DIV. 1-2 SOFTBALL PREVIEW: DESPITE LOSSES, TAUNTON REMAINS A THREAT
Even with the likes of Kelsey White, Hanna Aldrich and McKenzie McAloon graduating, Taunton has plenty coming back to defend their Div. 1 state title. The Tigers will rely on multiple arms with different looks, including senior Liv Mendonca. Junior and Louisville commit Ava Venturelli anchors the offense along with outfielder Angelina Lynch and shortstop Brooke Aldrich, who fills in for her older sister without skipping a beat as the team looks to defend winning a state title on their home field.
Also, in the Hockomock, King Philip is led by captains Mia Bennett, Meg Sherwood and Emma Sheehan. Sherwood came up big in a season-opening win over Taunton with a three-run homer.
Bishop Feehan’s talented roster is keyed by shortstop Haley Coupal, second baseman Abby Brooks, outfielder Ava Maloof, third baseman McKenzie Faherty and catcher Haley
Petrucci.
In what could very well be the toughest league in the Merrimack Valley Conference, Lowell has an arm up in the competition with three-time Gatorade Player of the Year Giana Lacedra. The Red Raiders also have Merrimack Valley Conference All-Star second baseman
Kay Laliberty and transfer first baseman Briana Bonilla-Bartlett. Methuen is excited for a full season and has senior captains Jenny Grelle, Avry Nelson and
Makenna Donovan in the outfield with junior sensation Brooke Tardugno at short. Andover will also be a tough out come tournament time.
From the Middlesex League, Arlington returns six sophomores, including pitcher
Janelle Lucente and Herald All-Scholastic
Natalia Fotopoulos who pitches, catches and plays shortstop and center. Woburn returns junior pitcher Morgan Barmash as well as senior captains Jenna Taylor and Cora Sodaquist.
In the Bay State Conference, Natick has a strong junior core with Marin Grundig leading the way at second. Seniors Jess Brill (Stonehill commit) and Karina Killelea will play catcher and shortstop respectively. Sophomore Olivia Shultz made a name for herself as a freshman at third and will be in the conversation as one of the best players in the league. Newton North will also make some noise with the likes of senior Ella Maher, senior
Marion Carter and junior Maya Tuolozzo among the ten returnees.
In the Dual County League, LincolnSudbury has junior captain Marissa Mazzocchi catching and junior Hope Huntowski playing short while Westford Academy has a strong upperclassmen squad with seniors Ragini Kannan and April Collamore to go along with juniors Aria Chambers, Kyla Feliciani, Maddie Haley and Lilly Proulx. Concord-Carlisle will be in the mix as well. Peabody from the Northeastern Conference is returning its entire starting lineup, including senior captains Emma Bloom at shortstop and Gina Terrazzano at first base as well as pitching ace Abby Bettencourt .A young Hopkinton squad from the Tri-Valley League will compete with junior TVL AllStar Caroline DeSimone leading the team in center along with seniors Emily Jurasek and Julianna Ceddia.
In the Southeast Conference, Bridgewater-Raynham has senior captain Riain Keefe (Georgia Tech commit) at short as well as seniors Ashley Jacques, Emma Talpey and Taylor Feist throughout the lineup.
In Div. 2, Danvers made it to the state semifinals a season ago and is looking to regroup after pitcher Lily Eldridge, catcher Becky Zellin and Brook Grassia graduated. Luckily, senior captains Kristina Yebba and Ashly Clark along with junior captain Emily Goddard should be more than enough to pick up the mantle with junior Makayla Cunningham at pitcher. In the deepest league, Silver Lake headlines the Patriot League after playing deep into the Div. 1 South tournament last year. With six returning starters, including senior captain Caroline Peterson and junior Brianna Ghilardi on the hill, the Lakers will be a force. Plymouth North has 10 seniors on its squad as captains Meg Banzi (out until April break), Kylee Carafoli and Emily Jenkins hope to win another Patriot League crown while also going further into the state tournament. Plymouth South returns Patriot League All Stars Morgan Brenner, Ashley MacPhail, Elli Cicchetti and Lauren Trostel.
In the Merrimack Valley, Tewksbury lefty Sam Ryan and sophomore Whitney Gigante will lead the pitching staff as part of seven returners along with junior captain Sam Perkins and seniors Giana Pendola and Madison Stovesand. Senior captains Jessica Maillet and Kailey Roche combined with juniors Naomi Boldebuck, Samantha Gaona and Emily Burdick will put Billerica towards the top of the bracket. Out of the Middlesex League, Burlington has senior captains Reece McLean and Sofia Wojtaszek to complement junior pitcher Cece Imbimbo. Wilmington will be competitive as well.
In other leagues, Bedford out of the Dual County League will have seniors Bella Fernald, Ellie Mitchell and Cassidy Schuman leading the offense. North Attleboro has three D1 recruits in junior Kelly Colleran (BU), junior Zoey McDonough (Holy Cross and senior captain Mandi Hanewich (URI) out of the Hockomock. Senior captains Jules Burke and Olivia Gauthier will be a big part of the Notre Dame Academy of Hingham’s offense. Walpole will have senior Catie Powderly and sophomore Ariana Kreuzer for teams to deal with on a nightly basis.