By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
As the Montgomery High softball team prepared for the season, there was a sense this could be a special year for the Cougars., “Coming into the season we knew we had a good group of girls,” senior shortstop Kira Ferraiolo said. “We did not know we were capable of doing this. We’re just taking it one game at a time. But each game we come in with a mentality that we’re a team and we’ll do it all as team.”, The Cougars start to the season has been as impressive as any team in the state. They improved to 10-0 on Monday with a 13-0 win over Warren Hills. Among the teams that Montgomery has beaten already this season are state powers Immaculate Heart and Watchung Hills., “This is our first year since I have been here of us playing a really tough schedule with lot of tough teams from around the state,” Ferraiolo said. “We’ve had to step up each game to show we could stay with them. We hang out as a team together and we’re always talking. We said Montgomery is not a team a lot of people talk about. We’re usually the underdogs. But now people are noticing us.”, It is hard not to notice a 10-0 team that has outscored the opposition, 64-11, and already has six shutouts to its credit. Junior pitcher Peyton Schnackenberg has been on top of her game all season, while Abigail O’Connor and Tori Ferraiolo have also been contributing on the mound., “Our ace is Peyton,” Montgomery coach Brian Upshaw said. “She pitches neatly every game. Tori close out the Hillsborough game. Peyton has been pitching very well for us.”, The Cougars have been winning by putting all of the pieces together that bring team success. They have pitched well, play very good defense and are hitting the ball enough to score plenty of runs., “We are returning eight starters,” Ferraiolo said. “We had a pretty good season last year and that was where we found ourselves and came together. This year we really have improved on what we did last year., “We have higher expectations because we know whet we are capable of now. Before we had nothing to lose and would always give it our all. Now we have target on back. We’ll keep fighting every single game. Everyone is always pumping each other up. We have high energy on our team and we’re always getting each other up after nice plays. Everyone is so supportive of each other.”, Upshaw is in his first season as the Cougars’ head coach after moving up from being an assistant. He knew what kind of talent the team had coming into the season and thought it could be a solid year., “Our team is gelling right now,” said Upshaw, whose team has another big challenge on Saturday against Notre Dame. “It is just a good group of girls that have fun and like playing the game. I definitely knew we had the talent we were flying under the radar coming into the season. Then we beat IHA, Watchung Hills and Livingston and here we are at 10-0. We still have a lot of games to go, but it has been a solid start., “The big games are coming up. Right now we have a two game lead in the conference and we start Somerset County Tournament on May 6. The girls have been really focused. Last year we were knocked out early in the county and they want to make a deep run this year. I think we do it if everyone just does their job.”, Ferraiolo has been manning the shortstop position for the Cougars since she was a freshman. The team has steadily improved each year and this year is the best season to date for the team., “We have been having a good season,” she said. “We have a great pitcher in the circle. We have great defense behind her and good bats in the lineup. It has helped me with my confidence knowing I have strong people behind me that will get the job done., “This is my fourth season as shortstop. I’ve been there a long time. From my freshman year is a different atmosphere. The girls come out and want it. We have done a lot of team bonding and we have two new coaches that are high energy and they push us really hard at practice. That has changed the mentality and turned the program around.”, As a first-year coach, Upshaw is happy to have a veteran like Ferraiolo to help lead the team., “Her experience and leadership and character are amazing,” Upshaw said. “She is an all around great student-athlete who knows the game inside and out. If kids are in a slump she picks them up. As a leader she is always talking to the younger players. She is always picking them up. She and our other two senior captains, Kaitlin Kocinski and Katie King, have been a very big part of the team making sure the kids are focused and not looking ahead. We go game by game and just worry about who is next.”
