Softball
Coaches of the Year
Stacy Poste, Everett
 DIVISION 1 |
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With only three returning starters it didn't seem likely that this would be the year for Everett to finally do some damage in the tournament. But the Crimson Tide put things together during the regular season capturing their fourth straight Greater Boston League title. Poste was also blessed with four year starters in shortstop Kerry Cafazzo, and pitcher Deanna Camley. The Crimson Tide rolled through the Division 1 North bracket before fallling to Bishop Fenwick in the final. Along the way they topped defending North champion Chelmsford 4-1, and bested GBL rival Cambridge 2-1 in 10 innings. A 1991 graduate of Everett where she played softball and basketball, she enjoys excercising and reading in her spare time. She also played two years of college softball at Merrimack. "As a coaching staff you know your team's potential to do well, but not this well with only three returning starters." | |
Russ Hunt, Coyle-Cassidy
DIVISION 2 |
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When he graduated from Taunton High in 1969 Russ Hunt had no way of know he'd still be making headlines in town 25 years later. But that's that happens when you're the head coach of one of the most successful softball teams in the state. After winning state titles in 2000 and 2002, Coyle-Cassidy went 19-4 this spring, winning the Eastern Athletic Conference title before losing in 14 dramatic innings in the Division 2 South final. In his six years as head coach, he's won more than 100 games. Hunt credited, "a very talented, hard-working, and dedicated group of girls." | |
Gary Brides, West Bridgewater
DIVISION 3 |
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When West Bridgewater was looking for another coach last winter, there seemed to be only one logical choice. Promote last year's assistant, who also happens to be the pitcher's father. Brides took over the helm this season, and the team hasn't missed a beat. Brides has coached these kids throughout the youth leagues, and some of them in the summer. The Wildcats won the Mayflower League for the fifth straight season, and captured the Division 3 EMass title for the third consecutive season. They also avenged each of their losses, including victories over No. 1 Cardinal Spellman and No. 8 Abington. A graduate of Brockton High, Brides enjoys fishing in his spare time. "Our team is the ultimate in team sports. There isn't one player that is above the team." | |
Players of the Year
Kerry Cafazzo, Everett
DIVISION 1 |
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The best position player on the North Shore, Cafazzo was an all-around force for the Crimson Tide. She was the Greater Boston League batting champion with a .518 average. She also led the team with five home runs, and added 19 RBIs. In the field she displayed an extremely strong arm and great range at shortstop. A two-year captain, and four-year starter, she led her team to four straight league titles while garnering GBL All-Star honors each year. At one point last year she hit five home runs in a two-game span. She is also captain of the indoor track team and enjoys working out and conditioning in her spare time. In the summer she plays for the Fire 'N Ice ASA travel team. She will attend Bryant in the fall where she will continue her softball career. | |
Ashley Bernstein, Cardinal Spellman
DIVISION 2 |
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Already a two-time South Sectional champion, the Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year still has one more year to build on an already impressive resume. She helped lead Spellman to its third consecutive Catholic Central League title this season. She hit .414 with four homers and 40 RBIs. She had the game-tying hit, and scored the winning run in the 14-inning South sectional final. She was also the winning pitcher in that game. She was 15-1 with a 0.84 ERA and 100 strikeouts. She is a CCL All-Star in basketball, and has reached the sectional final three straight years. She is also a member of the soccer team in the fall. | |
Katelyn Brides, West Bridgewater
DIVISION 3 |
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The driving force behind the two-time defending EMass champions, Brides has put together a remarkable list of accomplishments. She has been a part of five straight Mayflower League championships. She is a four-time league all-star, and two-time league MVP, with 80 career wins. This season she was 17-3, and avenged all three of her regular-season losses. She tossed 17 shutouts and three perfect games while notching 209 strikeouts. She batted .533 from the leadoff spot. She is also a Mayflower League All-Star in field hockey, and basketball. She is a solid student and a member of the National Honor Society. In the summer, she plays for the Mass. Drifters, ASA 16-U state champs last summer. | |
