NY Softball - Great Preview Article!

[NYBuckeye96]

From today's Athens Messenger.....

N-Y hoping for turnaround

By JASON ARKLEY
Messenger staff writer
Published: Wednesday, April 1, 2009 9:32 AM EDT

They cheered, danced and posed for a picture.

For the Nelsonville-York High School softball team this was a moment to remember. The Buckeyes hope more are to follow this season.

Nelsonville-York opened the 2009 season with a win at Athens on Tuesday (see related story). It was a welcome relief for a program that was unsuccessful in notching a single victory all of last season. Second-year head coach Christy Hook saw all the losses pile up first hand. She knows the challenge of getting the Buckeyes to play winning softball begins not on the diamond, but in the players’ psyches.

“It’s been a big challenge,” she said. “Just getting them know that they can win.

“We’ve had to change everything just to get them to believe. Really it’s a whole attitude change.”

It should help that the Buckeyes got to experience early positive reinforcement as well. Hook said she’s expecting to sneak up on some teams this season, and the reason has nothing to do with just trying to pump up her own team’s confidence.

Hook is starting to see the Buckeyes wanting to compete.

“They were much better in our last practice than they were at any time last year,” she explained. “They want to play. And we haven’t had much of that before. They want to get out there and play.”

On the field, Nelsonville-York will lean heavily on junior pitcher Chelsey Martin to keep them in ballgames. Martin had surgery before last season, and Hook said it’s a blessing she’s been able to return.

She’s matured a lot. She knows this is her team and she has to lead them in every game,” the coach said. “She’s accepted that role. This year she’s taken the bull by the horns and got after it so far.”

Seniors Lauren Bunting (shortstop), Monica Mourn (outfielder) and Lauren Barber (first base) will give the Buckeyes senior leadership. But with no JV team, expect plenty of freshmen and sophomores to have to play well if the Buckeyes are to have a winning campaign.

Sophomore third baseman Rose Nerponi could be a big bat in the middle of the lineup, and sophomoes Jetty Richards (catcher) and Amanda Hunter (outfield) figure to be regular starters.

Freshmen Jessica Bulstrom and Haley True will see time in the outfield, and sophomore Jessica Mace will play some on the infield. Junior Sara Mitchell will also find time on the infield.

Rounding out the Buckeyes’ roster is senior Jenna Mace, junior Brittany Carr and freshman Alex Norway.

Keeping things positive has been Hook’s plan. It worked for the Buckeyes in the opener; N-Y had a couple errors and was down 2-0, but rebounded for a gritty win.

“Last year, if we made one mistake it just went downhill. They couldn’t bring themselves back up out of it,” Hook said. “This year, I think we’ve got them back to the basics. We’ve had to start over.

“It’s about repetition. If you make a bad play, shake it off. You’ll get it next time.”

With Martin in the circle, and more consistent defense, Hook thinks her club will be in a lot more games this spring. Whether the Buckeyes can win depends on the bats. It’s the weak point for her team at the moment, with several young players facing varsity-level pitching for the first time.

“Getting on base is going to be our biggest thing,” Hook said. “Our defense looks pretty good right now if we can keep it up.”

The Buckeyes, thanks to Tuesday’s win, have already had the biggest upset in the program’s recent past. With the spectre of a winless season already removed from the equation, Nelsonville-York can now relax and just try to improve game-by-game, week-by-week.

And Hook believes the Buckeyes aren’t done with the suprises.

“Keep looking for us. We’re out there. We’re going to do it again.”