same time. You need to have those kids who say, ‘No we need to work, we need to put the time in.’ Those two ladies set the tone.”

In 2008 the Bears finished fifth in the South Puget Sound League with a 10-15 record.

Milligan, who is in his fifth year at Tahoma, also has six newcomers he expects great things from: sophomores Kylie Dunn and Karyssa Marbet as well as juniors Katie Myers, Alyse Henkel, Ashley Dyche and Alex Clyatt.

He will look to Granlund, who earned SPSL Honorable Mention honors last season to lead the team from third base, as well as at the plate. She had a .459 batting average in 2008 and knocked in 14 RBI.

Reese-White, who was 1-1 on the mound last year, will share pitching duties with sophomore Sammi Jimenez who was 3-5 with a 3.78 earned run average last year.

Also returning for Milligan are junior Kaila Wilkinson who will pace the outfield bringing a .417 batting average, sophomore outfielder Lisa Maulden who was second team all league as a freshman and also batted over .400 last spring, as well as sophomores Sherry Linett who was honorable mention last year at first base, short stop Emily Miller and catcher Shelby Carter.

“We’re a pretty scrappy team,” Milligan said. “I know what I have right know. For the most part I know what to get out of these kids. It’s a nice feeling from my perspective game in and game out how things are going to be manufactured.”

Milligan said the early non-league games have given him a good sense of how this season could shake out after playing Issaquah, Skyline, Shelton and Stadium in the past week.

“That’s two schools that are in the 4A Narrows League that are right there with us,” he said of Shelton and Stadium.

“The Issaquah game was like, ‘Wow. OK. There’s one of the top pitchers in the state.’ We’ve had a look at the top, the bottom and a couple in the middle so it’s a chance to line some things up.”

More importantly, though, Milligan hopes his players get some crucial life lessons out of the season.

“They’re all growing as young adults,” he said. “This is the perfect vehicle to allow some of that growth in fastpitch.”