It’s a brand new season and – for several schools – a brand new look.
At Norristown, Jon Kandrick has taken over the helm for long-time coach Jim McCarthy, who resigned at the end of the season last year.
The Eagles have three freshmen on their roster and a new pitcher on the mound.
Talk to the players, and there’s a recurring theme that suggests this group is more than just a team.
“I’m friends will all these girls in school, and we’re all really like a family even outside of softball,” said senior co-captain Shauna Byrnes. “The new coaches have been great. The transition wasn’t hard. I have dealt with different coaches my whole life. It’s something I’m used to.”
“It’s been great,” junior pitcher Daisy Foster added. “All these girls are my friends, and we’re basically one big family. We all get along really good, and we know how to work with each other real well.“I have a great defense behind me. I just have to do my job, and they’ll do theirs.”
Kandrick credited his senior co-captains – Byrnes and Kim Detwiler - for making the transition a smooth one.
“Kim Detwiler is just an unbelievable leader,” he said of his senior catcher. “She always does what’s needed for the team, keeps everyone on track – just a complete coach’s dream. This is Daisy’s first year pitching, and to have a catcher like that means so much to her.
“Shauna is a great kid. She does all the things you want her to do. She’s a great leader. Just like Kimmy – I can’t speak enough about her leadership. They’re our only seniors on the team, and to have them step up as leaders is amazing. They make our job as coaches a lot easier.”
Kandrick also acknowledged the significance of assistant coaches Nick Palmerio and Jess Kreigner.
“They do an amazing job,” he said. “They keep me informed of everything.
“I heard one of the kids say we were a family. We’ve been preaching that to them all year – we’re a family, let’s stay as a family. If someone makes an error, let’s pick them up. Let’s do all the little things right, and the big things will happen.”
Torresani notches 200th – Rick Torresani reached a milestone on Tuesday when his North Penn Maiden squad downed Council Rock North 11-1 in a non-league contest. The win was number 200 of the veteran coach’s career.
“The girls knew nothing about it, and I said, ‘You know what - I wasn’t going to say anything, but the way you played today, the way you did things we have been practicing at-bat and in the field just made this win so precious and important to me,’” said Torresani. “That’s when I told them it was my 200th win.“I told them, ‘If there was any way I’d want to get it, it’s with this kind of softball because that’s the way it should be played.’”
Torresani, who is entering his ninth season as the Maidens’ coach, is 120-62 at North Penn. He picked up his first 81 wins while coaching Bishop McDevitt. His overall record – including Friday’s 4-0 non-league win over Ridley – is 201-117.
What keeps Torresani coming back to the sidelines?
“The association with the girls,” he said. “When you have a group like this that comes out and works hard and does everything you ask and then does a little bit more, it just makes you want to continue coaching. That’s why I’m so proud of these kids.
“So far, everything’s been really great.”
A year later – Few teams can explain what it’s like to come back the year after a state championship. Hatboro has that rare distinction this year. Coach Kelly Krier summed up the feeling as simply one of excitement.
“It’s like the first day of school – you kind of have butterflies in your stomach,” she said. “To win the state championship and also have the type of season we had – it was a coach’s dream. We didn’t have any petty in-fighting or issues. It really was a special group of girls.
“The expectations that I have for my players this year is totally different because it’s a new team. We told them, ‘It’s a new day.’ We talk about last year, we laugh about it, and we share great memories, but the past is the past. There are a lot of unknowns, and I look at it as exciting.
“Do I want to win the championship again this year? Heck, yeah, because I’m a competitive person. My goal is to give this group of girls the level of confidence and the great experience last year’s team had. If that means winning it all, I would love that. If it means just growing together as a team, I would love that too.”
Sophomore Julie Wambold, who was a designated hitter last year, will be playing shortstop. Junior Megan Kelly will return to left field. Sara Dougherty, the Hatters’ top hitter last year with a batting average of .450, has moved from the outfield to behind the plate while senior Jenna Phillips will once again anchor the outfield in center.
Kelly, Dougherty and Phillips will serve as captains.
