“Change is good” is more than just a snappy marketing motto to the Rifle High School girls softball team. It’s a rallying point and the approach the Bears have to the 2003 season.

Gone are six starters from last year’s 15-6 state playoff team, along with veteran head coach Cindy Skinner.

Troy Phillips, Rifle’s head baseball coach and the Bears’ junior varsity softball coach, has replaced Skinner as the varsity team’s pilot.

The task Phillips has is to fill holes in the starting nine opened by last year’s graduating seniors.

“We lost a lot from last year’s team, but the girls have been working real hard,” said Phillips. “Our work ethic is a strength for us.”

The starting roster

Of the 13 players on the team’s 2003 roster, Phillips and the rest of the Bears are turning to three returning senior starters to shoulder the load.

All-Western Slope League first-team player Kari Wiig has been moved up to Rifle’s No. 1 starting pitcher. On her off-days from the mound, Wiig will start at third base.

The Bears’ other two veterans will also play two positions.

Jenny Hughes is one of two players Phillips plans to use at catcher. Hughes is also an outfielder and could see appreciable time in center field.

Sharee Gorham has been targeted for an outfield spot, but can be used at first base.

Sarah Ramsey, a senior, is the Bears’ left fielder.

Two more seniors, Anna Alcorn and Shay Salaz, are battling for the starting second base job.

Of the underclassmen, five sophomores have emerged as leaders.

After a season as the JV’s top pitcher, Trisha Wailes has moved up to the varsity and has established herself as Rifle’s No. 2 starter.

Amber Massey will open the year as the Bears’ shortstop. Lindsey McCue-Locke will alternate between catcher and center field with Hughes. Bridget Peters can play the outfield or third base. Trisha McDowell gives Rifle insurance at first.

A concentrated schedule

Phillips said he has been impressed with the team’s improvement this summer and in pre-season practices, but the girls have yet to be tested under game conditions.

When the season opens on Friday, the Bears will get plenty of battle-testing.

According to Phillips, the team will play half of its 18-game regular season in eight days.

This weekend, Rifle will compete in the 12-team Peachfuzz Tournament in Grand Junction. The Bears open the season Friday with a 4:45 p.m. game at the Kronkright Softball Complex against Montrose.

Win or lose Friday, Rifle will play two games against other teams on Saturday.

On Sept. 5-6, the Bears are scheduled for five games at the Summit High School tournament.

Phillips said wins or losses are not important in the early part of the season. What will be important is the experience the team gains from playing a concentrated schedule.

“I’m not worried about the results at the start,” said Phillips. “Right now it’s a good thing for me to see the players and watch the new things we’re teaching them.”