Wildcats searching for more
By Jason Devaney
The Centreville softball team certainly has some unfinished business to take care of.After winning the Concorde District title last season, the Wildcats lost to Stone Bridge in the semifinals of the Northern Region tournament. The loss ended the team's season and stomped on any hopes of advancing to the state tournament.
"We don't like to lose," Centreville coach Rick Ferrick said. "It's a nasty feeling in the stomach; we don't like that. I'm hoping they take that feeling and realize, 'We're gonna stay on top. We're gonna win.' So we're excited."
Keying this year's squad – much like other dominant teams in the region – is good, quality pitching. Senior Brianne Pease will handle the bulk of duties from the mound, while Ferrick's daughter Jessica – a junior – will back her up. The younger Ferrick also plays first base and hits third.
"Bri's got a real knack, she's very cool under pressure," coach Ferrick said of his starter. "She moves the ball very well and like I said, she did a great job tonight. Bri's not gonna throw it by you, but she's gonna make you work real hard and we feel confident throwing anything, when she's down in the count or up in the count."
Ferrick was referring to a nine-inning, 2-0 loss to Battlefield in the squad's season opener last week. Pease went the distance, striking out eight and allowing four hits in the first eight innings. Battlefield plated two runs on four hits in the top of the ninth, and Centreville's bats were unable to make up the difference in the home half of the frame.
Despite the loss, Ferrick was pleased with the effort his players put forth.
"I was very proud of the girls defensively," he said. "We actually had five kids in the lineup tonight that never played a varsity game, so that was something that we weren't sure how things would go."
Aside from their two pitchers, the Wildcats have a wealth of talent returning this season. Junior infielder/catcher Victoria Marvin will hit cleanup, while senior Haley Morton – who is battling some tendinitis right now – leads off and will be stationed at second base. Megan deLorimier, a senior right fielder, hits ahead of Marvin and will provide solid fielding, power hitting and leadership for the team.
"I really truly believe, and this is what I tell my girls, I don't think we have one or two or three that are gonna make or break us," Ferrick said. "I think the key for us is our returning kids doing what we expect them to do, and our young kids – our freshmen, our sophomores – stepping up and playing like varsity players. We played as a team last year and good things happened and I think for us to be successful, it's gotta happen that way."
Elsewhere in the Concorde District, Westfield looks to fill big holes left by departing seniors Allie Heon (second base), Linda Pirro (pitcher) and Carolyn Jones (shortstop).
Coach Dean Ferington has a positive outlook as he embarks on the season, his fourth at Westfield.
"It's a good group to be around right now. And it helps being 4-1," Ferington said after the Bulldogs lost to West Springfield, 11-4, Monday afternoon. "With the youth is gonna come a game like this, where we kick it around, we're not as aggressive at the plate as we should be. There's a lot of promise."
He also said that with 13 players at the varsity level, the coaching staff is able to shuffle people around to various positions as the squad seeks its comfort zone.
Chantilly, which finished 6-14 last season under coach Suzy Willemssen, returns second team All-District selection Megan Fouse. She played catcher her first two years at Chantilly, but Willemssen has put her at shortstop for her junior season.
Other top players for the 2008 Chargers include junior Shannon Dooley (third base/pitcher), Sarah Prosser (catcher) and Jill Comer (DP). Senior right-hander Korrie Simons will pitch.
"We are truly a team," Willemssen said. "We don't have one person that we hitch our trailer to and say, 'Take us,' like Robinson had Dorian [Shaw] and Taylor Cunningham. We really gotta play together."
The coach added that Fouse, Prosser, Dooley and Comer are the bats on which the Chargers will rely this season.
"Those are the bats that are gonna have to get scoring opportunities when they're up," she said. "We're counting on them to come through. We just gotta make things happen."