The combination of the move down from Class B and a roster with more experience than last year has second year head coach Margo Downie ready to get the season underway on Monday, April 7 at Sharon Springs.
“I think it gives us more of a fair chance to go further in the season than we have had in the past because of the limitations of playing up,” Downie said.
SCC has 226 kids enrolled in grades six through 12, making an average class size around 30 or 32, which really puts them at the size of a Class D school. Last season, the team had just two seniors. Both hadn’t played school softball prior to the season when the team finished 1-10 in the Western Athletic Conference and 6-10 overall.
“I definitely have higher expectations this year than in the past,” Downie said. “Our team seems much more promising this year. We’re just much more experienced overall. This season, we know the game and have the skill. We’re just fine tuning.”
This year’s four seniors have all played at the varsity level since at least ninth grade. One of those seniors, Meghan McDonough, will be the Saints’ ace on the mound.
“She’s tough overall,” Downie said. “She definitely has the attitude that she wants to be dominating. She wants to win. She’s a good pick-me-up for the team. She brings leadership to the team that we haven’t had in the past.”
All-around athlete Natalie Pikus, who was the co-volleyball captain with McDonough, will be another returning senior along with starting catcher and returning cleanup hitter Myah Ondreyko.
Sophomore Jocelyn Maher, who was a versatile utility player as a freshman, will enter the season as the team’s starting shortstop.
“It seems like [Jocelyn] had some sort of transformation over the winter,” Downie said. “She is really looking a lot better than she was last year. She has shown a lot of improvement, especially in her hitting.”
Downie, who was with the team as an assistant coach two years ago, played her high school softball for the much bigger AA Saratoga Springs program. But to her, a small class size can have its advantages, offering a group tightness that is hard to come by at the larger schools.
“We have a very small school and the kids are involved in everything,” Downie said. “The core group that I have is really dedicated. Being in a small school is a benefit to us. They play together all the time in all different sports, they see each other all day at school, so they have a bond that I’m not sure bigger teams have. I don’t see the bond that our team has in bigger schools.”
The first pitch of today’s season opener is at 4:30 p.m. Last season, the Saints lost to Sharon Springs 1-0 early in the spring but beat them 9-1 at the end of the year in the WAC tournament.
