Girls Softball
June 8, 2019 was a bittersweet day for Winnacunnet athletics - it was a day where I drove to Plymouth State for the Softball state title game at 2:00 and then straight to Exeter High School for the Boys Lax state title game at 5:00. While we came up short in both games, I was extremely proud of our athletes and student body for their support. We also made the state title game in Girls Lax - 3 spring teams in title games is nothing to be ashamed of!
Softball lost a 2-0 heart breaker to rival Exeter and we discussed the potential for a rematch and a shortened spring season Monday afternoon.
I met with 16 girls and Coach Dennis Bruce via Zoom. While I could see and feel their disappointment, they were more than willing to talk and share with me. Last year's team finished 17-5 and this will mark Coach Bruce's 13th season with Winnacunnet. Year after year, these girls contend as one of the top teams in Division 1 and just posted back to back final four seasons.
Should we play, this year's team will return 5 All-State players including Ashley Gallant, Steph Reed, Nicole Bassil, Hannah Thompson, and Macie Harkovich. They also return 3 seniors including Hannah Michael and captains Ashley Gallant and Steph Reed. They only graduated 2 starters, and should we have a season, are poised to take down the Blue Hawks this year.
I first asked the girls about the online learning experience and most agreed it is going relatively smoothly. They say that some classes are going extremely well while others like PE are tougher to do. They said that tests are weird and just feel different but they are all getting by. They really miss school and miss seeing their friends and teammates everyday. They said that staying in touch with everyone is difficult but they communicate with each other through their softball group chat appropriately titled "Winit2020."
In terms of this spring season, the girls were obviously looking to get another shot at the title. They worked hard all winter in preparation by hitting, strength training, and doing their daily skills work. Coach Bruce said, "I feel like we would've come into this season ahead of the curve in terms of preparedness." These girls were ready for this year and it really is heartbreaking to see that they may not get an opportunity. Coach Bruce had their annual Softball "Playday" along with 3 scrimmages planned for the preseason
We next spoke about last year's state title game with Exeter. In the 2-0 loss, they just could not come up with the big hit against Exeter's pitcher (who returns this year). I asked them about that and why they feel that this year will be different. They stated that they got a little nervous in that game and tried to do too much - it happens, that's baseball and softball for you. They also feel that as a group they outworked most teams this winter and are ready to win that big game. Other top teams this year would include Spaulding, Salem, Windham, and Merrimack.
I asked the girls what they're doing to stay in physical and softball shape during this down time. A few have tees in their garage and some play catch with dad in the yard. Others are trying to run daily and do whatever they can strength wise in their own homes. Steph Reed said she'll even throw a ball off the wall just to kill time and work on her arm. Clearly this is not an ideal situation and most are just doing whatever they can while abiding by the social distancing policies.
I want to thank the girls for being my first Zoom interview and letting me write about them. Overall, they are a great group of girls and I enjoyed watching them make their playoff run last year. I truly feel for them and all the spring teams who had such high hopes for the season. I feel for the seniors during this time and for the parents who may not get to see their children play another season of high school sports. Hannah Thompson summed it up best - "I want to play for a championship with all the girls who I've been playing with since I was 10." This team attitude is what will get us all through these tough times - playing sports or not, they'll always be teammates and will always be there for each other. I hope to see them playing for a championship in June.
Next up is Girls Tennis on Wednesday and I look forward to touching base with all our spring teams. Everyone stay safe and healthy!
Softball lost a 2-0 heart breaker to rival Exeter and we discussed the potential for a rematch and a shortened spring season Monday afternoon.
I met with 16 girls and Coach Dennis Bruce via Zoom. While I could see and feel their disappointment, they were more than willing to talk and share with me. Last year's team finished 17-5 and this will mark Coach Bruce's 13th season with Winnacunnet. Year after year, these girls contend as one of the top teams in Division 1 and just posted back to back final four seasons.
Should we play, this year's team will return 5 All-State players including Ashley Gallant, Steph Reed, Nicole Bassil, Hannah Thompson, and Macie Harkovich. They also return 3 seniors including Hannah Michael and captains Ashley Gallant and Steph Reed. They only graduated 2 starters, and should we have a season, are poised to take down the Blue Hawks this year.
I first asked the girls about the online learning experience and most agreed it is going relatively smoothly. They say that some classes are going extremely well while others like PE are tougher to do. They said that tests are weird and just feel different but they are all getting by. They really miss school and miss seeing their friends and teammates everyday. They said that staying in touch with everyone is difficult but they communicate with each other through their softball group chat appropriately titled "Winit2020."
In terms of this spring season, the girls were obviously looking to get another shot at the title. They worked hard all winter in preparation by hitting, strength training, and doing their daily skills work. Coach Bruce said, "I feel like we would've come into this season ahead of the curve in terms of preparedness." These girls were ready for this year and it really is heartbreaking to see that they may not get an opportunity. Coach Bruce had their annual Softball "Playday" along with 3 scrimmages planned for the preseason
We next spoke about last year's state title game with Exeter. In the 2-0 loss, they just could not come up with the big hit against Exeter's pitcher (who returns this year). I asked them about that and why they feel that this year will be different. They stated that they got a little nervous in that game and tried to do too much - it happens, that's baseball and softball for you. They also feel that as a group they outworked most teams this winter and are ready to win that big game. Other top teams this year would include Spaulding, Salem, Windham, and Merrimack.
I asked the girls what they're doing to stay in physical and softball shape during this down time. A few have tees in their garage and some play catch with dad in the yard. Others are trying to run daily and do whatever they can strength wise in their own homes. Steph Reed said she'll even throw a ball off the wall just to kill time and work on her arm. Clearly this is not an ideal situation and most are just doing whatever they can while abiding by the social distancing policies.
I want to thank the girls for being my first Zoom interview and letting me write about them. Overall, they are a great group of girls and I enjoyed watching them make their playoff run last year. I truly feel for them and all the spring teams who had such high hopes for the season. I feel for the seniors during this time and for the parents who may not get to see their children play another season of high school sports. Hannah Thompson summed it up best - "I want to play for a championship with all the girls who I've been playing with since I was 10." This team attitude is what will get us all through these tough times - playing sports or not, they'll always be teammates and will always be there for each other. I hope to see them playing for a championship in June.
Next up is Girls Tennis on Wednesday and I look forward to touching base with all our spring teams. Everyone stay safe and healthy!
Comments
Post a Comment