"We weren't satisfied," coach Brandi Pickett said.

It was because in the quarterfinals of the Class 5A state tournament, the Wolverines troubled Taylorsville long enough to earn some respect but eventually lost 2-1, and then stumbled out of the postseason with a bunch of "what-ifs" in their heads when they lost by seven runs to Weber in the next round.

Taylorsville, for the first time in 10 years, moved on in the state tourney and won the championship.

Hunter doesn't want that to happen again. It doesn't want to be disappointed again when it knows it has the talent. "My girls are talented," Pickett said. And to back up the statement, look at the Wolverines' record entering this week. They're 9-2 overall and played Spanish Fork - the 2006 state champion that finished as the runner-up last season - on Wednesday, a matchup that will truly decide if the Wolverines could compete at a championship level.

"It can boost our momentum, it can be a lot of things," Pickett said about the nonregion showdown, which was postponed to Wednesday because of the junior prom. "The girls know it's a huge game and it kind of sets the pace for us."

Last year, Hunter's infield was made up of juniors except for one sophomore. The Wolverines are basically the type of team that could be compared to squads like Taylorsville, Riverton and Bingham. And even those teams know that Hunter could possibly be the tournament spoilers.

In other words: Hunter's loaded.

Its best player is junior Saphina Butler, a pitcher of whom Pickett said, "When she's on, it comes down to the mental game. It comes down to who has the best mental game in the end." There are other big-time contributors, like Meranda Wood, a Salt Lake Community College signee, junior Ashley Hobbs, junior Desirae Hoffman, junior Sade Wilkinson and senior Dayanna Jenkins.

Pickett said she has the type of lineup that can't be singled out, adding that to have her list only a couple of her players as the standout ones isn't an easy thing to do. That's just an example of the type of year the Wolverines are having - one in which they hope doesn't end in disappointment, again.

csun@sltrib.com

Wicked Wolverines

* The Hunter Wolverines could be this year's spoilers when the Class 5A softball tournament takes place. They almost did it last year, as Hunter lost 2-1 to eventual state champion Taylorsville in the quarterfinals.

* Like last season, the Wolverines are stacked with talent. Saphina Butler is arguably the team's best player on the mound, with Sade Wilkinson, Ashley Hobbs, Dayana Jenkins, Des Hoffman and SLCC signee Meranda Wood playing the supporting roles.