[ back ]
Tenafly Softball Preview
Tigers will try to earn their stripes
|
Staff photo by Joe Camporeale
Tenafly catcher Brigette Cohan stands at home plate during a warm up drill. The senior captain was an integral part to last season’s success when the Tigers earned a 20-6 record.
|
By Jonathan Cheung
Staff Writer
Published: March 26, 2008
The Tenafly softball team is not only thinking big, but also doing the right things to make sure their championship dreams are fulfilled.
"We know we’re capable of making it to the county finals," said senior Megan Birch. "There’s so much potential."
Last year, the Tigers won their league with a 20-6 record. Having the luxury of losing only two players to graduation, it’s easy to predict a repeat, but Tenafly is taking a different approach.
The girls are remaining humble and eager to prove they can make it further into the county tournament.
"We don’t look at the numbers and last year we were fortunate to squeak by, but this year we want more clean victories," said coach Megan Williams. "This year it’s going to be about how we get the win."
Williams is especially excited, being a third year coach, since she has seen many of the girls progress through her coaching system. Through the years as the senior girls’ skills have developed, Williams also learned a great deal about coaching.
"My first year here, I was very conservative and just focused on getting to know the players," said Williams. "Now I’m taking more chances and being more aggressive in order to take it to the next level."
In the preseason, the Tiger coach is mainly focusing on the girls polishing the fundamentals, playing smart ball and relearning the game.
"Most of our girls play two or three sports," said Williams. "Everyone on this team has their own sprinkle of talent and now it’s just a matter of relearning everything on the softball field."
The Tigers hope that on the field a strong, balanced lineup, marvelous fielding and an ace pitcher will be enough. In addition three of the six returning seniors have been on the varsity team since their freshman year.
"We know we can hit, play defense and our pitcher, Jesse Shevins, has the talent to take us far," said Birch. "We’ve grown really close and everyone’s always positive."
Tenafly is thinking about adding a new element to the mix - speed. Williams hinted at the importance of keeping opposing teams guessing. Teams around the league think they know what to expect from Tenafly, but many are unaware of the new dimension added.
"Last year’s team wasn’t built on speed, but this year we want to make sure we take a fresh approach and we’re looking to surprise some teams," said Williams. "At this point, we’re trying to figure out our strengths."
Off the field, the girls count on their togetherness to give them the edge and keep them motivated. The girls are holding a portion of their preseason camp in Florida, which will only help build the needed intangibles, while playing competition from other states.
"Our closeness is what separates us from the rest of the teams in the league," said Jules Barrett. "We have a young, fresh aggressive approach. We’re hungry to win and excited for the season."
Last season’s record: 20-6
Key players: CF Jules Barrett, SS Megan Birch, C Brigette Cohan, seniors; 3B Michelle Koles, P Jesse Shevins, sophomores
Outlook: The Tiger softball team is very optimistic with hopes of repeating as league champions and going further in the county and state tournaments. With the loss of only two seniors, the Tigers should be a threat.
E-mail: cheung@northjersey.com or call 201-894-6709
[ back ]
