The softball team has gone from a team lead by a core group of five seniors to a young team filled with six freshman in just one season.
Last year the team was led by all-star pitcher Jurnee Ware, clutch hitter Kara Knights, speedy slapper Kirsten Lally, defensive centerfielder Laura Hydro and motivator Ashley Landry.
After losing the five seniors that led the team to a 19-1 season last year, the team has added six freshman to fill the roster. Freshman like Sydney Chiasson, Miranda McILvene, Megan Miller and Michelle Perry are expected to make a difference in this year’s team.
Despite their new roster and lack of experience, Coach Mary Beth Ryan is not worried about loss of talent.
“Talent has [been replaced], but we are lacking experience. We have young talent, a lot of raw talent.”
by Adam Colbert
She is not worried about an unsuccessful season either. “We have to replace starters but still have people part of the team from last year. They are aware of the hard work it takes to get to the postseason and what it means to be a part of HHS softball.”
As a coach, her biggest adjustment this season is to train the younger girls, whereas last season she just inherited veteran talent.
This year’s team has strengths in defense and in speed but lacks clutch hitting in their line-up. One of the biggest losses is Jurnee Ware, who pitched every inning for the team last year. This year junior Kelly Young has fulfilled her role, and freshman Michelle Perry has stepped up as back-up pitcher.
Coach Ryan is most excited to see the improvement of the team as the year goes on. “Growth will be exponential compared to last season.” Some of the best players this year are still improving, including first baseman Haley Gaffney and centerfielder Keaton Prashaw, who are both sophomores.
The team’s goal is to make it to the postseason and show how they improved over the course of the season and to make it further than people expected. They only made it to the second round of playoffs last year until they lost to Grafton, the team’s bitter rival who went on to win the Division II state championship. The team lost their rematch to Grafton on April 9.
After an 0-3 start, the team bounced back and won their next two games against Groton-Dunstable and Fitchburg, respectively. The team’s current record is 2-6, but they’re 2-0 in league games.
The team will see improvement over the course of the season and in future seasons because of the youth in their roster. They will continue to work hard to work their way back to the unfinished business of their 19-1, 2013 season.