The All-Scholastics
Jenn Bernier, Dighton-Rehoboth
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Though her stats may not say it because she split time pitching, anybody who has faced Bernier knows she is among the toughest pitchers in the always difficult South Coast Conference. This season she led a young Falcon squad to a 17-5 record. D-R was SCC co-champion with Wareham. Her best effort this year may have been a 1-0 win over then-No. 1 Taunton, a game in which she struck out 10 and allowed only two hits. She had 130 strikeouts in only 112 innings while posting a 0.40 ERA. She also hit .340 from the leadoff spot. She was the leading scorer on both the field hockey and basketball teams this season. A National Honor Society member, she will attend Bryant next year and will play softball. | |
Ashley Cook, Latin Academy
SHORTSTOP |
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An offensive machine is the best way to describe Cook. For five years she has feasted on opponents and this season was no different. She batted an astounding .750 with 10 homers to lead the Dragons to their fourth Boston City crown in her five-year tenure at shortstop. Cook is an all-around athlete who plays soccer and basketball as well. She also is a remarkable baseball player. She plays in the New England Women's Baseball League. She has been chosen to be a member of Team USA in the Women's World Cup of baseball. In the fall, she will continue her softball career at UMass-Lowell where she will study criminal justice. | |
Jen Elwell, Shawsheen
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The all-time strikeout queen in state history, Elwell topped Lisa Moore's previous record of 1,078 with a total of 1,119 strikeouts. She is making her third appearance on the All-Scholastic team. This season she was 20-4 while leading her team to its third straight North sectional title. She also garnered her fourth Commonwealth Conference All-Star award and third MVP award. She struck out 304 batters while tossing 17 shutouts, five no-hitters, and a microscopic 0.09 ERA. For her career she finished with 59 shutouts and 13 no-hitters. The senior class president, she will continue her softball career next year at Suffolk. | |
Kristen Jackman, Cardinal Spellman
THIRD BASE |
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Only a junior, Jackman already has made a name for herself as a clutch performer. Last year she drove in the game-tying or winning run in each of the Cardinals' final three games on their way to the state title. The highlight was a walk-off home run to win the South sectional title over Dighton-Rehoboth. This year Spellman beat D-R again, this time in the quarterfinals as Jackman had three RBIs and a run scored. She hit .485 with 31 RBIs as Spellman again won the South sectional. Defensively she changed positions from second to third base and has remained nearly flawless. She is a tremendous athlete and is CCL All-Star in basketball and in soccer. | |
Aimee Kern, King Philip
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Making her second appearance on the All-Scholastic team Kern led the Warriors to a 17-5 record playing half the season without head coach Peter Turco. Kern's leadership held the team together and they were still able to finish second in the Hockomock League. For her efforts she was named MVP of the league. This season she was 12-4 in the circle posting a 0.27 ERA with 173 strikeouts in 102 innings. She also batted .418 with two home runs and twelve RBI. Her best game came in a 3-1 win over Coyle-Cassidy. She allowed two hits and struck out nine. She also runs indoor track and plays soccer at KP. She was an honor roll student throughout high school, and a member of the National Honor Society. She will continue her softball career next year at the University of Vermont. | |
Renee LeMarbre, Hopkinton
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The Tri-Valley League had co-champions this year in Norton and Ashland, but LeMarbre beat them both and earn MVP honors in the process. She tossed a perfect game to defeat Ashland, whom she later beat in the tournament as well. She also tossed a no-hitter against Norton. She hurled four no-hitters in total on the year, two of which were perfect games, and three one hitters. She finished the year with 242 strikeouts and a 0.76 ERA in 139 innings pitched. An outstanding soccer player as well, she was a first team TVL All-Star this past season. She plays summer travel softball for the Mass. Wanderers. A National Honor Society member who graduated with high honors. She will attend URI in the fall where she hopes to continue her softball career. | |
