Six SOL softball teams will be in action in Monday’s opening round of the District One AAAA Tournament. Check back for a complete wrap of all the games.
By Mary Jane Souder
Slim and none.
Those were the odds Greg Heydet Sr. gave his Council Rock South softball team of making the 24-team District One AAAA Tournament, but that didn’t prevent the first-year coach from attending the seeding meeting and silently sweating it out in the back of the room.
“I couldn’t say anything,” Heydet said. “By the 18th seed, I thought we were done.
“At the 22nd seed, people started raising their hands for us.”
There were 32 teams on the table – 30, according to Heydet, with a .500 record or better.
“One team was 9-10 and we were 8-10, so we had to beat out eight teams,” he said. “I didn’t think so.”
Tipping the scales in Rock South’s favor was playing in a National Conference whose teams had made easy business out of their non-league opponents.
“I told the Pennsbury coach that being my first year I didn’t know that out-of-league games meant anything, and I played all my bench players to see what they could do,” Heydet said. “I thought that was going to hurt me, but Frank (McSherry) said, ‘These guys can play. They can hit.’”
When the dust had settled on the lengthy seeding meeting, Council Rock South was given the final slot into the big dance and - for the first time in program history – will be competing in the district tournament. Granted, the Golden Hawks are the 24th-seeded squad, but for a program that won just four league games in the last three years combined – one in each of the last two years, it is a remarkable accomplishment.
“We were tickled,” said Heydet, who sent out an immediate e-mail to his players. “I got about five of e-mails right back saying, ‘Yea.’ They were excited.
“I’m excited for the team and the school. Now we have to win our first game to show that we belong there.”
For the players, there is a sense of pride that had heretofore been glaringly absent.
“We were that team – when other teams played us, they knew it was a joke,” senior Becca Dougherty said. “They knew it was an easy win.
“We knew that we were going to lose. We had no hope. Going in all the other years, we were never given hope. We were never given the coaching to believe we could do this.”
This is a rags to riches story if ever there was one.
“Coming into the beginning of the season, I had no clue what it was going to be like,” senior Sydney Brown said. “I didn’t know if it was going to be the same as it had been or if it was going to be worse or if it was going to get better, but with the players and the coaching we have now, this is something, as seniors, we couldn’t have imagined it being any better.
“We’re excited and happy that we have a chance to be in playoffs. That was unheard of for Council Rock South. I didn’t even know what playoffs were. I’m telling you – I had no clue. I said, ‘Is this double elimination or how does this work?’ I knew nothing about it.”
“This is amazing,” senior Amber Galasso added. “I would have never thought this, and I have never been more proud and more happy in my life. It really has been a Cinderella story.”
The response to the news that they had earned a spot in districts was one of pure joy.
“Everyone was thrilled,” Brown said. “We were all in group text, and we couldn’t stop refreshing our e-mails. We were just waiting to hear back.
“When we found out, we were all like, ‘Is this a joke? This is unreal.’ We couldn’t believe it. We were so surprised and so happy. I feel like we did deserve it.
“After three years playing the way we did and not having the staff that we do now – being given this chance even after we didn’t always show our potential and being given that chance because people saw how much hard work we put into this, it meant a lot. We all said – it was meant for us to be here.”
It was an outcome the players certainly couldn’t see coming when, on the final day of the regular season, the Golden Hawks fell to Council Rock North 9-3 on Senior Recognition Day.
“Before the game, we thought if we lost we were done and North was going to be in the playoffs,” Brown said. “When we lost everyone was in tears, everyone was hysterical.
“We were taking our last pictures, and we even had a kick ball game the next day to celebrate our season. When we go that call, it was out of nowhere. We had a couple of girls crying because we pretty much thought our season was totally done and now we have a chance to bring it back.”
“We were really amazed,” senior Courtney Testa said. “We did end up with a losing record, and there were definitely other teams that had a better record than us.
“Just the fact that we were recognized for being a good enough team. No matter what we were in the past, we were good enough to make it past teams that had winning records. Now we just have to prove to everyone that we’re here and we deserve it.”
“It’s just amazing that we’re even here,” senior Samantha Kronenbitter said. “I would have never thought we would come this far.
“We started off our season so strong, and we kind of had a lull at the end. We want to show everybody we deserve to be in playoffs and we can win and we do have a good team.”
Whatever the outcome on Monday when the Golden Hawks face ninth-seeded North Penn, the Golden Hawks have put their softball program on the map.
“I can’t believe how far we’ve come as a team,” senior Kelsey Illiano said. “Everyone, including our whole entire high school, is so proud that we’ve come this far, and we’ve actually made a name for ourselves as a team.
“Definitely the coach has helped so much. It’s unreal because we’ve never been like this before.”
***
Greg Heydet Sr. admits he had decidedly high goals when he took over the reins of a struggling Rock South program.
“Honestly, our goal was to win games and make the playoffs,” he said. “That was my goal.
“They did not know how to spell playoffs. I asked them, and they said, ‘What’s that?’ Where Steve (Bitting) and I come from and with our background playing ball, we wanted to make playoffs. To them, it was winning games and making South look like something.”
