Hopkinton softball team's quick rise followed by recent bumpy ride

Bow Editor — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:45:00 GMT

A recent rough stretch aside, Dan Meserve said things are looking up for his Lady Hawks – now and in the future.

After beginning the season 4-1, the Hopkinton softball team flip-flopped in its last five contests. The result is a 5-5 record through Friday, May 9 – just past the midpoint of the season. But that doesn’t mean the squad’s goals are unobtainable.

“We’re hoping to finish strong and certainly meet our expectation of making the playoffs,” said Meserve. “Our ultimate goal is to get a (postseason) home game, and we still have a shot … It’s a little bit of a long shot, but we certainly still have a shot.”

A 6-2 record from this point, said the coach, is likely needed for the team to secure homefield advantage in the first round of the Class M tournament.

Though many Class M teams returned their No. 1 pitcher this season, Hopkinton did not. Still, Meserve said the locals have compensated with solid defense.

Leading this year’s unit are senior captains Jackie Reen, Christina Gleason and Elizabeth Brown.

Reen pitches and plays center field, Gleason patrols right field, and Brown mans third base.

Backup outfielder Dayna Jewell, in her first year on the team, is Hopkinton’s fourth senior.

Junior Remley Johnson, who pitches or plays the outfield, leads a solid group of juniors.

Kelsie Benson and Kaylah Lessard see time in the outfield as well, and Megan Wasserman backs up Brown at the hot corner.

It’s the team’s crop of sophomores, however, that has Meserve giddy about the future.

“I started three freshmen last year, and this year I’ve had games where my entire starting infield has been sophomores,” said Meserve.

Emma Brown catches, Katie Babson plays first base, and Melissa Baron and Hannah Richard hold down the middle infield at second and shortstop, respectively.

Miranda Murphy is the team’s utility infielder, and Ashley Gleason pitches and plays the outfield.

“It’s truly a nice, strong group of sophomores with some seniors that have done a great job of leading – and a good group of juniors as well,” said Meserve. “Yes, we are a young team because we start a lot of sophomores, and you can definitely look at it and say, ‘In another year we can be a powerhouse,’ but this year we still have a great group of girls that create a good blend and have a chance to do very well.”

Game notes

The Hawks dropped a 4-3 battle with Sanborn on Friday, May 9.

Reen led off with a walk, stole second and was driven home by Babson, who went 3- for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Richard and Lessard each plated Babson, but the Lady Hawks lost the contest when Sanborn took the lead for good in the sixth inning.

Hopkinton finished the contest with seven hits. Reen pitched six innings and gave up three earned runs on six hits while striking out five batters.

The Lady Hawks next host 6-5 Campbell of Litchfield on Friday, May 16.

HHS young but strong

Bow Editor — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 22:36:00 GMT

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.”

Hopkinton News : softball

Hopkinton softball team's quick rise followed by recent bumpy ride

HHS young but strong