SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs varsity softball team put it all together at the right time last season, capturing the Section 2 Class AA Championship. This season, the Blue Streaks are off to a strong start in their quest for a second straight sectional crown.
Head coach Geoff Loiacono said that while the team has gotten off to a great start, the remainder of the Blue Streaks’ league schedule will be “a grind.”
“It’s a grind from day one right through the rest of the season. Suburban Council is competitive, it’s always competitive, it’s always there for the taking,” said Loiacono. “It’s who gets hot, and it’s who gets the right hit at the right time.”
Saratoga returned much of last year’s championship squad, with 10 of the team’s 12 players returning from 2022. The Blue Streaks are 11-1 to start this season, with their only loss coming on April 18 against Troy.
“I feel like we feed off of each other, especially in our batting lineup,” said senior infielder Karley Austin. “If we start off good, everyone’s good for that entire game. … Our energy’s a lot better this year than it was last year.”
The Blue Streaks feature a pitching combo of sophomores Jacqueline Cutting and Charlotte Drabek, who Loiacono said have been “holding down the fort” on the mound.
“You’ve got to have girls who throw strikes, play defense, throw girls off here and there,” said Loiacono. “They’re both doing a really nice job, and we’re going to continue to use them how we can.”
Seniors Karley Austin, Mackenzie Waghorn, Zaynah Aparece, Maddy Vaughn, and junior Sarah Decker have been key players offensively for Saratoga, but Loiacono also stressed that the Blue Streaks have many different players “that step up at different times.”
“Some nights it’s our hitting, some nights it’s our defense, some nights it’s pitching. It just really depends on the game, and on the situation, on what sticks out best for us,” Loiacono said. “When we put it all together is when we’re great.”
Saratoga has seven games remaining in the regular season, with several tough league opponents still on the schedule, which Waghorn said will be “a good test for sectionals.”
“I kind of prefer it, because then we get that kind of atmosphere at the end of the season, and it feeds right into sectionals, which I think will definitely help us,” said Waghorn.
“I think our biggest thing is we just have to stick together as a team,” Austin added. “We can’t separate, we can’t think of just us. We definitely have to stick together.”
