Pierson/Bridgehampton Softball Returns To The Varsity Ranks

A lot has changed for the Pierson/Bridgehampton softball team over the years.

After being a perennial playoff team for years, participation in the sport dipped, so much so that the program had to take last season off from varsity. In between that time, head coach John “Woody” Kneeland stepped down to focus more on basketball — he’s the Pierson girls varsity basketball head coach.

But the old adage “the more things change the more they stay the same” certainly rings true for the Whalers. Sharon Truland has returned to lead the team as coach along with assistant Lauren Kacherski. Truland has a long history with the program, most notably coaching the varsity team from 1999 to 2006. After taking some time off to watch her niece and nephew play sports in the Riverhead School District, Truland returned to the program as the middle school softball coach in 2016 and has coached in various roles since then. Kacherski is a graduate of the University of Buffalo and is in her second year working within the school district as an ENL and social studies teacher. It’ll be her first season coaching but she grew up playing softball within the Longwood School District and said she’s excited to work with and learn the coaching side of the sport from Truland.

With 16 girls between both varsity and JV, and coming off a year where there was no varsity, Truland said it’s clearly a rebuilding season for the team, but with numbers looking good in the lower grades, things should improve in the near future.

The team still has a steady group of players who have continued to play the sport no matter what level the team is playing. That includes four-year player Mackenzie Wilson, a senior pitcher who Truland says can play anywhere and is the team’s leader. Senior Abby Sherwood also returns and will play second base. Bunting is a big part of her offensive game and she is training to slap hit as well, Truland said.

Bridgehampton’s Uma Comfort returns a strong bat and while Pierson junior Ashley Weatherwax is entering her fourth year on the team. She’ll play catcher and shortstop and is training to be a pitcher as well. Finn Goodale is a junior entering her third year on the team and plays first base. Truland says she has a strong bat and is a solid fielder. Sophomores Hannah Ramundo and Ava Garabedian are also returning. Truland said Ramundo has a great softball sense and is solid in both the field and at the plate, while Garabedian plays third base and outfield and has worked hard in the offseason and has a strong arm. Liz Hallock, a junior, is currently nursing an injury and her return is up in the air but is typically the team’s catcher.

The team will be rounded out by senior first-year player Joselin Perez, juniors Isabella Pilarski (second base) and Isla Panton (second base/outfield), freshmen Fiona Martin (outfield) and Milla Campomar (outfield) and eighth-graders Makayla Cantrell (outfield), Lilly Corcoran (pitcher/first base) and Maddy Quinn (catcher).

Many League VII schools face similar issues with numbers like Pierson — Southampton is fielding a JV team only this season — which is why the Whalers only play eight varsity games this season. Babylon, Center Moriches, Shelter Island and the combined program of Southold/Greenport/Mattituck remain in the league.

But as Truland noted there are a few more teams on the JV level where they will get 12 games making for a full 20-game schedule. Truland will use sophomores and juniors to swing up and down between varsity and JV and fill spots on JV when necessary. The seniors on varsity will act as base coaches for the JV.

“We are traveling as one unit,” Truland said.

Pierson got the season started on Tuesday in a game against Center Moriches and is scheduled to play at Southold this Thursday, March 31, at 4:30 p.m. before returning home to Mashashimuet Park to play Babylon this Tuesday, April 5, at 4:30 p.m.