Fastpitch Softball / Spsl North Division -- Battling A Tough Opponent -- Disease Tests Guglielmelli

KENT - Her emotions were all over the place, but her pitches usually came right on target.

Off the softball field, Jamie Guglielmelli didn't know whether to laugh or cry most of last spring. She did plenty of both early in the season, only a couple of months after being diagnosed with Chron's disease, which attacks the intestines and colon.

"At the beginning of softball, I was real emotional," Guglielmelli said. "It was really hard for me to cope with the fact I had a disease and that I was sick. I'd be happy one minute and upset the next."

A swollen face, a reaction to her medication, only made her even more self-conscious.

On the field, though, Guglielmelli (pronounced GOO-ga-melly) never wavered. She led the South Puget Sound League North Division in hitting (.538) and runs batted in (12) as well as going 3-0 on the mound. She shared most valuable player honors with Decatur pitcher Marie Smith, also a junior, as Kentwood won its second straight division title.

Softball was Guglielmelli's life preserver, always has been.

"I've always been able to go out on the field, put my day behind me and just go play softball," she said. "It just comes easy to me. I just put my mind into softball and just let things happen."

Her symptoms have been under control through medication for more than a year and really hasn't affected Guglielmelli's lifestyle, although she must avoid spicy foods. She also is supposed to avoid bottling up her emotions, which can cause flareups of the stomach pains that threw her life into turmoil a year and a half ago.

From October of 1993 until January of 1994, Guglielmelli experienced stabbing stomach pains that sent her scurrying from doctor to doctor. No one could figure out what caused the pain.

"It was very scary," she said. "From October to January, no one really knew what was wrong with me."

Typically, Guglielmelli kept much of that fear to herself.

"She never really let it show," Kentwood senior outfielder Elissa Garrells said. "She didn't want the team to know."

Guglielmelli admits she still has trouble expressing her emotions, except to Zach Sauceda, her boyfriend.

"He's my best friend," she said. "Part of the disease is from always holding everything in. Zach lets me talk about it."

When it comes to softball, Guglielmelli does her talking with a big bat and a strong arm. She throws with a lot of velocity and is equally valuable at first base, if not more so. Junior Melanie Franks, who also was 3-0 last year, will help shoulder much of the pitching duties along with sophomore Susanne Spanski. Guglielmelli will get her share of innings, too.

"We've asked her to always be ready to pitch, but to be our starting first baseman," Coach D.J. Reed said.

Guglielmelli's future, however, might be on the mound.

"She has the potential to be a pitcher in college," Reed said.

Central Washington University has shown a lot of interest and Guglielmelli will visit there next month.

Guglielmelli's biggest asset might be her desire.

"Jamie's a very gifted athlete," Reed said. "She's hates to lose and she does anything within her power to make it possible to win."

Her biggest challenge right now is to pass Reed's algebra class. Otherwise, her high-school softball career could be kaput. Grades come out in three weeks and Guglielmelli is failing the course. Kentwood requires athletes to be passing all their classes and earning a 2.0 grade-point average to be eligible for competition.

"I'm not really interested in math, so I don't pay attention," Guglielmelli explained.

But the prospect of becoming ineligible has definitely piqued her interest.

Guglielmelli wants to be around in May, when the Conquerors hope to challenge for another berth in the state tournament - and then do something once they're there. Kentwood went 0-2 at state last year.

"We have four seniors who have been the core of the team," Guglielmelli said. "Now it's our year to do something when we get to state, not go and bomb in two games."