Even with ten juniors and only two seniors on the women’s varsity softball team, the team members are optimistic that they will have a successful, yet challenging season.
Head varsity softball coach Sherry Hudson doesn’t think having only two seniors will affect the team’s season. “The seniors are definitely the leaders but most of the juniors have been on varsity since freshman year so they have experience,” Hudson said.
“I think our team could be better if there were more seniors, but most of the juniors are able to step up and be leaders when they need to be, since some of them have been on the team since their freshman year and are comfortable with taking charge,” senior Danielle Ryan said.
“I don’t think that having so many juniors and so few seniors hurts the team because it just means the juniors have to step up too. It makes the team stronger when a bunch of people from all different classes can step up,” senior Rebecca Miles said.
The softball team is in the IAAM ‘B’ conference, and according to Hudson, their biggest competition will be Seton Keough on Apr. 27, Mount de Sales on Apr. 20, and Spalding on May 4.
“We’re in the toughest division with a lot of talented teams so every game is going to challenge us in a different way,” junior Clare Puopolo said. “We are also a skilled team ourselves so if we limit our errors and string together some good hits, we’ll have a successful season.”
Hudson believes that the biggest challenge the team will face during the season is the fact that the pitcher’s mound has been moved back three feet from last year. According to Hudson, “the team needs to be more on their defensive game” because the hitters now have an advantage.
Puopolo, who has been playing softball for twelve years, is the main pitcher for the team and will be affected by the pitcher’s mound change in location. “It’s mostly an advantage to the hitter. Batters will have a longer time frame to see the ball. As a pitcher, speed is affected and the release point needs to be adjusted,” Puopolo said.
According to Hudson the team’s strength is hitting. They also have a good defense with a strong outfield. “They are all young and fast,” Puopolo said. “So far the season has been going well, the team gets along well and there’s rarely a conflict,” Ryan said. “I think there are times when we could play better, but for the most part we work well as a team.”
“I think that this year will be a good year because we have a lot of talent on the team. If we can all pull that talent together and use it then we can compete with anyone,” Miles said.
If you’re coming to watch a game, you should see “a team that goes out and plays hard every game,” Hudson said.
Caroline Spath is a Multimedia Editor for “The Patriot” and jcpatriot.com