ORANGE — Head coach Jerry Duguay enters his third year at the helm of Mahar varsity softball. Coincidentally, the majority of his team joined the program at the same time as Duguay, with four juniors, five sophomores and one freshman on a 12-person roster. So far, Duguay has done a good job harvesting the talent and creating a winning culture on a team that has won six games in back-to-back seasons in one of the hardest leagues in western Massachusetts.
“They’re hard working, very hard working,” said Duguay about his team. “They really want to win, and they’ll work their tails off for it.”
As a team, the Senators were pretty potent at the plate, despite their 6-14 record. The team hit at a .300 clip last season, hitting seven home runs and five triples and got on base at a .390 rate, collectively. However, the Senators, who graduated only two players from last year’s team, failed to turn that production into runs, scoring only 5.9 runs per game and hitting at only a .390 team-slugging percentage, which was at least 0.1 percent less than all but one team in the Franklin league.
Part of that is by design. Duguay feels playing “small-ball” and producing runs mechanically, rather than with big hits, is how his team can compete in such a hard league.
“I’ve said it before, we play out of the toughest league in any sport, men or girls. I think our league is extremely tough,” said Duguay. “So we have to hit a lot. We have to learn to catch up to the ball, play small-ball and try to put runs on the board when (opponents) can’t think we can. Some of these girls can really hit, but they have to catch up to it, too.”
Skylar Dodge and Sarah Graeff, two big bats, return for their sophomore and junior seasons, respectively. The combo will power the Senators’ lineup out of the three and four spots to start the season.
“Three and four for now, we may shake it up a little bit, but they complement each other,” said Duguay. “They play ball together during the summer. They’re working at it all year round. Three and four is a strong suit for us. Skylar has power and Sarah has both (power and contact).”
Graeff batted .322 last season in 59 at-bats. She hit two home runs and 14 RBIs to go along with three doubles, two triples and 13 runs with 12 walks. Dodge hit at a .434 clip in 53 at-bats. She hit three home runs and 16 RBIs, along with five doubles, 11 runs and eight walks.
Lani DeDiego, a junior, proved to be a pesky out last season, hitting at a .364 rate with a .453 on-base percentage. She walked nine times and scored 13 times at the top of the Senators’ lineup. DeDiego, a third year starter, is currently enrolled in a dual-program at Mount Wachusett Community College, which means she will miss some time throughout the season. When she is available, DeDiego will fit into the top of the lineup again this season.
“She will miss time here and there because of her education, which is fantastic. Good for her,” said Duguay. “But we will have to fill that hole a little bit every now and again. When she’s with us, she’s a guaranteed starter.”
The Senators return junior Jordan Berry and sophomore Jordan Fournier. Both will see regular time in the starting lineup. Berry hit .283 in 53 at-bats last year, knocking in seven runs, while scoring 13. Fournier hit .325 in 40 at-bats, along with a .438 on-base percentage. She hit four doubles and one triple, while knocking in six runs and scoring nine. Junior Shelby Ponusky and senior Kayla LaFrennie saw time last year and will see time again this season. Alexis Meanville-Schaefer will also play on the varsity team full time this season. The Senators also welcome freshman Hannah Dupont full time, while eighth-grader Juliana Herbert, a pitcher and first baseman, could see some time, as well.
Megan Rich, who pitched full time as a freshman last year, pitching all but three innings for the Senators, will be the team’s go-to pitcher again. According to Duguay, Rich has worked hard to hone her craft, seeing a pitching coach during the offseason. She worked on her accuracy and on developing more pitches – Duguay expressed a lot of satisfaction in Rich’s progression.
“She’s created other pitches and is learning how to hone that craft as far as working hitters,” said Duguay. “I’ve tried coaching her in working counts and she’s just doing great. I’m really happy.”
The Senators begin their season on Thursday against Quabbin Regional High School at 3:30 p.m. in their home opener in Orange. The game marks six straight non-league games for the Senators before they take on Turners Falls High School on April 20 in their first league action.