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07/23/2018 12:00 AMThe Morgan softball team was focused on bonding as a group, while continuously improving throughout the 2018 campaign. The Huskies finished the year with five wins and received solid offensive contributions from a number of players, including senior captains Stephanie Terrace and Cameron LeClaire. Morgan also saw some younger players step into larger roles, and Head Coach Scott Chidsey believes the Huskies are trending in the right direction. One of the biggest positives Chidsey took away from the season was that his team kept getting better as the year progressed.
“Maybe the record didn’t show it, but I thought we had a successful season. The girls improved a lot, and I think we are going to continue to get better,” said Chidsey. “We improved tremendously as the year went on. If our season continued, I think we would have had a better record. They all definitely bonded well as a team. That was why we had the success that we did. We’ll continue to work at that.”
While the wins didn’t come in bunches for the Huskies, Chidsey pointed out a game that had a big impact on his squad: a 9-5 victory over Valley Regional. Morgan went up against one of the top pitchers in the Shoreline Conference and produced at the plate to come away with the win.
“Beating Valley was definitely our biggest win of the year. They have an outstanding pitcher and our girls came to play,” Chidsey said. “We played great defense, hit the ball, and Heidi Gaudet came to pitch that day.”
Senior captain Terrace provided a steadying presence for Morgan all season long. She earned All-Shoreline Conference Second Team honors after posting a team-best .406 batting average to go with 10 RBI and 28 runs scored. This year marked Terrace’s second season as a captain, and Coach Chidsey admired her relentless work ethic.
“Stephanie’s junior year was my first year as head coach. I knew that she was definitely going to be the captain by her work ethic and what she gave every single day at practice,” said Chidsey. “She’s definitely a team-oriented person. She had a great high-school sports career. She kept getting better, and senior year was her best year of all.”
Fellow senior captain LeClaire also made the All-Shoreline Conference Second Team by batting .373 with seven doubles, 18 RBI, and 19 runs scored. Coach Chidsey was impressed with how LeClaire conducted herself as a captain and said that she always put her team before herself.
“Cameron’s just such a team player. She would always sacrifice her time to work with someone else. It was such a pleasure to have someone like her on a team,” Chidsey said. “Her selflessness was amazing. We were looking for pitchers, and she would work with anyone willing to try to pitch. I know she’ll be coaching in the future, and she’ll be phenomenal.”
Junior Rebecca Shamp proved another key player for the Huskies by recording a .368 average with one home run, 12 RBI, and 26 runs to earn All-Shoreline Conference Honorable Mention. Chidsey thinks that Shamp will be a huge part of Morgan’s offense next year as she works toward 100 hits for her career.
“Rebecca’s consistently on base, and she’s 27 hits away from 100 hits at the high-school level. I know she’ll get that next year,” said Chidsey. “She’s outstanding defensively, too, at third base. She can play either third or shortstop.”
While Morgan’s offense had its bright spots, the Huskies’ pitching staff was a big question mark coming into the season. However, sophomore Gaudet stepped up to solidify the pitching position, and Coach Chidsey feels confident whenever he gives her the ball.
“Last year, we didn’t have a pitcher at all, and I just had everybody pitch. This year, Heidi mentioned that she pitched a bit in middle school. She worked on it all winter long and won the spot,” Chidsey said. “She’s a good example for the other girls. I know that she’ll get even better, because she’ll work hard all summer and winter. That’s the kind of athlete she is.”
Chidsey already has two players in line for the captain’s duties next season in Sage Follo and Maggie Mahone, who recently completed their sophomore years. Follo batted for a .361 average this spring, while Mahoney hit .344 and scored 11 runs. Chidsey believes both athletes have right demeanor, along with the respect of their teammates, that they will need to lead the Huskies in 2019.
“They’re both kind of no-nonsense players. Their personalities are great. They’re nice, but no-nonsense,” Chidsey said. “I know they will do what is right for the team. It was an easy pick for captains for next season.”
Coach Chidsey feels encouraged about Morgan’s prospects for the next few seasons, especially because he had 26 players in his program this year, enough for the Huskies to field a true JV team. Chidsey said that there is also a good amount of talent coming up from the middle-school level.
“Next year, I think, will be similar to this year, but hopefully, we’ll be able to get our eight wins and get to the postseason. I think two years from now, we will be loaded,” he said. “There is a class of 17 girls down in middle school that will be coming up. There is a lot of talent down there, and we’ll have six seniors and that talented freshman group coming together.”
From the Sidelines
The Morgan softball team’s varsity roster included senior captains Cameron LeClaire and Stephanie Terrace; seniors Abby Pitarra and Marissa Verdone; juniors Krystina L’ecuyer, Bella Mongillo, and Rebecca Shamp; sophomores Sage Follo, Heidi Gaudet, Lauren Kuever, Sarah Kuever, and Maggie Mahoney; and freshmen Bianca Arias, Colleen Edwards, Isabella Novicki, and Francesca Tino.
Head Coach Scott Chidsey completed his second season at the helm of the Huskies and was assisted by coach Lauren Fitzgerald.
The Huskies’ scored wins against Wilbur Cross (15-3), Portland (18-0), Westbrook (23-13), Valley Regional (9-5), and East Hampton (8-6) this year.