Heydet’s first order of business when he took over the helm of the struggling program was getting the players to believe in themselves.
“My first meeting with them – I brought 40 pretzels to the meeting, and they said, ‘Oh, he’s trying to win us over,’” the first-year coach said. “I said, ‘No, I don’t have to. I’m coach. I’m trying to win yourselves over. You’ve got to believe.’”
Heydet made a deal with his players.
“Every time they won, the amount of runs they won by – I ran laps,” he said. “When they lost, they had to run laps.
“We beat Abington 11-1 – I had to run around the whole school while they watched me. Every time we’d win, I’d e-mail them and say – ‘I’m going to be outside so and so running my laps,’ and they’d say, ‘Yea, coach, go, go.’ Maybe that motivated them.”
The Golden Hawks were 7-3 out of the gate, turning heads everywhere.
“Looking at the past years – going into this year, you were just hopeful that things would be somewhat better,” Dougherty said. “We were going to mesh better, work better, play better on the field. We were looking to keep our heads up and just take a step forward.
“For us to be going to playoffs is a true Cinderella story. The fact that coach Greg has taken us – moved players, worked on their weaknesses and made us an all-around stronger team, we’re more unified than we ever have been. It has really had the biggest effect on everyone.”
Heydet knows plenty about the sport. For 32 years, he has played softball at an elite level. In 2008, his last full season, he won the state major modified division crown with Bonnells out of Erie, Pa.
“For 10 years, they flew my wife and I all over the U.S. to play with them,” Heydet said. “Free room and board, free airlines. It was almost like pro.”
Heydet returned for the 2009 season but realized his pitching arm and hand were losing strength and coordination. In May of 2013, he was diagnosed with a slow form of ALS.
“Since I can’t work, I’m going to be on the softball field again, so part of my life came back again, being on the field,” he said. “I played for 30-plus years and had to quit because of this, but I’m coaching again.
“To coach again after playing for 32 years – that’s big. I am really excited. They tell me the more exercise I’ll get the more I’ll prolong it, so these guys are making me run laps, and that’s awesome.”
A 1976 graduate of Council Rock, Heydet has returned to his roots.
“I’ve enjoyed it a lot, and I’ve learned a lot,” he said. “One thing good about next year – now I know the kids. I didn’t know them before I picked them.
“They’re great kids. They want to win, but they were in charge in the past. They had no leadership. I think they believed in us because we knew what we were talking about.”
To a player, the Golden Hawks credit Heydet for the turnaround.
“Coach Greg is the most driven person, the most caring person,” Brown said. “You can really tell that he cares about all of us girls. I’ve never had a coach like that before. He puts everything into this game. He’s a pitching coach, a hitting coach – he’s pretty much everything. He’s done a lot for this team, and we’re really appreciative of that.”
“It was tough because we could have been a great team all those years,” Galasso said. “It was tough to know that and to know we weren’t working up to our potential, but it also shows how far you can come with a really good coach who knows his stuff and who cares about the game and the girls on the team.”
Heydet has laid a foundation that should bode well for the future of a young Golden Hawks’ squad.
“Almost all of our team plays travel or on another team outside of school,” Kronenbitter said. “These girls are playing every weekend, and every day after school we practice. Everyone has given their full effort, which is why we have made it so far. Everyone is giving their all.”
“Coming in freshman year, we didn’t win a single game,” Testa said. “It’s so crazy that we went from a team that was nothing to a team that gets to the playoffs.
“Even winning games – that was a big deal, and the fact that we won enough to make playoffs was absurd. It was so amazing. It was a great experience. I really hope that this helps the girls that are underclassmen to understand they can do this.”
While the players are ecstatic, it’s a safe bet no one is happier than their coach.
“I’m really excited about being in the game,” said Heydet, who is also coaching Blue Thunder on the travel circuit. “To me, my life started over.”
#24 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH at #9 NORTH PENN
North Penn
- 13-6 overall
- 10-4 SOL Continental Conference (tied for second place)
- Won seven in a row to close out regular season after a 6-6 start, a strong finish that coincided with the return of Philadelphia University-bound centerfielder Erin Maher to the lineup.
- Return the nucleus of last year’s squad that advanced to state semifinals
- Avenged early season losses to 15th-seeded Central Bucks South and 21st-seeded Hatboro-Horsham with 2-0 and 3-2 wins, respectively.
- Split with third-seeded Souderton, winning initial meeting 10-4 and dropping second 9-3.
Players to watch: Erin Maher (Sr., CF), Vicky Tumasz (Sr., SS), Meghan Curley (Sr., 3B), Alyssa Shoulberg (Sr., 2B), Jackie Bilotti (Jr., P), Becky Christoffers (Jr., RF)
Coach Rick Torresani says: “We are excited to be back in the playoffs this year and are looking forward to playing Council Rock South on Monday. This is the 14th year in a row that North Penn has been lucky enough to play in the District One playoffs.”
Council Rock South
- 8-10 overall
- 6-8 SOL National Conference (fifth place)
- Defeated 13th-seeded Council Rock North in initial meeting 9-3, but the Indians returned the favor in final game of regular season, defeating Golden Hawks 9-3.
