Mickelson is a catcher/infielder out of Los Alamitos (Calif.) High where she led the Griffins to a 3 Sunset League championships in her 4 seasons of varsity play. She has guided Los Alamitos to a 40-17 record the past 2 seasons, including last year’s 21-12 pace that put the Griffins into the quarterfinals of the CIF Division I playoffs.
Beazley, a fleet-footed outfielder out of prep power Foothill High in Santa Ana, Calif., initially committed to Azusa Pacific last fall. She has captured a pair of all-league honors thus far in her career and is expected to grab a third when the Seaview League announces its 2004 all-league team in the coming weeks. A year ago, Beazley played a key role in the Knights’ advancement to the CIF Division I championship game.
“Both these ladies can have an immediate impact on our program,” said Azusa Pacific head coach Sharon Lehman, who just concluded her tenth season at her alma mater. “Katie is quite fast and will vie for any of the outfield positions and could quite possibly bat at the top of the line-up. Natalie is a good athlete with an excellent work ethic. She can play either corner infield positions or catcher. Both of them give us the depth and flexibility that we need.”
Azusa Pacific is coming off a 26-20 campaign, the Cougars’ tenth straight winning season. However, for the first time since 1990, they did not advance into the postseason. A startling rash of injuries to the deepest pitching staff in the Golden State Athletic Conference eventually put all 5 Cougar hurlers on the shelf over the final month of the season. As a result, Azusa Pacific lost 11 of its final 12 games while converted infielders became first-time collegiate pitchers.
Along with the addition of Michelson and Beazley, Lehman expects to return 14 players from last year’s squad that at one point in the 2004 season was 25-9 and in the hunt for a GSAC title.
