Going back to her old school

Matthews returns to Acton-Boxborough to coach softball

Former Acton-Boxborough softball star Mary Matthews is back at her alma mater, and the Colonials are off to a 5-1 start. (JOSH REYNOLDS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE)

Mary Matthews is an educator. There are no desks, chalkboards, or windows in her classroom, however.

Her classroom is the softball diamond. And she takes pride in serving as a mentor and teaching her student-athletes life lessons.

"I've always wanted the opportunity to educate children, but I asked myself if I really wanted to do it in the classroom," said Matthews, the first-year varsity softball coach at Acton-Boxborough Regional. "I can see myself educating them this way. Not only am I helping them develop skillwise as softball players and athletes, but also as people. I always thought athletics helped me, especially socially. To run my own high school team is an unbelievable opportunity."

And to run her own program at her alma mater, a team off to a 5-1 start, is pretty special.

Matthews played softball for the Colonials from 1998 to 2001, and A-B qualified for the postseason all four years. Her sophomore season, the team lost in the North final, but she won a state title with the field hockey team.

Last fall the Colonials captured another state field hockey title, and three of Matthews's current softball captains - shortstop Erin Murphy, left fielder Hayley O'Brien, and first baseman Rachel Schwartz - played on that squad.

"It's nice to understand where they've been and to hope I can push them to that point with the softball season," Matthews said. "We have very open lines of communication, so we've addressed every issue up front. There's definitely going to be bumps in the road, but so far, I haven't seen any. I hope when I do, the girls can feel like they can come to me about it."

Sophomore Erin Fry, a pitcher and first baseman, said Matthews is a good teacher.

"She tells us about the things she learned when she was a high school athlete, and she's proud of learning those things," Fry said. "She's helped us communicate with each way better, which has definitely helped us be on the same page during games."

After graduating from A-B, Matthews earned a degree in education from Framingham State College, where she was a four-year starter at first base, a three-year captain, and .370 career hitter.

Though this is her first coaching position at the high school level, she coached an under-16 team last summer. She was planning on serving as an assistant Framingham State College this spring before she was hired at A-B.

Matthews played alongside her two older sisters, Marcie and Liz, at A-B, and this year's Colonial roster includes Erin and Lauren Murphy, along with senior second baseman Christina Proulx and her sister, Jessica.

Senior Ya Ya Faria, along with Fry and fellow sophomore Macaulay Brooks, lead the pitching staff. Fry is also a strong threat at the plate, as are Proulx and catcher Jenny MacDowell.

"People ask me if I was nervous coming back, but I'm not - I'm excited," said Matthews. "I was going to stay at Framingham, but then A-B came up and I couldn't say no. To coach a high school team is great, but to do so with my old high school, I can't ask for better than that."

So far, she has.

In six starts, the senior pitcher is 4-2, hurling three straight 1-hit shutouts along with a no-hitter. Thanks to her stingy pitching, the Redmen have recorded victories over Andover, Medford, Wilmington, Triton, and Lawrence. Both losses were by one run, to Chelmsford and Methuen.

"We graduated six seniors, five of whom were starters," DiRocco said. "So I just thought we'd have to jump on her back and let her carry us. She's one of the best pitchers in the state, in my opinion. She's a senior. She has to be one of the team's leaders, and she's done a great job so far."

Fiorentino is averaging more than 10 strikeouts per game. She notched 18 strikeouts in the Redmen's 7-0 blanking of Wilmington this month. She followed that up with a no-hitter against Triton last Monday.

Senior captain Erin Belliveau is also back. The three-year varsity third baseman is coming off a strong 2007 season, when she was named a Merrimack Valley Conference All-Star.

All-Star Mary Lane returns as a versatile utility player, and junior Kelsey McLaughlin is back at first base. Left fielder Melissa Popp and sophomore Danielle DiPeirro should see significant time in the starting lineup.

"When you've had success in the past, people think you don't rebuild," DiRocco said. "But you do. We're lucky to have a lot of young talent coming through. We've probably made three mistakes, and it's cost us two games. Hopefully we've got mistakes out of the way."

Sapna Pathak can be reached at sportsgalsp@gmail.com.