“Their leadership is above and beyond what I expected,” Krier said. “There were so many big characters last year, and we weren’t sure how they would step into the role of leaders, and they are just impressive every day.
“They’re really opening their arms to the younger girls. They have already had several team dinners. It’s really great.”
The Hatters’ roster includes seven sophomores and freshmen who will be filling key roles.
“What’s nice about this group is their attitude is like last year’s group when they were young,” Krier said. “They’re confident, they know softball, and they’re not afraid to have fun. We had weight training, and they were there every day.
“There’s going to be a learning curve, and there will be times when things don’t work out as we had hoped, but I think it’s all going to be a positive thing. We’re a nice little team. I’m excited. It’s a totally different type of experience, but it’s a great experience.”
‘Oh captain, my captain’ – Frank McSherry has had a longstanding policy of not naming captains. The veteran Pennsbury coach threw that policy out the window this season when he named seniors Kirby Groves and Lauren Rossi to serve as co-captains.
“We have never had captains before,” the Falcons’ coach said. “It’s a combination of things, but certainly because we brought so many new faces to the team. We’re expecting a lot of leadership from them on and off the field.”
So far, so good.
Groves had the game-winning hit in the Falcons’ 2-1 non-league win over Interboro in its season opener last Tuesday. The senior first baseman drove in a pair or runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Falcons’ the come-from-behind win. Junior Kait Schilling notched the win on the mound.
The Falcons are coming off a year that saw their season come to an uncharacteristically early end when they fell to Upper Darby in the second round of the District One Tournament.
“I know as coaches it forces us to refocus a little bit,” McSherry said. “Not that we took anything for granted - we always cautioned our kids against that, and that only fortified the thought that we cannot.”
This year’s squad lost 11 seniors from last year’s squad to graduation.
“I think it’s going to be hard for us to live up to some of the expectations,” said McSherry, who will have just three senior starters. “We have a lot of kids in new positions, but we talked to the kids about it – ‘Don’t think because we put on black and orange that it’s going to come easy. It’s going to be even harder because people give us their best shot.’
“I think it’s going to be a tough year, but I hope that what happened last year serves as inspiration because it certainly has served as inspiration for the coaches.”
McSherry will be counting on Schilling and Sarah Gosselin, both juniors, to carry the load on the mound.
“We can probably count on one hand the varsity innings they have thrown,” he said. “As important a position as that is, we’re pretty new, we’re pretty young.”
Eagles soar - The Eagles have lost a couple of close games – 10-9 to William Tennent on Wednesday and 6-3 to Lansdale Catholic in their season opener last Friday, but on Monday, they earned an impressive 15-1 win over Harry S. Truman after spotting the Tigers an early 1-0 lead.
“It was so exciting,” said senior co-captain Shauna Byrnes of a game that was halted after four and a half innings because of the mercy rule. “We were struggling last week, and to get this win – everyone contributed. There’s not one person you could point at who didn’t contribute.
“It was really a confidence booster, especially with Daisy (Foster) being a first-year varsity pitcher and the freshmen and the new girls on the varsity.”
The win was especially welcome after the preceding Friday’s disheartening loss that saw the Eagles give up three unearned runs in the seventh in their 6-3 loss to LC. In Monday’s win, the Eagles - capitalizing on Truman miscues - scored six runs in the second, and the floodgates were open.
“What I have been preaching all year – when you keep your errors down and you put the ball in play, you force the other team to make plays,” Kandrick said. “They made errors, and we capitalized.
“We’re a team that can come back, but we can’t afford to dig ourselves a hole because we don’t have a powerful shutdown pitcher. She (pitcher Daisy Foster) needs the defense behind her. If the defense plays well, it brings her game up a notch.”
Byrnes delivered the game’s big offensive blow – a grand slam to deep left in the fourth inning.
“Amazing,” Kandrick said. “That kid has been hitting the ball like that all year, but unfortunately, it’s been caught every time. She was moved up in the batting order.
“She was our secret at nine, and today I moved her up to three to see what she could do.”
On Friday, the Eagles defeated Kennedy-Kenrick 7-6. Lead-off batter Maggie Creciun reached base four out of five times and scored three runs. Detwiler led the way with four hits while Foster added three.
