by Adam Colbert
For most people softball begins mid-March and ends mid-June, but not for Hudson High School softball players. They start preseason conditioning in January when winter sports are still going on.
On average, 15 softball students attend the preseason workouts on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. At each workout they do towel pulls, four corners, up downs, push ups, mountain climbers, and planks. “It’s a lot of hard work,” says senior pitcher Jurnee Ware, “all kinds of hard stuff to get us prepared.” Junior Audrey Dibuono and senior Laura Hydro agree. They believe hard work is one reason why the program is so successful.
Many of the girls play on travel teams in the summer. Some of the teams the girls play for include the New England Blizzard, Marlborough Diamond Cats, Marlborough Rec and Mass Destruction. Freshman Meghan Collins believes playing on these teams together creates teamwork, experience and passion for the sport.
It is the offseason that makes players better. That explains the success the team has been having. Last year, the varsity squad was 18-2; their JV squad was 9-3-2; and the freshman team was 13-1.
Freshman Haley Gaffney says the team will have the same success because of the good coaching.
Varsity coach Mary-Beth Ryan is a first year coach at the varsity level, but she has been the eighth grade coach for the past three seasons. Ryan has been a teacher for the past four years, and the JV field hockey coach for the past three. She has lots of experience on the softball field herself; she used to play Division I college softball, and she knows the game from a player’s perspective.
Ryan says the players’ dedication and preparation are what makes the team successful. “That way, when we start, we get to put everything together and create real team unity from the get-go,” she says. This way the team is ready to “tackle the ultimate goal of getting another state title for the program.”
The team also wants to make the district tournament and beat some teams that gave them trouble last year. Their biggest competition is Grafton, whom they play on April 20.
The team will have a lot of experience while making their title run this year. They have five seniors and four juniors on the team, and they only lost four seniors from this past season. However, some of the younger players filling in the roster lack varsity experience, but they should fit right in.
It makes sense the program is so successful.The team has strong chemistry, coaching, offense and player experience. They all work hard, especially in the offseason. Plus the program has record-chasing pitcher Jurnee Ware on the hill. Is there anything bad to say about the program? It certainly doesn’t seem so. We all just have to wait and see what happens this season.
