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06/24/2018 12:00 AMWith a never-say-die attitude, a great group of senior leaders, and a bunch of underclass athletes who came into their own as the year wore on, the Hand softball team put together one of its best seasons in recent memory this spring, while potentially setting the stage for an even brighter future. The Tigers recorded 20 victories, including two in the Class L State Tournament, on their way to advancing to the semifinals during the 2018 campaign.
Head Coach Mike Niekrash’s squad steamrolled through the regular season by earning an impressive mark of 18-2. Along the way, Hand won the SCC Quinnipiac Division for a second straight year by netting a record of 7-1 in divisional play.
As the No. 2 seed in the SCC Tournament, Hand took a 9-4 loss against No. 7 seed East Haven in the quarterfinals. Then in Class L State Tournament, the 2nd-seeded Tigers received a first-round bye, before dispatching No. 18 seed Fitch by a 3-1 score in the second round. After that, Hand posted a 4-1 win over No. 10 seed Guilford in a quarterfinal matchup. The Tigers then took a 6-5 loss versus No. 3 seed Brookfield in the semifinals to finish the year with an overall record of 20-4.
Coach Niekrash said that Hand was in every game throughout the season, because everyone in the Tigers’ lineup had the ability to get big hits and help the team put together huge innings at a moment’s notice.
“These girls were never out of a game all year long,” said Niekrash, who was named the SCC Coach of the Year. “We beat Amity 11-10 and we were down by five runs twice in the game. We also had a big comeback win over Sheehan. We were losing in the last inning, and then Sophie Schreck won it for us with a triple. We beat Guilford three times this year, and we were behind 3-0 and scored six runs in the sixth on eight-straight base hits. They never quit, and No. 1 through 9 in the lineup could all hit.”
The Tigers’ were led by their tandem of sibling co-captains: shortstop Sophie Schreck, who posted a .457 batting average with eight triples; and Caroline Schreck, who was Hand’s designated hitter. The team’s senior class also featured pitcher Abby Geshwind, catcher Lily Arida, center fielder Hannah Martin, and Kelly Cody. Coach Niekrash said his senior athletes set the tone for chemistry and cohesion throughout the Tigers’ dugout.
“These seniors were solid ballplayers, and the team helped pick each other up,” Niekrash said. “Sophie had a tremendous year. Caroline was a leader by example. Abby had a great year. Lily had little varsity experience before this year, but she stepped into her new role and got better as the year went on. Hannah and Kelly also did great jobs.”
Although his club had some big shoes to fill coming into the season, Coach Niekrash was pleasantly surprised to see how proficient the Tigers were in the batter’s box this year. Hand averaged more than 8.5 runs per game and finished with a team batting average of .339 for the campaign.
“We graduated two All-State girls in Lily Geshwind and Hollis Wivell, along with another key spot in Kaitlyn Martin, but I was surprised with how well we hit this year,” he said. “The younger players also came into their own. I knew we had strength in the circle, and we also had a nice balance of starters [from different grades] in the lineup.”
Geshwind and Sophie Schreck both made All-SCC and All-State for Hand this year, while sophomores Caroline O’Connor and Christina Coric were also All-SCC selections. Geshwind was also named to the All-State All-Academic Team, along with the New Haven Register’s All-Area Team. Caroline Schreck was selected to play in the Umpires’ Scholar Athlete Classic on behalf of Hand.
Additionally, Arida received the Tiger Award, which is presented to an athlete who exemplifies the qualities of the Hand softball team.
Coach Niekrash said that he will always remember the 2018 season, especially since the Tigers outperformed others’ predictions by using the power of a unified roster. Moving forward, Hand will once again have some voids to fill entering next season, starting with the loss of Geshwind on the pitcher’s mound. Still, Niekrash believes the Tigers have the pieces in place to make the 2019 campaign another memorable one.
“When you lose a pitcher who has been your main starter for three years, that will always be a big question mark. We also lose our catcher in Lily. We have great hitters coming back, so the nucleus is there,” said Niekrash. “This year meant a lot to me, because we exceeded expectations. Many people had us below .500. There was no drama on this team. Everyone picked each other up. It was one of the best teams I’ve coached here.”
From the Sidelines
In the regular season, Hand defeated Guilford (10-4 and 6-4), Amity (11-10), East Lyme (9-1), Mercy (8-4 and 13-1), Foran (8-4 and 4-2), Branford (15-0 and 7-6), Sheehan (4-3 and 9-2), Waterford (4-3 in 8 innings), West Haven (5-1 and 14-0), East Haven (7-3), and Hillhouse (twice by 16-1 finals). The Tigers’ losses came against Amity (7-5) and East Haven (7-1).
Mike Niekrash finished his 10th year as the Tigers’ skipper. He also served as an assistant coach for the SCC and Class M state champion Hand field hockey team in the fall.
David Buller (varsity assistant, 2nd year) and Mary Pat Maloney (JV coach, 7th season) were the softball squad’s assistant coaches this year. Niekrash, Buller, and Maloney all share the duties of coaching the freshman team.