STOCKTON — Four years ago this spring, as Duane Zauner passed out jerseys to his Bear River softball team members, the veteran coach handed uniform numbers one and two to a pair of freshmen.

Little did he know the kind of one-two punch the two players would prove to be for the Lady Bruins over the next four years.

On Saturday afternoon, seniors Courtney Ceo and Katie Mathis played their final game in those cardinal and gray unis. And for anyone who has been watching Bear River's dynamic duo throughout their high school careers, it certainly was no surprise that that their grand finale ended up in the win column.

After all, that's the way nearly 90 percent of their games have ended with the Lady Bruins.

Ceo and Mathis, who have started as Bear River's shortstop and second baseman since their freshman season, won 108 games and lost just 15 times.

"When they stepped into school, we were looking for middle infielders for the previous two years," said Zauner, whose teams had managed a 26-23 record in the two seasons that search continued. "And they stepped in as freshman and just filled the voids we needed to fill.

"They're just so competitive. They really know how to play the game. And they love to play the game. It's just going to be so hard next February, stepping onto the field and not having Courtney at shortstop and Katie at second. It's just going to be hard."

Considering the numbers they put up for Bear River's program, it's easy to see why they'll be so missed. Together, they've combined for 268 runs in four years, while driving in another 160 RBIs. Ceo carried a .465 career batting average, including a .578 mark in her junior season, while Mathis is a .401-career hitter after posting a .468 mark this spring.

But perhaps the stats that most depict their value show their ability to simply put the ball in play and make things happen. In the past two years, Ceo has struck out a combined six times in 196 at bats. Mathis failed to make contact just eight times in 180 trips to the plate. Knowing the speed they both possess — Ceo stole 105 bases, while Mathis totaled 72 steals in four years — one understands the pressure opponents felt in making plays to keep them off the bases.

As lethal as they've been setting the table for the Bruin offense, their impeccable defensive skills up the middle might have played an even greater role in all of Bear River's title runs. Ceo graduates with a .920 career-fielding percentage, while Mathis has made the play 95.4 percent of the time.

Performing at such a high level doesn't happen on talent alone. The chemistry they've created has been every bit as key. They thoroughly enjoyed playing together, something made obvious before each inning after the ball was thrown around the horn.

The duo developed a short jig they'd dance at second base, tapping shoes and gloves before taking their positions and getting down to business.

"We didn't even know each other coming into high school," Ceo said Saturday, after they'd shared the field for a final time. "I picked number one and she picked number two. And then it was like 'Oh, man, I play short and she plays second."

"And then our dads started calling us the 'Little Middles,'" Mathis added, "because we were freshmen starting as the middle infielders."

And for the next four years, those "little" girls made life easy on their pitchers, and their coach, knowing nearly 95 percent of the time they were going to make the big play. The same speed they showed running the bases also allowed them to run down balls anywhere in their vicinity. Mathis' sure-handed glove has stolen so many would-be hits that it was almost taken for granted. And Ceo's rifle of a right arm has gunned down enough runners from deep in the six hole that her highlight reel plays became commonplace.

Yet, although Zauner himself already knows, Bear River fans will find out next spring that there's an awful lot of truth to that old '80s rock-and-roll ballad "Don't know what-cha got 'til it's gone."

"They're just amazing," he said. "What they've brought to our community and the people who follow Bear River softball is immeasurable.

"You don't replace Courtney Ceo and Katie Mathis. And that's what I have to tell these girls coming back next year. I knew they were great players when they came out for high school softball. But I had no idea what would happen down the road."

Though they've played their final game for Bear River, that road hardly came to an end this weekend, even if they're literally headed in opposite directions. After graduation, Ceo moves north to join her new team, the University of Oregon Ducks. And Mathis will move south, taking her talents to play for the San Diego State Aztecs.

But before they go, they have some words of advice for all the young girls hoping to follow in their footsteps in securing a softball scholarship.

Or, perhaps, their words are more directed toward moms and dads.

"Let 'em play," Ceo said. "Just let 'em love the game.

"Nobody likes being pushed to play. And it really takes somebody who loves the game to go on to that next level and dedicate themselves in that way. The kids have to want to play. Parents can't force it on them."

Mathis, who has served as an umpire for many local recreation league games over the past few years, shares that sentiment. She suggests that even though parents might be pushing with good intentions, it might just backfire and undermine the very effort they're making.

"Throughout my years, I've seen parents who were extremely hard on their kids," she said. "Then the players stop having fun and stop playing softball. They need to remember it's about that kid loving the game first."

There's no doubt, if you ever had the chance to catch this dynamic duo on the ball diamond, you know that's true.

From the first time they took the field together as freshmen, to the last time they left it together — with another section championship banner in hand — their love for the game has been as clear as the bright smiles on their faces.

And for that reason alone — yet along with so many others — it's been an absolute joy to watch Courtney and Katie play ball.

Brian Hamilton is sports editor at The Union. Contact him via e-mail at bhamilton@theunion.com or by phone at 477-4240.