Kayla Kilmer and Rebecca Phillips aren’t surprised by their team’s current state.
In one way, they both can see history repeating itself this season from their sophomore season two years ago.
The South Hunterdon senior duo anticipated their team’s nearly flawless season this spring. With their 9-5 loss to Pope John Paul XXIII in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament, the Eagles posted a sterling 14-2 record to begin play this week, and they should garner one of the top three seeds in the Central Jersey Group I Sectionals tournament.
“We kind of knew it,” said Kilmer. “We lost three girls from last year’s team, and they were really the heart of the team. We had to pick up that end, and we put our hearts into everything we did.”
The left-handed pitching ace said the Eagles’ season opening 7-2 victory over Belvidere was a sign of things to come. They followed with an 8-1 encore five games later.
“Belvidere has always been our biggest competition, and we knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” she stressed. “That was huge for us, and really gave us a boost. We knew then that we could go pretty far.”
Phillips, who plays shortstop, saw a similar pattern to the top.
“They are a good team, and a good program,” she stated about Belvidere. “We knew how good we could be when we were able to come out as strong as we did against them.”
Both girls also can trace this year’s success back to their sophomore season when the Eagles won the Central Jersey Group I title with an overall 17-7 record.
“We had something special as sophomores,” said Kilmer, who won all the team’s games that season. “We had some solid senior leadership, and it was a breakthrough year for us.
“It was very disappointing to not play last year. We had a number of girls back, and it looked promising. I was able to play tournament ball, and I worked hard to get back this season.”
“It definitely took a toll last year,” added Phillips, who hit .300 with 23 hits and 13 RBIs two years ago. We had a great season as sophomores, and we were really looking forward to last year.”
This year, Kilmer’s offseason conditioning paid dividends as she became the first player in the program to record 300 strikeouts. She will play at Franklin & Marshall next spring.
Phillips, who has been a standout in softball, basketball and field hockey, will continue her field hockey career at Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire.
Kilmer has a 16-2 mark with a 1.27 ERA with 137 strikeouts and 11 walks, and has a .438 batting average with 26 RBIs. Phillips is hitting .315 with 17 RBIs and seven stolen bases,
They, and a strong supporting cast, have made the transition easy for first-year head coach Jim Smiegocki.
“We knew we had a strong core coming back,” said Smiegocki. “Kayla and Rebecca have managed to take charge. They both know what it takes to be very successful.
“We have beat some very competitive teams, but I don’t think we have peaked yet. We still can play some very good softball.”
Kilmer and Phillips both envision a longer road ahead.
“In games that we have fallen behind, we have managed to come back,” said Kilmer. “I don’t know if we will ever peak. We just find new levels to do what we are capable of.
“I don’t think we have peaked yet,” added Phillips. “We’re going out there and getting the job done. We have a lot of confidence in each other, and we keep moving along.”
They also have another Group I title in their sights.
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