Warriors power past Whippany Park
By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
Some teams have pasta parties before the big games.
The New Egypt senior foursome organized a sleepover before the Group I state championship, but pasta wasn’t on the menu.
”We’ve had pasta parties before,” said Warriors senior first baseman Morgan Knigge, “but we’re more of an ice cream team.”
Ice cream, chips, cake — all the good carbs any athlete would want before the big game — paid off in a power display not seen all year as New Egypt clubbed Whippany Park, 9-2, to repeat as Group I state champions Saturday in Toms River.
”This was perfect,” said New Egypt’s Haley Anderson. “There’s no other way I’d want to end it.”
The senior catcher provided plenty of offense for her battery mate and fellow senior, pitcher Emily Bausher, who struck out 13 to finish off her brilliant scholastic career before heading to Lehigh University. Anderson, who does not expect to play softball at the University of Delaware next year, hit two home runs in her final two at bats, a two-run shot in the fifth inning and a grand slam in the seventh inning to cap the win.
The fourth senior, Kayla Soles, hit a two-run home run in the first inning after Bausher singled. It was the first of three hits for the Louisville-bound shortstop.
”We always look to come out on top, not really let the team feel like they have the ability to come back,” Soles said. “Doing that in the biggest game of the year was probably the best way to start it.”
Knigge homered in the third inning to make it 3-0. All four New Egypt home runs came from their seniors while Bausher retired the final 15 batters that she faced in her high school career.
”You’re talking about seniors that are poised and ready to play in these types of games,” said New Egypt head coach Kevin English after his team finished 25-3. “You’re not seeing it from freshmen or sophomores. These four have won three sectional titles and two state championships. Games like that, they get nervous and anxious, but they focus it into playing better. They embrace it.”
Anderson certainly does. She made the most of her biggest games in all three sports she played this year, from soccer where she played goalie for the Warriors to basketball in which she had a career game in the sectional final to softball.
”I’m the assistant girls soccer coach,” English said, “and when we played Point Pleasant Beach, in 2-1 loss, she played the best game of her life. We lost, but it was not on her. When the pressure’s on, she plays her best.”
The finality of the moment is what motivates Anderson. After Whippany Park walked Knigge to load the bases, the moment hit Anderson.
”I think it was just the fact that I would never play again in that situation,” she said. “I gave it everything I could. In my head, I said, this is the last time you’ll ever be at bat. It felt a little extra.”
She delivered a home run, her third in the last two games after having none in her career before last week. It helped to deliver a second straight state crown.
”It’s something I really take pride in,” Anderson said. “We really did put in so much effort and work. These memories will stay with us forever.
”I always pictured this in a far dream. I never thought it would happen. Then when it happened twice, it’s amazing.”
Like Anderson, Knigge won’t be playing next year in college, at least not softball. She plans to row for the Rutgers crew team, even though she’s never done the sport. She’ll take to Piscataway the fondest memories of her years of softball.
”This one, we came into it knowing we had to put everything on the line,” Knigge said. “This one had a lot of emotion. It’s our last time playing together. At the end, it felt great knowing we worked so hard and reached our final goal.”
Knigge was happy to share a part in the title win. She’d hit home runs before, but none bigger than this. Hers provided that run that kept the Warriors in the lead when Whippany Park cut the lead to 3-2.
”It was like the icing on the cake,” Knigge said of her home run. “All the four seniors, we made a promise, a promise to do anything we could to win the game. It felt like icing on the cake. I contributed to the win. It was a great end to the season.”
For Soles, it’s on to Louisville and the next level of softball.
”I’m excited and sad,” Soles said. “I’m excited because it’s a whole new thing. I’m sad because I’ve been playing with these girls for so long, and they’re my three best friends.”
The Warriors had been favored all year after they only graduated one player from last year’s team and added two freshmen. After winning the state title last year, expectations couldn’t have been higher for this year’s experienced group.
”This year, it was tough to repeat because we had a target on our back,” Knigge said. “Last year, we lost about five seniors so people were saying it’s going to be a rebuilding year for New Egypt. No one took us seriously. This year, they were saying, they have the same group of girls. People were watching out for us.”
Added Soles: “We had to work a lot harder to maintain our reputation.”New Egypt got everyone’s best, and by the end of the year, it was the Warriors that were still better than everyone in Group I.
”You have to rebuild that chemistry,” English said. “We worked at it for the entire season and finally it clicked. Finally three-quarters of the way through the season, everyone understood their roles and what they needed to do.
”Everything seemed to be falling into place with every game,” he added of states. “When we got to states, I knew we were starting to hit our stride.”
The Warriors had their highest confidence as they went into the state final, and they played like it. Replacing the four seniors is a big task for next season, especially given how they performed in big games.
”All four are unbelievable and great,” English said. “Haley Anderson is one of those overlooked players until state finals when she came out with the hit parade. She’s as tough as they come. To have that, and be smart behind the plate, that’s tough to replace. We’ll continue to have good pitching. There are pitchers playing out of position this year that will switch around. To get someone the caliber or Haley who’s smart enough to control the game is hard to replace.”
Anderson didn’t even start catching until the Warriors needed someone to warm up the pitcher when she was a freshman. She moved from third base to help the team and hasn’t left the spot. She’s been catching Bausher, her best friend since second grade, for the last three years.
Knigge has been a staple in the lineup at first base and Soles has been a standout throughout her career at shortstop. Together, they were the backbone of the two-time state champion Warriors.
”I think that as freshmen, we knew we were talented,” Soles said. “But no one expects to win two state championships in a row.”
Said Knigge: “It’s everything I imaged. I always dreamed we’d get to this point. I never wanted to think negative. It really did live up to my expectations.”

