PHS softballers start with a smile

By: Bob Nuse
   Steve Eisenstein knows it was only one game. But it was certainly a great way to open the season.
   "We played good softball on both sides of the ball," said Eisenstein, whose Princeton High softball team opened the season with an 11-1 win over Lawrence last Friday at Community Park. "We played errorless in the field, and everybody hit top to bottom and contributed. This is my third year here and I think it is the first game we’ve played where we did not make at least one error. So that was really great to see."
   If Princeton can continue to play errorless softball in the field, this could be a breakthrough season for the program. The Little Tigers have a solid pitcher in sophomore Dylan Zink of Cranbury, and they also have a lineup that can score runs. If they make the plays in the field, anything is possible.
   "The players in the field really came through for Dylan," said Eisenstein, whose team was scheduled to face West Windsor-Plainsboro South on Monday. "Last year she was third in the conference in strikeouts, but I think she pitches with so much more confidence when she knows the players behind her are going to make plays. She’s also one of those pitchers who is going to get stronger as the season goes along.
   "They had two bloop hits in the first inning and then nothing the rest of the way. She gave up one walk in the seventh inning, but before that she had retired 13 batters in a row."
   While Zink and the defense were limiting Lawrence to one run, the offense was getting contributions from all over. After giving up a run in the opening inning, Princeton scored four times in the bottom of the first and never looked back. Emily Frantzen and Cranbury’s Terry Golubieski each drove in a pair of runs in the game.
   "The girls are really ready to play this year," Eisenstein said. "We only lost three seniors from last year’s team, and we have a freshman who is a starter for us this year. We also have a couple of other players who didn’t start for the varsity last year, but have really stepped up into that role this year and are playing very well.
   "Everybody hit the ball and got on base, which was nice to see. We still have to iron out some of the base-running kinks. We’re getting better all the time. Most of the girls, except two, have been with the program since I’ve been here. A bunch of the freshmen from my first year are now juniors and the sophomores from that year are seniors.
   It certainly has to help the Little Tigers that Eisenstein is back for a third year as head coach. Before his arrival, the head coaching position had been a revolving door, which never really gave the program a chance to develop. That seems to have finally changed for the better.
   "They have learned what my philosophies are and what my expectations are," Eisenstein said. "When I came in, I think I was the sixth coach in seven years for the softball program. The girls were having to adjust to a new coach and a new style every year. I don’t think that helps the girls or helps when you are trying to get a program going. It’s tough for anybody.
   "I know the girls will be the first to tell you that I am far from the easiest coach to play for. But they know that I want to build the program and we’re all working hard to do that. The players who have been here with me the whole time, they are an enormous part of the program."
   It is a program that certainly started off the season the right way. Having spent a week in Florida to get ready was a big help.
   "I’m glad we picked this year to go," Eisenstein said. "It was a great advantage for us to be able to get out and play five games in good weather. The way it was here while we were gone, we might not have even been able to get on a field or in the gym. It was a good year for us to get down there and get our work in. I really think it will help us at the beginning of the season."