By Allison Goldsmith
I&M Sports Editor
The Nantucket softball team is armed and poised to be extremely dangerous this spring. The Lady Whalers returned to the diamond last week with a wealth of talent and experience as they gear up for the season and look to make even more noise in the state tournament.
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Photo by Nicole Harnishfeger
Softball practice held earlier this week. |
The semifinal round has been a difficult hurdle for the Lady Whalers to clear. Last season Nantucket (17-6) was eliminated from the Division 3 South postseason tournament in the semifinals for the second straight year.
“Obviously the goal each year is to improve. What we would like to do is make it back to the tournament and not leave quite as early this year. We think we know the areas we were weak last season and we are going to try to work hard to strengthen them,” 17-year head coach Chris Maury said.
Maury, who had accepted the possibility of not coaching softball this season when he was named high-school athletic director last summer, returns to the helm of the program with the encouragement of principal John Buckey. The pressure of juggling both positions this spring will be eased thanks to the strength of his coaching staff. Former junior varsity coaches Rob Reid and Bill Ciarmataro will join the varsity team this season with Billy Tornovish and Luciana Moran heading up the JV squad.
“I couldn’t be happier with the way things have gone so far. All four of those people, they all know what we are trying to accomplish and what we are trying to do and they have been a tremendous help. I know if I have to leave and I have to go do something, everything is in capable hands there,” Maury said.
The experienced coaching staff welcomes back a deep and talented squad looking to avenge last year’s semifinal-round exit from the playoffs.
Defense was the major area that gave the Whalers difficulty in the playoffs and they have been working hard in preseason drills on fundamentals.
Before the Whalers open the regular season Wednesday at Cohasset, the team will participate in two days of scrimmages at the Mashpee Tournament this weekend. Nantucket is scheduled to play six five-inning or one-hour scrimmages. Saturday they will match-up against Merrimack (N.H.), Bourne and Concord (N.H.), while Worcester Academy, Blackstone Valley and Grafton are on tap for Sunday.
So far this preseason the focus has been on conditioning, situational softball and the fundamentals of hitting and fielding. Maury will use the scrimmages to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of this year’s squad.
An area that Nantucket should not have to worry about will be in the circle, where Kelly Reid and Jessica Guevara will return to pitch this season. Behind starting ace Olivia Hull last spring, Reid tallied 19 strikeouts in 13 innings, while Guevara fanned 26 batters in 17 innings. Both have established effective change-ups to offset their fastball and look stronger than last season, Maury said.
Junior varsity call-ups Katie Godlesky and Morgan Tornovish could also see some time in the circle at the varsity level, but will pitch some JV games to get enough work.
Parinda Darden will get the start behind the plate this season for the Whalers, replacing four-year starter Cassie Moran. The senior backstop has seen innings at the varsity level over the two previous seasons and should make a smooth transition to the starting role.
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Photo by Nicole Harnishfeger
The lady Whalers go through warm-ups at practice earlier this week. |
Around the infield, first base is still up for grabs with a number of players in the mix, including Sally Benson and Reid, both of whom saw time at the bag last season. Guevara will make the move from third base to second to shore up the right side of the infield, and Lindsay Fry returns at shortstop to give the Whalers strength up the middle.
Thayer Dugan, who saw some time at third base last season, is in the mix alongside Alexa Moran to see action at the hot corner. Moran will also serve as the backup catcher for the Whalers.
“After the first week of practice, we have looked very strong. All of them have very good glove skills, all of them have very strong arms,” Maury said of his infield group.
Angela Paterson will likely replace Shantel Hanniford in center field this season. While Hanniford makes the switch to AAU basketball this spring, Paterson will play her first season of Whalers softball. Morgan Dugan returns as the starting left fielder, while Grace-Anne Tornovish returns to right field, but could also see time in center.
Also in the mix in the outfield are Ashley Clinger, Halie Ciarmataro, Jordan Salter and Taylor Murphy.
Offensively the Whalers return three of their top four hitters from last season. Guevara led all batters, getting things started from the leadoff slot, racking up 40 hits and 23 RBI through 23 games. Reid had no trouble adjusting to varsity pitching, collecting 38 hits and a team-high 35 RBI. Fry also had a productive season at the plate with 32 hits.
The Whalers have the benefit of two top-notch pitchers to face in practice every day in preparation for the opposing teams’ aces. Seeing consistent fast pitching will help the batters in the long run for the tournament.
“Given the pitching we have, I think we are going to be able to hit more off live pitching in practice and I think there is more consistency in our schedule this year from a standpoint of facing good pitching on a more regular basis,” Maury said.
The 20-game schedule is packed with tough competition this season, led by Division II Martha’s Vineyard and Pembroke and Division III tournament contenders Mashpee and Diman.
Among the additional Division III competition will be a double-header against Boston Latin April 11 and home-and-away games against Blue Hills and Chatham. Cohasset was a recent addition to the schedule with a visit to the Skippers to open the season Wednesday and a home game May 23 to close out the schedule.
2009 Softball Schedule
4/1 Cohasset A 4 p.m.
4/3 Blue Hills A 4 p.m.
4/4 Bishop Connolly H 1:30 p.m.
4/7 Martha’s Vineyard H 3:30 p.m.
4/8 Mashpee A 3:30 p.m.
4/10 Chatham H 3:15 p.m.
4/11 Boston Latin H 1 p.m.
4/11 Boston Latin H 3 p.m.
4/13 Diman A 3:45 p.m.
4/15 Provincetown A 4 p.m.
5/2 Martha’s Vineyard A 4 p.m.
5/5 Provincetown H 3:15 p.m.
5/9 Mashpee H 10 a.m.
5/12 Blue Hills H 3:15 p.m.
5/15 Diman H 3:15 p.m.
5/16 Pembroke H 11 a.m.
5/16 Pembroke H 1 p.m.
5/18 Chatham A 3:45 p.m.
5/20 Bishop Connolly A 4 p.m.
5/23 Cohasset H 1:45 p.m. |
