DATE: Friday, March 21, 1997                TAG: 9703190117

SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS     PAGE: 10   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   87 lines

A LOOK AT WHAT TO EXPECT FROM TEAMS AROUND THE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL TEAMS WILL BE REBUILDING BASEBALL ROSTERS, BUT ALLIANCE LOOKS GOOD.

The high school spring sports season begins in earnest today, the kickoff date for competition for South Hampton Roads' public school teams (see the For The Record page of today's daily sports section for the high school schedule).

The Eastern District softball preview ran last Sunday, and the next three issues of the Currents will be devoted primarily to roundups of the other high school sports.

In the meantime, here's a quick primer on the season ahead:

Q. Who are the Portsmouth teams most likely to succeed?

A. It could be a banner year at Churchland, as the softball and boys and girls soccer teams all open the season ranked among the area's top 10 teams. An experienced Wilson softball team is also poised to contend.

Portsmouth's public school baseball teams begin the season in various stages of rebuilding, but optimism is high at Alliance, which has been buoyed by the return of Nick and Chris Huneycutt. Both spent the past two years at Greenbrier. Nick was a first-team All-TCIS performer for the state champion Gators last season.

Q. What team has the highest expectations?

A. The Churchland softball squad, where coach Bobbi Shuler Conrad has so many experienced players she occasionally loses count. She reported two weeks ago she had eight returning starters. Turns out all nine are back, forming what Conrad calls the most talented team in her eight years with the Truckers.

``I foresee us winning it,'' the coach said. ``It's going to take a lot of hard work, but if they stay as dedicated as they are right now, I think we can go all the way.''

Q. Is there a sentimental favorite?

A. Everyone ought to be rooting for Wilson baseball coach Joe Ladisic, who will be making his return to coaching after successfully battling colon cancer. Ladisic, who was diagnosed with the disease last spring, missed last year's baseball season and the 1996 football campaign.

``They told me I wouldn't be able to do it,'' Ladisic said. ``They told me I'd be dead by January. It feels wonderful to be out there again.''

Q. Any sure-fire winners out there?

A. There's no such thing as a sure thing, but Norcom shot-putter Missy Banks and Churchland triple-jumper Jamin Elliott appear to be locks to claim Eastern District titles and clear favorites in both the Eastern Region and Group AAA state meets. Both won titles in the state indoor meet.

Q.The hard-luck performer of the year?

A. It's got to be Wilson's Scott Parker, a .350 hitter and promising pitcher two years ago. After missing most of last season with a broken pitching hand, Parker broke a bone on the same hand during the second week of practice this year. His cast came off Monday, but he's still at least two weeks away from being able to contribute.

Q. Is the move from the Southeastern District to the Eastern District a positive for Portsmouth's spring sports teams?

A. That's the way it's being viewed by most area coaches, who generally view the Eastern as a less competitive league. But a mild dissent comes from Churchland boys soccer coach Duke Conrad, who worries about a potentially negative effect come the postseason. Since Norcom doesn't have soccer teams, Eastern teams in that sport will play each other twice. That left Conrad able to schedule only two non-league games. So while the relatively watered-down quality of Eastern play make it easier for the Truckers to qualify for the Eastern Region tournament, it might leave them ill-prepared to compete once they get there.

``By the time we get to regionals, we're going to get smoked,'' he said.

This problem could be eliminated next year if Norcom adds soccer with its move to a new building, as expected.

``If Norcom comes in, we can go to a single round in the district and we can all pick up more (non-league) games,'' Conrad said. ILLUSTRATION: File photo

Joe Ladisic, Wilson High School baseball coach, missed last season

while he battled cancer. Finally, this year, he's back. KEYWORDS: SPRING PREVIEW

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