Hayes pitches in for Daniel Boone
For Daniel Boone to make a title run in the Berks Softball League, everyone expected Dani Hayes would have to pitch in.
Hayes returns after the lost season of 2020 as one of the most dangerous hitters and athletic players on the field.
The Stanford University recruit can play the outfield, catch and play any infield position. She was an All-Berks pick as a sophomore in 2019 while playing shortstop.
But the Blazers were in need of a pitcher who could keep them in games and make them a title contender. So Daniel Boone coach Lee Trythall turned to his most versatile player, even though she hadn’t pitched an inning at the high school level.
“She can play nine positions as well as anybody,” Trythall said. “She came in and she understands it.”
Hayes and Exeter junior outfielder Haley Speicher all the only returning All-Berks players from 2019, the last time Berks County had a high school softball season. All the seniors and juniors who played in 2019 are gone.
When the league season opens on Friday, April 9, Berks County softball will have a different look on and off the field. In addition to all the new faces, the league has split from three divisions to four with a couple of teams swapping places.
Twin Valley, the 2019 Berks I and county champion, is now in Division II and expected to battle Hamburg for the division title. The Raiders also have a major position switch with Princeton recruit Sophia Marsalo moving from first base to catcher for her senior year.
Daniel Boone, the Berks II champion in 2019, is now in a competitive Division I with 2019 county runner-up Wilson, Gov. Mifflin, Exeter and Reading High.
Antietam, which has struggled in recent years to field a team, decided to cancel its 2021 due to low turnout. That leaves backyard rivals Brandywine Heights and Kutztown to battle it out with Tulpehocken as the only three teams in Berks IV.
On the field, things will look pretty much the same for Daniel Boone, which has won 18 games in each of the last two seasons and won the Berks County championship in 2018.
The biggest difference will be that Hayes is in the circle. Kristen DiNolfi, last seen as a promising freshman center fielder in 2019, has taken Hayes’ spot at shortstop.
“It’s definitely a different position,” Hayes said. “It’s going to take some time getting used to, but I think I’ll get a handle on it.”
Being surrounded by solid players looking to add to Daniel Boone’s softball tradition should make the transition easier for Hayes. She just has to focus on doing her job.
“I think we have a really good defense,” Hayes said. “I trust everyone in the field. I know if I can pitch strikes that they’ll back me up.
“We still have the talent, we still have the hitting, we still have the defense.”
The Blazers went 18-6 in 2019 and had great promise for last year. But that season was canceled due to the coronavirus pan- demic without 2020 graduates Liz Nitka, Savannah Weller and Caitlin McCrone getting a chance to see how far they could help take the Blazers.
Trythall admits that on paper the 2020 team looked a little stronger than this year’s Daniel Boone squad. But for Daniel Boone and all the other Berks softball teams, the time to think about what could have been in 2020 is over and the time to play ball is here.