Falcon softball talented again

Peddie seeks to repeat as MAPL, State Prep ‘A’ champ.

By: Sean Moylan
   For the past two years the Peddie varsity softball team has been on an incredible hot streak. But MAPL rivals better not try to hold their breath waiting for the Falcons’ mini dynasty to end any time soon, because this year they’re loaded once again.
   "We’ve won the State Prep ‘A’ championship the last two years and we’ve won the MAPL the last two years," said Peddie head coach Tim O’Reilly, whose team finished with a sparkling 18-1 record last season. "And we should have two more years with a core group of seven players."
   Of course in softball a team can’t be great without a very good pitcher, and Peddie has one of the best hurlers around in junior Cailyn Hennessy, who finished last season with a spotless 16-0 record.
   Not a big believer in speed guns, O’Reilly doesn’t know exactly how fast Hennessy’s fastball crosses the plate. But he does know a flame-thrower when he sees one.
   "She (Hennessy) throws really hard. People swing and miss a lot!," laughed O’Reilly. Hennessy’s best pitch, however, is her screwball, which she uses to set up her heater. A masterful slap hitter, Hennessy batted lead-off and hit .309 last season.
   A senior co-captain, Fallon Kortmann is Peddie’s hard-hitting (.340 with 11 RBI last year) catcher and a former pitcher herself.
   The Falcons will feature Madison McEvoy at first base. The talented junior batted .377 with 2 homers and 9 RBI out of the cleanup spot last season.
   Senior co-captain Kelly Crowley will be Peddie’s starting second baseman.
   "Crowley is a very good defender and the emotional leader of the team," added O’Reilly.
   O’Reilly, however, considers junior shortstop Jamie Boccanfuso to be his best player, and the stats back him up.
   "Her main strength is she’s a power hitter. She’s hit 10 homers in her first two years with us," said O’Reilly of Boccanfuso.
   Last year Boccanfuso’s numbers were staggering as she hit .557 with 26 hits, 17 RBI, 4 homers, 13 doubles, a triple, 15 walks and 19 runs scored. And on most teams she would be the pitching ace too. Last season she posted a 2-1 record with a 1.28 ERA.
   Freshman third baseman Sarah DiLella is so fast that O’Reilly is considering batting her leadoff and moving Hennessy to the two-hole. He’s also been pleasantly surprised with the power DiLella has shown in scrimmages.
   Called T-Rex by her friends, junior Tess Rex can gobble up nearly every ball which comes her way in left field.
   Peddie also has another superior defensive player in center in junior Christine Ladd. Ladd got on base nearly 40 percent of the time last season.
   Last year as a freshman right fielder, Lisa Faraci batted .380 with 15 RBI. And Peddie is hoping for similar numbers out of her this season.
   Peddie’s designated hitter will be 11th grader Casey Crowley, who batted .333 last year. And the Falcons’ varsity reserves are junior Tiffany Preston (infield/outfield), freshman Morgan Leske (infield/pitcher) and freshman Carolyn Horner (pitcher/ infield/outfield). Peddie hit .294 as a team last season.
   O’Reilly is old school. He knows you start with pitching and defense and go from there. But this team has everything.
   "The core of the team is back. We only lost two players from last year," said O’Reilly, who has a 51-26 career record as he enters his 5th year as the team’s head coach. "I expect us to be really good."