SOS.com honor roll – Each week, performances of note that have been reported (and not acknowledged elsewhere in the notebook) will be recognized on the honor roll:
Melissa Allen had three hits and Taylor Bobeck tossed a shutout in Central Bucks West’s 10-0 win over Wissahickon in the season opener for both teams.
Mel Frank scattered three hits while teammate Laura Murray was 2-for-3 with a triple and Erica Reis had three RBIs in Central Bucks East’s 6-1 win over Chichester.
Rachael Alligood did it all in Truman’s 9-0 win over Archbishop Ryan, allowing just two hits while striking out 10 to earn the win on the mound. At the plate, she was 2-for-3 with a home run. Teammate Tina Coffman contributed a three-run home run.
Francesca Carrullo fanned nine in five innings and Lauren Klepchick was 2-for-2 with an RBI in Central Bucks South’s 10-2 win over Upper Merion.
Shelby Spressert had a pair of home runs, Cassie Zanolini had three hits, Danielle Cyr had a pair of triples, a single and six RBIs, Melissa Allen had three hits and three RBIs, and Aimee Schnecker had a home run and single in Central Bucks West’s 16-1 win over Council Rock South. Taylor Bobeck tossed a two-hitter on the mound.
Ashley Alden slugged a double, triple and home run, and she also was the winning pitcher of record in William Tennent’s 5-3 win over Central Bucks East. She struck out seven.
Devon Utterback struck out 15 and did not walk a batter in Central Bucks South’s 3-0 win over Lansdale Catholic Jae Epstein had a two-run double.
Cari Anderson had two hits and two runs scored while Kellianna Bradstreet scattered four hits on the mound in North Penn’s 11-1 win over Council Rock North. Chloe Pinto had two of Rock North’s hits, including an RBI triple.
Melissa Kulp had a pair of hits and drove in a run, and she also notched the win on the mound in Upper Merion’s 5-4 win over Cheltenham. Nicole Kulp also had two hits.
Samm Schultz had three hits, including a double and triple, in William Tennent’s 10-9 win over Norristown. The Eagles were led by the four-hit effort of Kim Detwiler while Gabby Berry had three hits.
Sam Haber and Sammy Sitarski each had two hits in Upper Dublin’s 12-2 win over Gwynedd Mercy. Amy McCaffrey hit a two-run home run, and Rachel Mintz had a grand slam.
Kelsey Detweiler threw a three-hitter, and teammate Amber Viall was 2-for-3 in Pennridge’s 3-1 win over Lansdale Catholic.
Francesca Carrullo struck out eight in four innings in Central Bucks South’s 6-1 win over Council Rock North. South’s Haileigh Stocks had South’s only hit – a triple.
Taylor Bobeck and Mackenzie Coburn combined to strike out 13 and allow just three hits in Central Bucks West’s 9-0 win over Cheltenham. Danielle Cyr contributed three hits (two triples), three RBIs and three runs scored. Jaclyn Repert had three singles.
Kellianna Bradstreet allowed just one hit and fanned seven in North Penn’s 4-0 win over Ridley. Cari Anderson was 2-for-3 with a double and home run.
Predictions – It’s impossible to predict which teams will rise to the top in each conference, but we’re going to take a stab at picking the winners. In the National Conference, Pennsbury – despite its major losses to graduation – will defend its title.
In the American Conference, there’s certainly no clear favorite, although Upper Merion already owns a 5-4 win over defending champion Cheltenham. The Vikings get SOS.com’s nod as the team to beat.
The Continental Conference is too close to call with Hatboro, Central Bucks South and North Penn the favorites to vie for the crown. Central Bucks West has looked impressive behind the strong arm of Taylor Bobeck, and don’t count Souderton out of the mix. SOS.com is picking South to be the team still standing when the league season ends.
SOS.com’s Fab Five
1. Central Bucks South (3-0)
2. Pennsbury (1-0)
3. Hatboro-Horsham (0-0)
4. North Penn (2-0)
5. Central Bucks West (2-0)
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