Now two years removed from not fielding a varsity team due to low enrollment, the Pierson/Bridgehampton softball team plans to take another step forward after going 2-6 in League VII last season.
For the most part, the Whalers have most of their team intact from last season, save for Mickey Wilson, Abby Sherwood and Joselin Perez, who have all since graduated. The coaching staff is back as well, only Lauren Kacherski has taken over as head coach from Sharon Truland, who is now the assistant, flip-flopping roles from last season. But as Kacherski put it, Truland is “still definitely running things.”
Kacherski is a graduate of the University of Buffalo and is now in her third year working within the school district. She grew up playing softball in the Longwood School District.
Kacherski will have senior Lizzie Hallock back behind the plate after missing all of last season due to an illness. Maddy Quinn filled in for Hallock last season as an eighth-grader, so Kacherski likes the team’s depth at catcher to start the season.
Fiona Martin, a sophomore, will be taking over the full-time pitching role left by the departed Wilson. Seniors Finn Goodale and Ashley Weatherwax also return and will each play on the corners in the infield. Junior Ava Garabedian will play centerfield and sophomore Milla Campomar will continue to play shortstop. Lilly Corcoran is a returning freshman and eighth-grader Sonria Zappola is entering her first year on varsity and is expected to play second base.
Last season, there were only enough teams in League VII to play eight varsity games with the other dozen games being a junior varsity schedule. This season, due to a realignment of the leagues, all 20 games on the schedule will be played at the varsity level.
The Whalers will play in a mixed-classification League VIII with some competitive teams in Bayport-Blue Point, Center Moriches, Hampton Bays, Mattituck/Southold/Greenport, Mount Sinai and Shoreham-Wading River. Pierson/Bridgehampton is the only Class C team in Suffolk this season.
The Whalers started the season on Wednesday at Shoreham and will play a nonleague game at Elwood/John Glenn the very next day, Thursday, March 30, at 4:30 p.m. before returning home to Mashashimuet Park to host Mattituck on Saturday at 4 p.m.
