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May 2008 |
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EWG softball rebuilding |
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Wednesday, 02 April 2008 |
By ERIC RUEB
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EXETER – Exeter-West Greenwich softball coach Mike Messier was hesitant to say it, but there was no getting around the point.
“I can actually say this, for the first time in a long time,” he said, “but I’m in a rebuilding process.”
It’s a tough thing for any coach to admit, but when you lose seven of nine starters, there’s no point in ignoring the elephant in the room.
“I look out there,” Messier said, “and go ‘Wow I am young. I’m really young.”
There are 26 players listed on the Knights’ varsity roster – in reality, a little over half will dress – and six are seniors.
While that might sound like a hearty amount, none scratched the starting lineup. The only returners are sophomores Jess Ferle – who will play shortstop this season – and Olivia Pontbriand, who will catch.
When the Knights take the field, seven will be on the field for the first time as a regular starter, including pitcher Juliann Tefft, a freshman who takes over for sister Erica, who graduated.
“I’m trying to keep it low key. I’m trying to keep it so they don’t feel the pressure,” Messier said. “I told Jess and Olivia I’m going to lean pretty heavy on them for guidance because of their experience. I told Alexa (Pacheco, the lone senior captain) that her and the rest of the seniors, I’m going to need their leadership and we’ve got a long road ahead of us here.”
Messier hopes the road is shortened a bit with the addition of Julianne Tefft, who Messier raved about and looks forward to seeing how she fares in Division II play.
“You look at what Erica did and she worked hard and did a nice job for us. You look at Juliann and she comes in and you don’t miss a beat,” Messier said. “I hope Erica doesn’t get upset, but I think Juliann has better stuff. She has great command and will only get better looking.
“I’m looking forward to working with her … she’s going to take her lumps but I think she’ll handle herself well.”
She’s going to have to because right now, the offense is a mystery.
While pitchers can come and go and it’s easy to replace defense, hitting is a different thing. You can have talent, but if you haven’t had experience facing top pitching on the varsity level, hitting will become a lot harder than originally thought.
Ferle and Pontbriand will be the meat of the order, hitting third and fourth. Jane Duggan as won the spot at the top of the order and right now, that’s about the only certainty in the EWG lineup.
“In the middle of the order, I’m probably going to have a girl that might come around,” Messier said. “I’m hoping Lauren Machon, she’s a good hitter and it looks like she can develop, can develop. She’s ineligible right now, but she came out for the team and she looked good, but she has some stuff to take care of.
While one Machon is on the sidelines, another could make an impact.
“Her sister Ashley is only a sophomore and I’m hoping she can turn it around and become my center fielder,” Messier said. “She has the talent, she just needs to break out of it and she might be the one who moves from the middle of the order to the top of the order.”
With all the inexperience and admittance that this is a rebuilding season, the question is how the Knights will fare, and it’s a good question.
Right now, it doesn’t have a definitive answer.
“I just want to feel it out because they’re so young and I don’t want to put the pressure on them to succeed at such a high level,” Messier said. “All I want them to do is make a commitment for the team and see it through and go from there.”
Captains: Alexa Pacheco, OF, Sr.; Jen Mattress, P/1B/OF, Jr.
Last year: 9-9, Division II
Key returners: Jess Ferle, SS, So.; Olivia Pontbriand, C, So.
Key additions: Julianne Tefft, P, Fr.; Jane Duggan, 3B, So.; Nicole Cacciola, OF, Sr.; Tori Hultzman, 1B/OF, Sr.
Key losses: Sarah Turner, SS; Cara Chelo, OF; Shelly Monahan, 2B; Erica Tefft, P.
Coach says: “(Juliann Tefft) has a great variety of pitches. It’s going to be a matter of what she wants to throw and if she needs that pop in the fastball, she’s got that extra zip … She has four or five pitches. I wasn’t aware of that until she showed up. I haven’t had a girl throw that many pitches before.”
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