Tough road for KP
Defending state title will be no easy task
The view from the top of the mountain was the sweet reward for a journey hard-earned, but for defending Division 1 state softball champion King Philip, duplicating that feat will be a challenging task this season.
The Warriors graduated ace pitcher Kali Magane (Boston University), as well as key pieces in outfielder Christa Wagner and shortstop Ashley Hession from a team that found its stride as the 7-seed in the Div. 1 South tournament before defeating Doherty in the state final for the program’s third crown in the last seven years.
This season, King Philip will lean on the leadership of senior Jenn Hutnyan and the continued growth of players such as Brooke Taute, Meg Gorman, Elise Pereira and Hailey McCasland.
But it will not be an easy road playing out of the Hockomock League, which boasts arguably the deepest collection of state championship contenders in Div. 1 South.
Taunton, which returns star outfielder Kya Enos as its centerpiece from a roster that graduated pitcher Aimee Kistner and stalwart Jordan Wade and fell to King Philip in last year’s sectional quarterfinals, should be in the discussion again.
But the sleeping giant could very well be Milford. The Scarlet Hawks’ lineup should be stacked with the return of Emily Piergustavo (.471 average), Jess Tomaso (37 RBI), Maggie Farrell and Kate Irwin, and the return of pitcher Ali Atherton puts Milford in a strong position to improve on last year’s run to the sectional quarterfinals.
Out of the Patriot League, Silver Lake is once again the program to chase. Although the Lakers will be hard-pressed to replace the pitching production of reigning Gatorade Player of the Year Maddy Barone, the return of senior middle infielder Caroline Videtto (who will play UMass next season) and catcher Emily Critch (Southern New Hampshire) should keep Silver Lake in the sectional discussion.
Coming off a semifinal appearance, Bishop Feehan and Villanova-commit Julia DaCosta will be a team to watch, as will Hopkinton, which has advanced to the sectional semifinals two out of the last three seasons.
In Div. 1 North, defending sectional champion
Lexington graduated ace pitcher Maggie Orum, but the return of Grace Orcutt, Ashley Burke and Lindsey Porter should give the Minutemen enough offensive firepower to make some noise in the Middlesex League. Sectional quarterfinalist Woburn is also a team to watch. The Tanners return the majority of the roster, including pitcher Emily Arredondo, from a team that won the Middlesex Liberty last year.
In the Merrimack Valley Conference, 2016 sectional semifinalist Central
Catholic and pitcher Niamh Walker (Suffolk University) and shortstop Bella Jankowski are again on the short list of teams to watch, while fellow MVC power
Lowell returns senior shortstop Haley Drakoulakos (.580 avg., 34 RBI) and senior pitcher Courtney Latta to a program that finished last season with 14 wins.
Billerica and senior Ashlie Jones is also a team to watch. Sectional finalist Newton
North lost a handful of talent to graduation, but the Bay State Carey team returns senior pitcher Madi Schaefer and classmate Caroline Bass as well as underclassman Izzy Antonelli and Kira Flegenheimer, as the Tigers will look to get over the hump in 2017. Sectional semifinalist
Concord-Carlisle, out of the Dual County League, returns Virginia Ryan to highlight its deep roster, while programs such as Medford, Haverhill, Cambridge, Methuen and Lynn Classical will be looking to build on strong 2016 seasons that ended with a trip to the state tournament.