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NEWTOWN – Chloe Pinto, wearing a dog hat she’d received as part of her senior gift, doesn’t necessarily look the part of captain and senior leader after Friday’s 16-6 win over Council Rock South, but make no mistake about it, the Council Rock North senior is a leader.
And a very good one.
Granted, the senior captain didn’t play a single inning this season and didn’t have a single at-bat because of a torn ACL, but she never missed a practice, never missed a game, and she provided positive leadership during a season that has seen the Indians reverse their fortunes.
“I think that really says a lot about the character of the team because you have a captain that’s saying, ‘Come on, let’s pull together,’ and she has nothing invested in the team except the other girls,” coach Hollie Woodward said. “That’s really an example for the girls to follow. I think that creates awesome chemistry.”
Riding that ‘awesome’ chemistry and some new-found confidence, the Indians – for the first time in five years – will be advancing to the district tournament. They finished third in the highly competitive SOL National Conference, behind only perennial district powers Pennsbury and Neshaminy.
Not bad for a team that never so much as had the playoffs on its radar the past five years.
“Again, it’s only third place, but for us, it feels like the Olympics,” Woodward said. “We’ve worked really hard because this was absolutely out of sight the last couple of years. It’s been exciting.”
Woodward has to look no further than Pinto and fellow captain Sarah Bunke to figure out where the changes began this season.
“I have two excellent captains who have an excellent way of keeping things in perspective, keeping the girls motivated,” the Indians’ coach said. “We had excellent senior leadership.
“A lot of the seniors have been in the program for four years and lost and lost and lost. Once they got a little taste of winning, they’re really working on it.”
The winning started early this season when the Indians knocked off defending district runner-up Central Bucks South in their season opener. That non-league win was the springboard for a season that saw the Indians defeat every team in their conference except Neshaminy and Pennsbury.
“The girls were tired of not getting wins,” Woodward said. “It’s hard to play this game and not get wins.”
Bunke admitted it wasn’t always easy to stay positive as the losses mounted.
“It was very tough because we would always be in the game, and we would know that we had the skill,” she said. “We just couldn’t get over the hump of winning games.”
The change in attitude started early this season. It began with the team’s motto ‘No excuses,’ encouraging each player to take responsibility upon themselves instead of pointing a finger at others.
“That was really a big shift for us because it went away from blaming other people for why we lost or blaming the (school) split or blaming the fact that they went from 32 to 23 teams (for districts) and just made it about individual accountability and responsibility,” Woodward said.
There was also the not-so-little matter of team bonding. This year’s squad took it seriously and reaped the dividends.
“The girls are friends,” Woodward said. “I always heard when I played – you don’t have to be friends, you just have to play together.
“I say, ‘The (heck) with that. Why can’t you be friends?’ The definition of a friend is someone who has shared experiences, memories you made with a common interest. Softball provides an opportunity for that to happen.”
The players took intentional steps to develop the social aspect of their squad and even went on a retreat together in the offseason.
“I think they’re invested in one another,” Woodward said. “Having Chloe as captain helps out a lot with that.
“You can’t get mad when your captain is telling you do to something because literally it’s just for the genuine good of the team.”
Pinto admits she is enjoying her role as captain.
“I’ve waited four years for it,” she said. “I wasn’t about to let it get taken away from me just because I was injured.
“I wanted to be there for everybody. I had high expectations for my team, but this goes above and beyond and exceeds them, and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
There are six seniors on this year’s squad – Pinto, Bunke, Colleen Kraft, Cindy Catapano, Alex Mangold and Allison Schultz. That number almost was five as Kraft admits she was seriously considering not going out for the team this year.
“I spent my whole life playing softball, and this was my senior year – I wanted to take a break,” Kraft said. “One of my best friends is on the team, and she really pushed me, and coach is a really good teacher, and she always talked to me in school.
“This year has just been incredible. It’s so much different than every other year. I love all the friendships I made, and I’m so happy I came back.”
That camaraderie and team unity is a recurring theme.
“I feel if we didn’t have such a great group of girls on our team that our season would not have been like this at all,” Pinto said. “We pick each other up so well. We all mesh together. It just works.”
“We’ve really come together as a team,” Bunke added. “A lot of it has been a process.
“Now I think we’re finally at the point where we have the skills. This year we really came together socially. We all got along. There was no drama. We just played ball.”
“Our friendships this year are much different,” Kraft added. “We just trust each other on the field.
“At first base, I know that my second baseman, Michelle Hand, has my back. If I miss a grounder, I know she’s always there. I think it’s really trust.”
While Bunke, Catapano and Kraft are starters, Mangold and Schultz are not, but according to Woodward, that does not diminish their value to the team.
“One of the hardest things is to be a role player, but you have Mangold and Schultz who know they’re not going to get one at-bat, who know they’re not going to get a single out, but they’re bringing it every day,” the Indians’ coach said. “”They’re sliding into our catcher again and again and again, skinning up their knees and bruising their hips so our catcher can handle contact.
“They’re not going to have one moment of glory, but they’re doing all the basics, all the trick plays so we can be well prepared. Again, there’s that selflessness.”
Woodward went on to credit her coaching staff.
“I have a great staff that is absolutely committed and has put in tons of hours to get these girls to the next level,” she said. “The other thing is the girls’ absolute faith and belief in our staff. They don’t question a darn thing
“If we tell them to go up to bat backwards and put a Mickey Mouse hat on, they would do it, and that’s a big thing in high school because so many girls come in with their travel coach or their hitting instructor, but these girls just want to learn from us.”
It’s all added up to quite a season for the Indians, who captured the Rock Cup on Friday and will now await their seed in districts, and for everyone involved, it’s a whole new world.
“It’s awesome on every level,” Woodward said. “On a personal note, it’s very validating. You start in October, and you’re working out two nights a week and you’re wondering why if you’re going to have a last place team – trying to explain to your husband why you can’t be home for dinner and you’re not seeing your kids.
“Winning and seeing a goal actually come true is absolutely validating. I want to work out three nights a week. I’m so much more fired up.”
“It’s a great feeling,” Bunke added. “We have never done this well before in my four years. I’m really proud of what we were able to do this year.
“I really hope this sets the tone for the future and what North softball is all about.”
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