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SOFTBALL
Coach: Coley Ferraro
Key Players: Jay Nolte (senior), Maeve Forti (sophomore)
2013 Record: 2-18

According to junior Emilia Morgan, a new format to offseason training and preseason activities is how the softball team is trying to improve their performance this spring.

“The students on the team are starting to organize preseason a little bit better, so this year we are actually going to have a good preseason and have practice three or four times a week,” Morgan said. “Last year it wasn’t very well organized, and the year before we didn’t have preseason at all.”

Morgan said that she hopes an organized preseason will lead to a more successful season.
“We’re starting earlier and trying to get more of our players to go to clinics and go to the batting cage, so hopefully everybody will be a little more serious,” Morgan said.

This spring, the softball team hopes to improve their record with a fresh approach to training.

GIRLS LACROSSE
Coach: Carie Gross
2013 Record: 2-16-1
Key Players: Michelle Hillman (senior), Alice Gilbert (senior)

Coming off of a disappointing season, the girls lacrosse team hopes to bounce back with hard work to combat how unseasoned the team is overall, according to junior Hannah Friedman-Bell.

“We have kind of an inexperienced team because we don’t play together very often,” Friedman-Bell said. “A lot of teams do club and play year-round together and a lot of us play other sports and don’t have a lot of time in the offseason.”

Friedman-Bell points to the fact that although they have less training than the other teams they play, they have the potential to make an impact this spring.

“We could be really good,” Friedman-Bell said. “We have a lot of potential; we just need to practice a lot and play together more.”

BASEBALL
Coach: Joe Campagna
Key Players: Ben Knopf (senior), Jordy McKay (senior)
2013 Record: 11-11

Although they lost most of their team to graduation last year, the varsity baseball team is looking to be even more successful this season than they were before, according to senior Sammy Koenig.

“We have five returning seniors and two returning juniors,” Koenig said. “We are a young team this year but still very competitive. We could be better than last year’s team.”

Most high school teams, after losing about half of the team from the year before, expect a subpar season. However, Koenig has a different vision for the team this year, even with the team taking on so many new players.

Even though the team was ousted in the preliminary round, “I think we could have a realistic shot at going far in the postseason,” Koenig said. “This is not a rebuilding year at all.”

GIRLS TENNIS
Coach: Dick Mount
Assistant Coach: Debby Notman
Key players: Rachel Hechinger (junior), Mei Kasif (junior)
2013 record: 18-1 in regular season, reached state semi-finals

Although some of the key players on last year’s team, which reached the state semifinal round, have graduated, junior Rachel Hechinger said the girls varsity tennis team’s depth will attempt to make up for the loss of these athletes.

“People are definitely going to step up this year,” Hechinger, the No. 1 varsity singles player last year said.

According to Hechinger, relaxed tryouts and team bonding during bus rides have helped the team’s cohesiveness. She said her sport has a good mix of individual athleticism and team support. For the team last year, this combination led to a nearly-undefeated regular season.

“Since it’s an individual sport, you can really focus on yourself and figure out how to win by yourself, but then you also cheer your teammates on afterward, so it’s a good combination,” she said.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Interim Head Coach: Weylin Chin
2013 record: 2-16 (2-14 in Bay State Conference)
Key players: Max Kaklins (senior), Josh Rezavker (senior), Kenny Szeto (junior)

Despite the arrival of interim head coach Weylin Chin from the junior varsity team halfway through last season and the graduation of key player Stefan Schmitz ‘13, the boys varsity volleyball team is looking for success this year with returning players and new freshmen, according to junior Kenny Szeto.

Szeto said Chin’s predecessor did not get along well with the team.

“He didn’t like us. We didn’t like him. It was a bad relationship,” Szeto said.

According to Szeto, Chin really values his players’ ability to learn.

“He’s really nice,” Szeto said. “He works with kids; he doesn’t automatically dismiss them if they can’t get it on the first try. He’s much more adaptive to how kids are.”

Szeto said the friendly, supportive environment of the team is crucial to the chemistry needed on the court.

“It’s a nice way to get out there, meet some new people,” he said. “Everyone on the volleyball team is really nice to each other. We’ll get Bertucci’s when we go near one for a game. It’s a supportive group of kids. We’ll help each other try to get better at volleyball.”

BOYS LACROSSE
Head Coach Steve Zella
Key players: Jesse Leung (sophomore), Desmond Bayer (senior)
2013 record: 8-10

Captain, midfielder and senior Nathan Bermel said the goal of the boys varsity lacrosse team is to qualify for the playoffs.

“My freshman year, we had a really great season, went to the second round,” Bermel said. “I think we were 15-6 overall. [Then we had] two disappointing seasons. Last year we missed it by one game. We had to win the last six games in order to make the playoffs. [We] made a bad start but we won five out of the last six.”

As it works to qualify, the team will use a combination of experienced and young players.
“We’re returning most of the offense, but defense and goalie are pretty young,” Bermel said. “We had a goalie for three years, Jake Bamberger, who graduated last year.”

The team, as it faces the challenges of small size and the difficult Bay State Conference, will be coached by Steve Zella.

“He’s very experienced, passionate about the game,” Bermel said. “He played in college. He’s taught at high school and college level. He loves lacrosse, and he really pushes us to play our hardest.”

GIRLS GOLF
Head Coach: Bill Camelio
Key players: Janice Lee (senior), Lucy Hwang (senior), Lily Parla (senior)
2013 record: 8-10

Because six of the seven players currently on the girls golf team are in their last year at the high school, the team has focused on its recruitment efforts through flyers posted in the school, according to senior Emily O’Brien. She said potential players can join the team for preseason without commitment, and stressed how the team is open to all interested players.

“This year, we are doing a lot of recruiting, because next year, there will be no team,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien also said the team’s coach, Bill Camelio, exerts a strong positive influence.

“He is the funniest and greatest coach, and when it comes down to matches, he’s all seriousness,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien also emphasized the sense of community created by the team.

“Since we’re such a small team, we’re a really close family, so to say,” O’Brien said. “Everyone knows each other… It’s a great little community [and] team that we have.”

Emmanuel D’Agostino and Edmund Geschickter can be contacted at [email protected].