ATHOL — Following Athol High School’s 20-3 routing of Amherst Regional on the softball field, I approached Destiny Wrigley to ask about her confidence levels out on the field. She had just gone 3-for-4, with four runs, one double, two stolen bases and one hit by pitch.
She went wide-eyed and grimaced at the question, seemingly unsure of what to express.
“I don’t know, pretty confident I guess,” she said. Wrigley laughed a little and eventually added “I don’t know, I’m not good at this.”
Wrigley doesn’t really have to use words to describe her level of play, however. She can use her stat-lines instead.
Wrigley currently leads the softball team with eight runs and with a .545 batting average. She has produced five RBIs on three singles and three doubles so far this season, and has taken over at shortstop for the Red Raiders, a position that often symbolizes a combination of the best skill and athleticism on the team.
“She’s been doing really good at practice, stepping up,” said Athol softball coach Sharon Chauvette.
Wrigley has stepped up for the last six months, starting with the varsity basketball season. Varsity basketball coach Kelly Kaczmarczyk often expressed the same thought as Chauvette at different times during the season, asking Wrigley to step up as a leader, and even designing plays around giving her the ball.
In the second game of the basketball season, Wrigley put up 12 points against the Narragansett Warriors. She then put up 13 points against the Greenfield Green Wave. Double-digit points eventually became the norm for her. She ended the basketball season averaging more than 11 points per game and scored 20 or more points four times throughout the basketball season. She led the team in points per game, total points, total 3-point field goals and 3-point field goals per game.
Wrigley’s contributions came suddenly, something she attributed to the confidence of being named captain. Wrigley was a role player as a junior, and worked her way into a starting role on all three varsity teams she played on this season – soccer, basketball and softball.
“I asked her to be a leader this year, and she’s actually done it,” said Chauvette. “So, I’m very pleased with what I’ve seen so far.”
Wrigley eventually described her approach at the plate. She likes to wait on a pitch and then, usually being asked to bunt by Chauvette (Wrigley bunted twice during Wednesday’s game and reached first before the throw, a subtle indication of her speed), looks to bunt in the opposite direction of the runners on base.
“I usually wait for the first strike, and then Sharon usually has me bunt,” said Wrigley. “I usually try to see where the runners are. If there is a runner on first, I try to hit (the ball) toward third base. That way, the person on first can get to second. If they’re on third, I hit it to first base.”
Wrigley is also a master at the 3-point shot. She converted an average of 2.1 3-point field goals per game. Wrigley laughed about her approach to the shot.
“I just kind of shoot it,” laughed Wrigley. “Nothing really else.”
Wrigley said she likes basketball. Her goal for the rest of the softball season is to make the playoff tournament. And, as long as she continues to be a leader and continues to produce, it seems likely she will meet her goal.