Eastern Softball 2022

Dawn Betner, Staff Reporter|May 10, 2022

With the winter sports season coming to a close, it’s time to spotlight our spring sports, starting with softball.

Last season, Eastern Girls Softball ended with a disappointing 5-15 record. This season they’re hoping to rebound and make it to the playoffs. Starting left fielder, Maddy Specht, mentioned the need for a stronger bond within the team last year, and many of her teammates agreed. Claire Suto says the team needs to work on, “communication, team relationships, positive attitudes, not giving up.”

Third baseman Alexis Rosano, in agreement with pitchers Claire and Amanda Ober, said the team needed to better their communication. Acknowledgement of this problem allows the girls to bond on and off the field.

Many of these girls play for the same organizations outside of Eastern, such as the NJ Mystics and the South Jersey Gators. All of them have been playing softball for over 5 years, and many of them plan to continue into their college careers.

Although only 8 of the 11 girls played for Eastern last year, all of them are prepared to have a better season and make a name for themselves. Captain Bella Lynch says, “Last season went as well as it could after not being able to play the year before because of COVID. Personally, I didn’t play my best, and as a team we could have played better, but both me and my team have improved on communication and the physical aspect of the game.” Improvements in team chemistry are already being made, which should mitigate team conflicts.

At the halfway mark in the season, EGS has a record of 2-7. All 11 girls along with Coach Gilmore agree that Cherokee was their biggest rival this season. The two teams faced off on the afternoon of Monday, April 25th. Eastern ended up losing 10-6.

Sami Wakeley, another pitcher, is the leader in hits and strikeouts. She has 12 hits followed closely by Alexis Rosano with 11. Sami also leads in strikeouts with 74. Bella leads in RBI with a total of 9 followed by Alexis with 7 and Claire with 6. Lastly, Alexis is leading in both home runs with 2 and runs with 9. Catcher Jenna Haas is tied with Alexis for runs.

Coach Gilmore says, “I am looking forward to watching how this team will compete on the field. Our schedule will never be easy. But if we can go out and play hard and compete, stay together, support each other, we can be successful.” With this in mind, there is still hope for the end of the Eastern Girls Softball season. If the girls can create stronger chemistry within themselves, there is hope for a championship title next season.

There are still some promising games ahead. These games include: