The best news Robin Ortiz got all summer was when he found out Kelsey O'Brien was staying put.

Sure, the Columbine softball coach was flattered the Orange County Bats, an elite California-based team that won a summer national title in 2006, would ask one of his pitchers to join the team. Just as long as O'Brien didn't accept the offer.

"I called her dad and got some good news," Ortiz said. "He didn't have their house on the market."

Ortiz never truly believed the O'Briens were going to pack up and head West, but when the status of a once-in-a-coaching-career pitcher is thrown into question, the reassurance she will be back always is a positive thing.

O'Brien amazed coaches and teammates - not to mention opposing hitters - last year with a spellbinding array of talent and unflappability rarely associated with a sophomore.

She struck out batters at an almost unprecedented rate and guided the Rebels to the Class 5A state tournament.

One of only two sophomores on the All-Colorado team, O'Brien went 16-6 with an 0.87 ERA and struck out 269 batters while walking only eight.

To put the strikeout total in perspective, consider O'Brien faced 584 batters, so hitters had a 46.1 percent chance of heading back to the bench without putting the ball in play.

"She's obviously a huge physical talent," Ortiz said. "Great arm, several pitches. But what makes her so successful is her overall demeanor. She's very easygoing and nothing fazes her."

O'Brien, who Ortiz said smiles 100 percent of the time, is a great student and always is aiming to volunteer for a worthy cause, is modest about her success and offers a simple explanation for her breakout season.

"I think I was just really focused and had a great team playing behind me," O'Brien said.

That reaction didn't surprise Ortiz.

"Humility is Kelsey's greatest strength as a player and as a person," he said. "I don't even think she knows how good she is."

He might have a point. Asked her reaction to making the All-Colorado team last year, O'Brien, after proclaiming it a "huge honor," said "it really shocked me."

It might have marked the only time O'Brien was shocked last season. While many pitchers are dismayed after surrendering a key hit, O'Brien sometimes laughs it off if she makes a poor pitch and it gets hit hard.

"I think it just makes me more determined," she said.

O'Brien, who throws a rise ball, screwball, curve and changeup, might be yielding hits even less frequently this season.

She pitched for an 18 Gold team in the summer in which the pitcher's plate was at the college distance of 43 feet, 3 feet farther than high school.

O'Brien again will be paired with catcher Taryn Duncan, her battery mate since youth softball.

And, oh, another positive is she will not be in Orange County.

NOTEBOOK

• The Dakota Ridge softball team already had lofty expectations for this season. Now, they are even more grand.

Flame-throwing pitcher Jessica O'Connor, who possesses some of the best velocity in the state and has given a verbal commitment to Nevada-Las Vegas, has transferred from Golden. Under high school transfer rules, the senior will have to sit out the first nine games.

"We're excited to have her, no doubt," Dakota Ridge coach Dave Atencio said.

Believed to be a factor in O'Connor's decision to make the move was longtime Golden coach Tom Peterson stepped aside after last season.

Dakota Ridge should be in good shape before O'Connor is eligible. Sophomore Jenn Anderson will be the regular starting pitcher the first half of the season and will benefit from a strong defense, featuring senior catcher Stacy Ball, who will play at Mesa State next season, and center fielder Randi Clark, expected to sign with Colorado State.

• It almost seems odd to think of Rocky Mountain without pitcher Cory Berliner, who was the Lobos' ace the past three seasons. With Berliner at the University of Pittsburgh, former outfielder Aubree Maul will get her opportunity to pitch.

Maul, a junior, occasionally spelled Berliner last season and went 3-0. Lobos coach Mike Crockett has high expectations for what the right-hander can do in a full season.

"She's the same type of pitcher," Crockett said. "She just doesn't have the in-game experience yet."

• Highlands Ranch center fielder Melisa Ryba is attempting to pull a tough feat - earn All-Colorado honors for the third consecutive season. Ryba was the All-Colorado player of the year as a sophomore in 2005 and made the team again last year. Mallory Duran, of Windsor, was the player of the year.

Ryba, who also pitches but will be the Falcons' No. 2 option behind junior Kaitlin York, hit .571 last season, clubbed six home runs and drove in 27 runs. Ryba also is a starter on the Highlands Ranch basketball team, which has won back-to-back state championships.

• Cherry Creek's third win this season will mark the 300th in the career of John Gallagher, who has guided the Bruins since their inception.

The longest-tenured softball coach in the state has compiled a 297-156 mark in 21 seasons. Gallagher still longs for a state championship - he jokes he should have gotten one by now considering how long he has been around - and was close last season. The Bruins advanced to the state semifinals but lost to Rocky Mountain.

Gallagher's group is young this year but quickly could assert itself with talented players such as sophomore catcher Sami Springer and junior first baseman Lisa Marlier. The Bruins haven't settled on a starting pitcher but have two underclassmen candidates who could end up splitting time.

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