By Christopher Tremblay

Last season, first-year coach Caitlin Nottebart got the Norwood softball team into the Division 2 State Tournament after going 10-8. The Mustangs would fall to Doherty Memorial, 6-5, in Nottebart’s first-post season game as the head coach. Doherty Memorial would go up 5-0 before Norwood battled back to take the game into extra innings where they eventually came up short.

With a year under her belt, the Norwood skipper is looking to improve upon last year’s performance. 

“The biggest thing that we are looking for this year is consistency,” Nottebart said.  “Last year, we found ourselves up big in certain games only to lose by making stupid mistakes. We will also be focusing a lot on the outfield where we will also need to work on our consistency and the mental aspect of the game. The girls know that we’ll be working hard on relays and cutoffs while doing our job out there.”

Norwood only lost the two corner positions in the infield to graduation; Natalie Gale was stationed at first, while Maddie Collins held down the hot corner for the Mustangs last spring. Taking over the corner positions will be freshman Maureen Larkee at third, and Sarah Randall and Lauryn Salvucci will share time at first. 

According to Nottebart, Larkee has been playing solid ball thus far at third, while she has also shown she can hit the ball. Nottebart is hoping to use her bat in the top of the lineup somewhere.

The two first basemen will also see time in the circle during the season. Randall is currently slated as the teams number two hurler, while Salvucci may find herself pitching on occasion. Pauline Cordani will take the ball before either of the other two girls and should see the majority of the work.

“Sarah is a mechanical pitcher while Pauline has better speed and relies on it a lot,” Nottebart said. “If things are not going her way or the umpires are not giving her the calls, it’s going to be a tough day for her. Lauryn has absolutely held her own in the team’s varsity scrimmages so far.”

In addition to pitching and playing first, Randall will be looked upon as the team’s power hitter. Senior Lizzy Helmar, the team’s shortstop and sophomore catcher Lilly Cordani will also be relied upon to get the Mustangs offense going. 

Cordani is a patient hitter once she steps into the batter’s box and earns herself a lot of walks; she uses her ability to find a way to get on base in most situations.

 Helmar is another athlete that will reach base on a regular basis for Norwood this spring. According to the coach, she is a smart hitter that knows how to find the gaps, and once on base she is super-fast. The senior is playing in her fourth varsity season with the Mustangs and is an old school type of player who just gets it done. Following high school, Helmar will be attending Curry College, a Division 3 school in Milton, where she will continue her softball career. Nottebart anticipates the shortstop to make an impact for the Colonels right away. 

Senior left-fielder Kayra Walsh will help with the offense as she can hit the ball with the best of them and can usually stretch them into extra base hits. Senior captain Colleen Denehy will patrol the opposite corner of the outfield while Cece Becker and Cici Indeck will both be battling it out for the final outfield position in centerfield. Indeck is a catcher by trade but with the stellar play of Cordani behind the plate, she may not be getting too much time there and is willing to play just about anywhere to get herself on the field. Junior Sophia Touma may also see some time in the outfield.

Filling in the last infield spot will be Ava Amato at second base, and while she doesn’t have a lot of power, she is a smart player who knows how to get on base and employ those base running skills once there.

Sophomore Jackie Powers will see some time filling in for Amato at second and will definitely be used as a pinch runner from time to time. Another speedy individual on the basepaths is Allison Grenham, who according to the coach, is tiny but very speedy. At the time of this writing, Grenham was unsure if she wanted to stay with the varsity team or play with her sisters (the trio are triplets).

Rounding out the team is Mariela Abi Elis, who was on the Norwood JV team last spring and Nottebart is looking to get her some reps on the varsity team this year.

As the season gets underway, all the girls know that making the tournament is the team’s first priority.

“We really want to get into the tournament and get that first win,” the Norwood coach said. “We haven’t been able to do that in some time, so it would be something special if we can accomplish it this year.”