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May 2008 |
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NK softball not a one-person team |
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Wednesday, 02 April 2008 |
By ERIC RUEB
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NORTH KINGSTOWN – If you want to be an elite team in Division I softball, it starts on the mound.
On that alone, North Kingstown looks good.
In what could be a defining year for Caitlyn Sugrue as an individual, her team’s success won’t entirely be riding on her right shoulder like it was the last two seasons.
Of course, if she had an all-state type of season, it wouldn’t hurt.
“She’s going to be very key, especially to have her back only as a junior,” North Kingstown coach Rick Powell said. “This division is really stacked and it is very senior heavy. To have someone back with two years experience on the varsity level is going to be key.”
Sugrue was one of the top pitchers in Division I last season as a sophomore and led the staff with an ERA of 2.75. She had her fair share of dominating games, but there were also games where she struggled, mostly due to mental mistakes – leaving pitches in the zone ahead in the count, or getting flustered with the defense behind her.
As a junior, those things that aren’t supposed to happen and if Sugrue makes the transition, North will be a force.
“We’re going to be as success as she can make us,” Powell said. “We can start expanding what we allow her to throw now as opposed to last year. She’s getting some better command of her other pitches and she’s not just a straight fastball thrower anymore.
“She’s a pitcher.”
She’s also going to have some help on the mound. Where Sugrue was the only shot the Skippers had in the circle last season, this season Powell likes the addition of Kelly Stevens and Emily Branch, two sophomores who won’t see a lot of time in the circle, but will be strong in relief if needed.
“Even if it’s just for an inning to calm her down, we can bring one in and put Caitlyn back in the game,” Powell said. “She still wants the ball, she still wants to pitch, but she understands that we don’t have to put it all on her shoulders every day and every inning.”
And if North wants to help its ace out even more, it will start in the field, where the Skippers were almost notorious for handing opponents runs.
“When we sat down the Saturday after tryouts, I pulled the varsity girls in a room and put some numbers up on a board - 2.75, 3.5 and 5.5 - and I asked them what those numbers meant and they knew right away,” Powell said. “The 2.75 was the earned run average of our pitchers last year; 3.5 was our average runs scored in the league and 5.5 was what we averaged in runs given up.
“They understood that for every run we allowed that was earned, we allowed another unearned.”
Even if Sugrue’s pitching is stellar and the defense improves, North needs to put runs on the scoreboard.
While runs were tough to come by at times last season, this season the team has one more season of experience. That’s an extra season of at-bats, pitches and different situations they didn’t have last season that the Skippers will know what to do with this season.
“They know what to look for where they didn’t last year and a lot of that was first year jitters,” Powell said. “My playoff roster I had basically four or five first-year starters or first-year varsity player in the starting lineup gaining that experience. It was very key and these kids they know exactly what to expect now.”
Offensively, North is going to be led by senior Allie Luisi, the team’s No. 1 hitter and a second-team All-Division selection last season. Junior Morgan Capalbo should provide some pop – last season she hit a ball out of Cimalore Field in Westerly, one of the biggest fields in the state – and Powell said junior Megan McHugh has been ripping the ball in the preseason.
So while Luisi will be the focal point of the offense, Powell expects his lineup to surprise some teams.
“We scrimmaged in the rain (Monday) against Toll Gate and they threw their No. 1 and 2 starters,” Powell said. “We were hitting the ball well overall as a team. The bats are better as a team.”
Having nearly every player come back with one year of varsity experience will be back for North’s success.
While last season’s young roster had to be taught things, Powell has had more time to prepare in the preseason.
“It’s nice we have everything returning and we can get back into fine tuning instead of having to teach,” he said. “Having that is very good so we can focus on the smaller things.”
It’s going to be an interesting season, but should be better than last season’s 6-10 regular-season record, a season that ended with a 4-3 loss to Warwick Vets.
The 2008 season seems to be the perfect transition year, where the Skippers turn from a young, talented squad to one that could find itself in the top half of the standings come playoff time.
“We’ll see. It’s going to be tough at the beginning because we have two pretty tough first two games at La Salle and then hosting Westerly,” Powell said. “Once we get going in the season and it starts warming up, I think it will be a good year.”
Head coach: Rick Powell
Last season: 6-10; lost 4-3 to Warwick Vets in preliminary round of Division I playoffs.
Captains: Allie Luisi, C, Sr.; Natalie Bates, OF, Sr.; Ashley Hutchins, 3B.
Key returners: Caitlyn Sugrue, P, Jr; Allie Rivelli, OF, Fr.; Morgan Capablo, SS, Jr.
New additions: Kelly Stevens, 1B/P; Emily Branch, OF/P; Maddie Grimaldi, 2B/SS, Fr.
Key losses: Kelly Lanni, 1B.
Coach says: “We’re a young team and last year we lost to La Salle and Westerly 2-1 … I’m not saying we should win the first two games, but I’m expect to win those games and still want the girls to think they should expect it and really feed off of it.” |
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