By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Julie Fassl thinks this is her best chance to achieve her biggest goal as an athlete at the Hun School.
“At Hun so far I haven’t won a state championship yet,” said Fassl, a junior who plays field hockey, basketball and softball for the Raiders. “This season we’re 8-1 right now and it feels great. I want a state championship and I think this is the season to do it.”
The Hun softball team has put together one of its best starts ever and improved to 10-1 with a 21-4 win over Hill on Wednesday. Fassl, a three-year starter at catcher for the Raiders, has noticed this year’s team has something special about it.
“The chemistry is a big part of it,” said Fassl, a New Egypt resident. “All of our players love each other. We all hang out after school. So that is a big part of it. We have a great bond and a team of friends will beat any team.”
Hun opened the season with five straight wins before falling to Penn Charter. They bounced back five more wins in a row and are currently 8-0 against Mid-Atlantic Prep League schools.
“There is something special about this team,” said Hun coach Kathy Quirk, whose team will host Blair on Saturday. “We went away to Florida and when we came back I thought it was the worst trip ever. We just didn’t do well. We got beat up by teams pretty bad down there and when we got home I thought it was going to be a long season. But it has developed into a great season with a great bunch of girls who work hard in practice. I am so pleased.”
Fassl has been a big part of the Raiders’ success. She is steady behind the plate defensively and is also second on the team with 20 hits. Her success on the diamond is just part of an athletic year where one sport just runs right into the next.
“I don’t know what I would do with myself if I wasn’t playing sports,” she said. “I have to be doing something after school. I have been playing travel softball since the fourth grade so I knew the game well. I felt like when I came in I could make an impact somehow. I wasn’t sure if it would be behind the plate or in the outfield or DH. It feels great to be a part of it, especially this season because we are doing so well.”
Fassl enjoys each of her sports and may try to play both field hockey and softball in college, although that would mean giving up her true passion.
“Softball is my main sport,” Fassl said. “I have been thinking about playing field hockey in college, too. But basketball is going to be a hard one for me. It is my favorite sport but I am just awful. I love it though.”
She also loves being part of this year’s softball team, which has won its last five games by an average of 10 runs.
“We have great bats,” Fassl said. “Our new freshman, Megan (Donahue), is awesome. Lexie (Goeke) is always on base. And we have Kasey (Abitz) who is great. We have all come together this year. Everyone just picks each other up.”
And it helps to have a leader like Fassl, who is in her ninth varsity season with the Raiders.
“She is just a great kid,” Quirk said. “She is fun to coach and fun to watch play. She is all about being a team player and she is the same way in field hockey.
“This year with this team has been a lot of fun. We are very big in the dugout and everyone is always cheering for everyone. It’s been a great season so far.”
