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07/30/2014 12:00 AMEntering the 2014 campaign, Westbrook softball Coach Caitlin Eichler had one of her youngest teams in a while with mostly freshmen making up her infield and a new sophomore pitcher on the mound. So it was a nice accomplishment for the Knights to have made both the Shoreline Conference and Class S tournaments at season's end after earning an 8-12 record.
"Since the majority of our infielders were freshmen and our new pitcher this year was a sophomore, our main goal was to work on our communication skills and comfort level in the beginning of the season," said Eichler. "The girls grew more confident as the season progressed and worked together to create an infield that could make big outs. We had six freshmen this year who all contributed to the varsity team."
With that young squad, the Knights lost in both first rounds of the tournaments, falling 10-1 to East Granby in the state tournament as the 28th seed, but it was the senior leadership that proved crucial during the last part of the regular season that allowed Westbrook to sneak into the postseason with a mercy win over Hillhouse and a 6-2 victory against Career for the eighth win.
Those aforementioned seniors included captain Jordan Shamas, along with Jessica Forrest. Shamas manned first base and earned Second Team All-Shoreline honors, as well as the Coach's Award for her efforts as she finished the campaign with a .459 batting average, 28 hits, 15 RBI, and 19 runs scored. Her on-base percentage was .500 and her slugging percentage was .573.
"Jordan was a key hitter this year and made hits in key spots," said Eichler. "She was a true leader on the field and always cheered on her teammates. Jordan is a very positive player and hard worker."
Forrest started the spring as catcher for a few games, played a little first base, and then manned shortstop for the remainder of the season. She batted .315, had 54 at-bats, scored 15 runs, and made 17 hits while earning Best Defensive Player recognition.
"Jessica was the 'rock' of the team," said Eichler. "She played phenomenal shortstop for us and made some key double plays. Jessica was an extremely valuable offensive player for us this year."
Also contributing was junior right fielder Julia Honan (Coach's Award), who was a "very consistent player for us this year and was a player we always knew would pull through with big outs for us."
Freshman Zoe Ehlert also earned the Coaches' Award and played second base, "working hard in the beginning of the season to perfect her backhand when fielding, which allowed her to be a solid second baseman."
Freshman Alexa Mulvihill was the team's Best Offensive Player as she ended the spring with a .467 batting average with 28 hits, 19 runs scored, and 60 at-bats. She had 18 RBI, an on-base percentage of .492, and a slugging percentage of .650. Mulvihill was the Knights' third baseman who "amazed us with her strong hitting skills and did a solid job making outs for us," according to Eichler.
Eichler named the best accomplishment of the season being the bevy of freshman that stepped up for the Knights, including Biance Ferrucci as catcher, Mulvihill at third base, Ehlert at second base, Adara Bochanis in the outfield, and Kylie Magee, who rotated in the infield and outfield.
With just two seniors lost to graduation, Eichler is optimistic about Westbrook's future.
"Our biggest goal next year is to continue to grow as a team so we can compete at a higher level. This young group of girls made huge strides this year and we look forward to watching them compete with the strongest teams in the conference next year," said Eichler. "As long as our pitching is consistent, our bats stay alive, and we continue to play good defense, we will be able to compete. Winning close games and remaining consistent are two areas we will continue to work on."