Sachem Softball Team Aiming for Playoffs

Coming off a 1-19 season, the improved to 6-14 last year in coach Steve Swymer's first year at the helm. Swymer is looking to make a similar leap this season—into the playoffs.

"My goal is to be .500 and I don't see why we shouldn't be," Swymer said. "From what we've seen in the five scrimmages so far, we have the defense, the pitching, the experience. I would realistically look to win 10 and make the tournament."

Swymer was an assistant at Winchester from 1999-2005 before becoming an assistant coach at . When he returned to the Sachems last year, his first task was working on the team's mental approach.

"They had really been beaten up bad, so my first thing was trying to restore some confidence in them and get them to believe that if they work really hard, they could compete," Swymer said.

Swymer also brought over his daughter, Melissa Swymer, who was the pitching coach at Lexington. Melissa Swymer was a four-year varsity player at Winchester who graduated in 2004 and went on to play at Endicott.

Melissa pitched for the Sachems as a freshman, an experience that will come in handy now that Winchester's two top pitchers this year are underclassmen—sophomore Catherine Pitts and freshman Rachael Smith.

"Having been through that, she's working with those girls on how to handle the pressure and it seems to be working well," Steve Swymer said. "They respond to her knowing that she's been there."

Winchester graduated Emily Smith, the team's starting pitcher and leading hitter last season, but eight varsity players return, including senior captains Julia Augenstern and Gracie Van Adzin and junior captain Annie DeRosa.

Augenstern and Van Adzin are the corner infielders, with Augenstern taking over for Elizabeth Sheehan at first base and Van Adzin shoring up third base.

"We moved her from shortstop to third base last year and she made that transition well," Swymer said. "She's really been a pleasant surprise for us. She's fearless, she has a great glove, great arm, and the younger players look up to her."

DeRosa, a third-year varsity player, is the leader on the field at second base.
"She takes control of the infield, always communicating, supporting everyone," Swymer said.

 DeRosa also had a strong preseason and should add to the team offensively as well as defensively this season.

Catcher Emmalee Morton started last year as a freshman. A great hitter who will be third in the lineup, Morton worked hard on her defense in the offseason, specifically with blocking balls and calling games.

The shortstop will be a rotation of Pitts, Smith and Kristina Shattuck, depending on who's pitching.

The outfield is led by another freshman starter from last year, centerfielder Aurora Connolly.

"She's an amazing outfielder," Swymer said. "Her speed, arm, range—she can catch anything from right field to left field and she has a gun for an arm. She's a sophomore but she's a leader out there in the outfield."

Maddie Lepore, a junior, is a newcomer who earned a starting spot in left field. She's one of many players who have excelled in the preseason, leading Swymer to expect an improvement from last year.

"I think coming back last year a lot of people really didn't know who I was, but this is my second year in and they've bought into my philosophy so I think that's helping," Swymer said. "Everyone's really relaxed at camp this year and it went really smoothly, so I think we're really transitioning quickly into the season."

Winchester softball

Last season: 6-14

Key players: Julia Augenstern, Sr., 1B; Gracie Van Adzin, Sr., 3B; Annie DeRosa, Jr., 2B; Catherine Pitts, So., P; Rachael Smith, Fr., P; Emmalee Morton, So., C; Aurora Connolly, So., CF.

Key losses: Emily Smith, P; Elizabeth Sheehan, 1B.

Outlook: The Sachems are young in a lot of key positions—both pitchers, the catcher, the No. 3 hitter and the centerfielder are all underclassmen—but another five-game improvement from last season isn't out of the question. The team has some great depth and balance, and is pretty experienced considering its youth. It's also familiar with second-year coach Steve Swymer's system by now, so the Sachems should start quickly.

Quote: "We have the defense, the pitching, the experience. I would realistically look to win 10 and make the tournament."—Coach Steve Swymer.