- Won seven of first 10 games but just one of last eight.
- Won just one game in 2013 in SOL.
#20 HAVERFORD at #13 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH
Council Rock North
- 11-7 overall
- 8-6 SOL National Conference (fourth place)
- Won four straight to close out regular season, including a 9-3 win over 24th-seeded Council Rock South to avenge an early season loss to Golden Hawks.
- Split its games with fifth-seeded Pennsbury, winning the first 4-3 but falling 3-1 in late-season meeting.
- Notched a 5-3 non-league win over eighth-seeded Central Bucks East on April 21.
Players to watch: "Everyone in our lineup is an offensive threat. Amanda Camp and Hannah Mumber will be handling the pitching duties with the help of their batterymate Taylor Amazeen. Our defense will be anchored by an infield (Marketa Kruse, Nicole Rounsavill, Tatum Kelly and Kali Segal) that has not made an error in four games while Notre Dame-bound Bailey Bigler will work with Marisa Gergel to secure the outfield."
Coach Hollie Woodard says: We are very excited to make the playoffs, and we do it with confidence knowing our strength of schedule has prepared us for this challenge. We struggled throughout the season with various injuries, but everyone has returned to the lineup in time for the tournament. I anticipate we will play our best ball of the season, and I am very excited to see what this team will do once all cylinders are firing!"
Haverford
- (Record unavailable)
- Led by All-Delco senior pitcher Bridget Newman, who twice in four years has led Fords to Central League title, but they have never advanced out of opening round of districts in that time.
#18 OWEN J ROBERTS at CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH
Central Bucks South
- 10-8 overall
- 9-5 SOL Continental Conference (fourth place)
- Split conference games with ninth-seeded North Penn, winning season opener 5-3.
- Defeated 21st-seeded Hatboro-Horsham 5-4 in late-season meeting after dropping the first game to the Hatters.
- Dropped three of five games to close out regular season.
- Pitcher senior Hailey Warner is lone senior starter on young squad.
Coach Dan Hayes says: “We are the 15th seed and they’re the 18th seed, so there’s not much difference. We hope playing at home will be an advantage. We heard they are good hitters, but we hope Hailey continues the way she has been pitching and we can figure out how to score a few runs for her.”
Owen J. Roberts
- 16-6 overall
- 13-5 PAC-10 (fourth place)
- Advanced to PAC-10 finals, thanks to an 8-1 drubbing of regular season champion Spring-Ford in the semifinals
- Split regular season series with fourth-seeded Spring-Ford, winning the first 5-3 and losing the second 5-2.
- Closed regular season with three-game winning streak.
#21 HATBORO-HORSHAM at #12 PERKIOMEN VALLEY
Hatboro-Horsham
- 10-8 overall
- 8-6 SOL Continental Conference (fifth place)
- Split with eighth-seeded Central Bucks East, winning initial contest 7-4 but falling in the second 3-2
- Defeated 15th-seeded Central Bucks South 3-2 in first go round but fell in second 5-4
- Three wins in last seven games of a regular season that saw Hatters lose five games by just one run.
- Young team has just two seniors in starting lineup
Players to watch: Daria Edwards (Sr.), Meg Hallock (Sr.), Jen Cader (Jr.), Jayne Black (Jr.), Lexi Campbell (Jr.)
Coach Joe DiFilippo says: “Getting into the playoffs is a great opportunity after having a season filled with a lot of tough losses. Hopefully, the girls see this as a second chance on a new season. Perk Valley is a very tough team that had a great year.”
Perkiomen Valley
- 15-5 overall
- 14-4 PAC-10 (third place)
- Fell to Methacton 5-4 in PAC-10 semifinals after splitting season series with the 16th-seeded Warriors.
- Swept season series with 18th-seeded Owen J Roberts (2-0, 12-10) and split two games with fourth-seeded Spring-Ford, falling 4-1 in early season meeting and winning 12-1 in second go round.
#19 CHELTENHAM at #14 WEST CHESTER EAST
Cheltenham
- 14-6 overall
- 13-1 SOL American Conference co-champions
- Defeated Upper Merion in second go-round to clinch share of conference crown
- Won seven in a row before dropping two of three to close out regular season
- Senior pitcher Grace DeRosa has anchored the Lady Panthers
West Chester East
- 13-7 overall
- 12-7 Ches-Mont League
- Tied for second with Downingtown East behind co-champions Avon Grove and West Chester Henderson
- Season highlights include a win over second-seeded Avon Grove (2-0) and a pair of wins over sixth-seeded West Chester Henderson (10-5, 5-1).
Players to watch: Amy Atwell (Sr., 36-for-68, .529, 17 runs, 14 RBI, 20-of-22 on stolen base attempts), Olivia Rodgers (Jr., 13-6, 2.59 ERA), Steph Batog (Jr., .382), Olivia Francomano (Soph., 34-for-71, .479, 22 runs, 18 RBI, 5 doubles, two triples, two home runs), Amilia Andraos (Fr., 21-for-64, .328)
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