Local Commotion Seeking Another U.S. Title

Practice makes perfect, the saying goes. But when a women’s softball team is as good as the Valley-based California Commotion, who needs to be perfect?

With other softball commitments keeping four former Olympic gold medalists and five U.S. national team members out of its lineup, the Commotion has played and practiced very little this summer.

Based on recent history, perhaps practice is overrated.

The Commotion, coached by Oregon State Coach Kirk Walker, went to the Amateur Softball Assn. women’s open national tournament last summer without the benefit of one practice or game. It didn’t make much difference.

The Commotion defeated the Southern California Jazz, 10-0, on the mercy rule in the championship game.

“[This year] is similar to last year because of Olympic team commitments [and appearances],” Walker said. “It just ended up being another situation where we only had about three weeks available to play.

“It’s pretty similar to all of the women’s major teams this summer.”

With three teams representing the U.S. internationally--all selected at a tryout late in May--and the start of the Women’s Professional Fastpitch League, many teams have broken up.

Those still together are hard-pressed to find time to play together.

Because of the influx of softball organizations and different sanctioned tournaments, ASA officials are working on a future schedule that will help eliminate scheduling conflicts.

“It’s basically killing women’s open tournaments,” said Walker, who grew up in Woodland Hills and attended Seventh-day Adventist Academy in Northridge.

But all the commotion hasn’t killed the Commotion.

With gold medalists Lisa Fernandez, Dot Richardson, Sheila Cornell-Douty and Gillian Boxx in the lineup, the Commotion is the favorite to repeat as champion Wednesday through Aug. 17 in Phoenix.

If the Commotion wins the tournament, it will be its first title of 1997. The Commotion, 10-0 this summer, has played in only one tournament. Despite going undefeated in eight games, it failed to take home the title.

Walker said the Franklin Cup tournament in Irvine two weeks ago was so unorganized that several teams--including the Commotion--pulled out on the final day of the tournament and Gordon’s Panthers of Orange County, an 18-and-under team, was declared champion.

“We had beaten everybody,” Walker said. “We accomplished everything we needed to accomplish. We thought it was best for us to be finished and move on.”

A week later, the Commotion swept a doubleheader from Gordon’s Panthers.

In addition to Cornell, from UCLA and Taft High, Commotion players from the area include Karen Walker-Deegan (UCLA) of El Camino Real, Amy Chellevold (Arizona) of Thousand Oaks and Nichole Victoria (UCLA) of Camarillo. Yvonne Gutierrez (UCLA) is a firefighter stationed in Pacoima.

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Walker understands the saying, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”

Walker has enlisted pitcher Sara Griffin of Simi Valley to help the Commotion in next week’s national tournament.

Griffin--a two-time Big Ten Conference player of the year--was the only pitcher to beat the Commotion last summer.

Griffin, while pitching for the Southern California Jazz, defeated Commotion, 2-1, to force a winner-take-all championship game--won by Commotion.

Griffin has not pitched since she broke her left arm in a collision with a Michigan teammate in a game on April 5.

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Kelli Kranz isn’t coming home, but she’s getting closer.

Kranz, a Saugus High graduate, recently transferred from Southwest Texas State to Oregon State.

The Times’ Valley player of the year in 1995, Kranz batted .459 with 45 hits and 38 runs batted in as a senior at Saugus.