BY SAPNA PATHAK
He knows their tendencies, bad habits, strengths and weaknesses. He knows the most effective approach to take with individual players and what to expect from each. There’s a certain kind of confidence-building familiarity he has with his lineup.
And it’s his first season as head coach.
While most new mentors face transition periods of getting to know their teams and vice versa, Dan Meserve stepped into the manager’s position with Hopkinton High’s softball squad with that taken care of.
The junior varsity manager the past three seasons, Meserve moved up to varsity, just as most of his players did. Though graduated seniors and a few new faces have tweaked the roster, most of Meserve’s players are used to his style.
“It was nice to have that comfort level already there,” said Meserve of his promotion. “We do have a young team, and anytime you have that it’ll take time to learn the nuances of where to be at what time. But as far as playing together, they already know how to do that.”
After a dominant Class M run, winning seven of eight state titles during the mid-’80s and early ’90s, strong pitching will decide whether the Hawks hoist another championship banner.
Out is graduated ace Lauren Tfundstein. In is Jackie Reen, who’ll spend the bulk of her season on the mound.
Kaitlin Minnehan and Emily Tower are also gone from the Hawks lineup, but junior Mo McAuliffe and sophomore Kayla Lessard’s bats should make up for them on offense.
“Class M softball teams tend to have a couple good pitchers,” said Meserve. “If we have that, we can compete and have a good season. The team’s a little bit on the young side, which hasn’t happened for a while, but there’s a lot of kids, so it might not be a factor.”
With two seniors and four juniors, Meserve must rely on three freshman starters – Hannah Richard, Emma Brown and Katie Babson. Meserve said seniors Katie Nee and Sarah Warner provide experienced leadership to the team, which consistently takes a positive attitude onto the field.
“Everyone seems to enjoy being out there and practicing,” said Meserve. “They listen well and take everything in. That’s important for a young team to develop into a strong one.”