Danielle Mason, Triton
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Mason has shown a penchant for poise under pressure, especially in extra innings. She shut out Cape Ann foe Wilmington in 18 innings to advance to the North Sectional Final. Then she blanked CAL Co-Champion Amesbury 3-0 in eight innings in the final. This season Triton saw unprecedented success winning a league title for the first time in Coach Jim Hounam's 17 years, and the sectional title for the first time ever. Mason has all 21 wins for the Vikings posting a 0.45 ERA with 145 strikeouts. She is a three-time CAL All-Star and was MVP as a sophomore. She finishes with 60 wins and 520 strikeouts. An outstanding student who finished 2nd in her class, she will attend Stonehill in the fall and play softball. | |
Carley McNary, Coyle-Cassidy
SECOND BASE |
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Among the fastest runners anywhere, on the softball diamond or on the track, McNary could cause all sorts of problems for teams with her speed. Generally a ground ball hit on the left side of the infield was a hit for McNary, which was soon followed by a stolen base. It's an easy strategy when you have an indoor Track All-American on your team. Despite that award softball is her best sport. She hit .444 this season and was stellar defensively. She plays summer softball for the Fire 'N Ice. She is a solid student with a 3.5 GPA. Next year she will continue her softball career at Boston College. | |
Annmarie Murphy, Abington
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One of the most dominant pitchers on the South Shore, Murphy was clearly the ace of the Green Wave staff that included four pitchers who saw action. She finished the year with a 12-2 record, hurling nine shutouts, and allowed only one earned run in the regular season. She threw 96 innings and struck out 92. She saved her best efforts for her toughest games shutting out Case, and ACL champion Whitman-Hanson. She also tossed 20 consecutive scoreless innings in the tournament before falling to Coyle-Cassidy in the semifinals. In the fal she runs for the cross-country team. She plays in the summer for the Mass. Drifters along with Brides, who finished fifth at PONY Nationals last summer in North Carolina. Murphy hopes to contine her softball career in college while studying nursing or physical therapy. | |
Courtney Oliver, Coyle-Cassidy
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One of the most dominant players in recent memory Oliver finnally ends her career as a three-time all-scholastic. She went out in style strikeing out 27 batters and driving in a run and scoring a run in Coyle's heartbreaking 3-2 loss in the sectional final. Thanks to that effort she finished her career with 998 career strikeouts. She was a part of the 2002 Division 2 state championship team, and led the Warriors to four straight Eastern Athletic crowns. She tossed a no-hitter with 18 strikeouts in a first round tournament win over Dedham. She's as fearsome hitter as she is a pitcher posting a .450 batting average this season. She plays summer softball for the Fire 'N Ice under the tutelage of her father. She will continue her softball career next year at Hofstra University in New York. | |
Angela Pandolfo, Reading
CATCHER |
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The co-MVP of the Middlesex League, Pandolfo ends an impressive career behind the plate for the Rockets. A four-year starter, she was part of a state championship in 2001, as well as back-to-back Middlesex League crowns. A two-time league all-star, this year she batted .520 to top the Middlesex League and added three home runs. She was a three-time all-star in field hockey and she is the school's all-time leading scorer. She plays in the summer for the Middlesex Krush. An honor roll student, she will attend BC next year on a softball scholarship. | |
Ashley Waters, Amesbury
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Already a two-time Cape Ann League MVP, Waters still has another year to cause nightmares for CAL coaches. This year she led the Indians to a co-championship with Triton and all the way to the North sectional final before falling to Triton in extra innings. In the circle she sported a 0.25 ERA while recording 179 strikeouts. She is very athletic fielding her position, and is a standout shortstop as well. At the plate she hit .466 with home runs, 33 RBI, and 34 runs scored. She has been a league all-star since her freshman year and has 538 career strikeouts, 7 no-hitters, and has hit over .400 each year. She is a CAL All-Star in field hockey and basketball. In the summer she plays for the Middlesex Krush. | |
