All-star softball series has new look

In its sixth year of being staged in Clovis, the annual North/South All-Star softball series will have a new look. Not in what’s present, but in what’s absent.

For the first time since the series moved north from Carlsbad, no players from local schools will participate.

The 21st annual series at the Lady Wildcats Softball Complex features a doubleheader tonight and a single game Saturday.

Clovis softball coach Brandi Thomas, the primary organizer of the event, said her team would have been represented except that the lone selectee, outfielder Kim Lumsden, wasn’t able to participate.

“We had one kid on there, but for some personal reasons she wasn’t able to attend,” Thomas said. “It is a little bit of a different feel.”

Another possibility in the past for a local presence at the series went away when Class 1A/2A and 3A decided to stage its own event in Bayard. Portales is in Class 3A and, on occasion, has supplied a team member to the all-star series.

“I felt that the small school young ladies weren’t being recognized like they should,” said Cobre coach Gilbert Munoz, who helped organize the small school series. “I used to fight tooth-and-nail to get the Cobre girls in and it’s tough, because it’s such a hard process. We felt there were girls out there who were worthy of playing in a North/South game.”

“I understand where they were coming from, what they wanted to do, but it kind of waters it down a little bit,” Thomas said.

As it stands, the event in Clovis is now the Class 4A-5A softball series and, of late, has been dominated by the North and its pitchers.

The North squad has won the last three series and last year gave up three runs in a three-game sweep.

Piedra Vista’s Jayme Fuller, Ashley Ward, Lindsey Hecht and Valerie Kloberdanz will join their coach Kevin Werth, who will lead the North squad. Werth’s team will also include pitcher Alyssa Rahm of Farmington High.

“I think we’ve got six from our district. I’m glad that Alyssa’s on my team now rather than playing against her,” said Werth, whose Piedra Vista team has won the last three Class 4A championships. “This is a great year for me to do it, with my four seniors on it, because we get one last chance to go out and have some fun together.”