The Solebury Spartans took the field for the first time in a few years and though the season ended with a thud, the girls felt they had accomplished something special on the diamond.
Solebury did so well on the field this spring, the Spartans earned a bye in the first-round of the Penn-Jersey Athletic Association (PJAA) tournament. Without their ace pitcher on the mound, however, the squad got mercy ruled by Cristo Rey in the PJAA quarterfinal May 11 in Philadelphia.
“The end of the season was kind of a humbling experience,” explained senior co-captain Jordan Lane. “Yeah, you’re not going to win every game but I feel like seeing my teammates put in all the effort and the work that they did, the season was still satisfying.”
Despite the fact that Solebury hadn’t had a team in years, the Spartans got off to a good start, mercy-ruling PJAA rival Villa Victoria in the season opener.
“That first win was big,” stated Lane. “Just because none of us thought we really had it in us. Only two of us ever played softball before so it really showed us that if we put our minds to something, it can happen.
“That first win really put us on the map and laid a straightforward path to all our other wins.”
“Other wins” as in a 7-1 start overall, 7-0 in the PJAA.
In game two, the Spartans bounced Mercy Tech 7-2 then mercy-ruled Girard College High in game three. While game four saw a loss to Plumstead Christian, Solebury rebounded with big wins over Villa Victoria and Mercy followed by an all-out slugfest in a battle with Kohelet Yeshiva, a duel the Spartans won by a 17-13 score.
A second win over Girard put the Spartans at 7-1 on the season.
The Spartans were led by pitcher Libby Davis, a senior right-hander who recently transferred from CB East. Davis dominated in the circle with her arm and smacked the ball around with her bat, hitting .947 for the season.
“Libby was always getting up there and cranking that ball,” said head coach Don Kaplan. “She’d come up with the bases loaded and just cream the ball.”
“When we had her, we were pretty invincible. She was phenomenal.
“She’s got to be our MVP because of what she did to all these other teams.”
Mackenzie Costo could also hit the ball well, averaging .778 with an .862 on-base percentage.
“The kid could hit – a real clutch hitter who could hit line drives into the outfield,” explained Kaplan. “She’d come up and just rope the ball into the outfield, most of the time for a double.”
Lane saw Costo’s contributions in a different way.
“Mackenzie – she was such a positive spirit,” stated Lane. “Every day at practice, she’d have a smile on her face.
A left-hander, Costo wasn’t shy about sharing her field experience, according to Lane.
“Although it’s different for her, she still showed us what hand you use and things like that,” said Lane. “She told us no matter how much experience you have, you can still bring greatness onto the field.”
A third baseman who played tennis previously at Solebury, Lane was no slouch with the bat either, hitting .588 with a .724 on-base percentage.
“She was something else; she worked real hard on the sport,” stated Kaplan. “She would come early, stay after every practice. Zy (Redhead) did the same thing; they both worked really hard.”
“She (Lane) never played the sport before and she became, I would argue, one of the best players we had.”
“Zy” is Zy’Ira Redhead, a shortstop for the Spartans and the other senior co-captain.
“She’s just a phenomenal leader, a good little hitter, a good solid hitter,” said Kaplan.
Redhead also pitched when Davis got hurt. “That gave us a chance to play defense because the other teams were finally able to (make contact with) the ball,” explained Kaplan.
The other co-captain in the mix was Alexa “Lex” Nichols, a freshman who played center field.
“She was just a great kid,” said Kaplan. “A real team leader.”
Nichols led a freshmen class that included Costo, Naleli Copeland, August Chen and catcher Sofia Allen.
Copeland was a utility infielder that wound up at short when the lineup had to be shuffled due to injuries. “She was just so intuitive with the sport; she could basically play anywhere,” explained Kaplan.
Chen played in right field and batted leadoff. She once recorded five hits in one game this season. “That kid could hit the ball and she’s always making contact,” stated Kaplan.
And catcher Allen did a yeoman’s work behind the plate. “She did a great job of catching Libby’s hard and fast pitches,” stated Kaplan.
Leading the sophomore class was Bella Barrigh, who manned second base. “She just started playing the game and she did a really good job – became a very serviceable second baseman,” explained Kaplan.
Classmate Emi Armbruster was a utility player who could occupy a spot in either the infield or the outfield. “She helped us out wherever we needed her,” said Kaplan. And Sabrina Stumpo is a third baseman of the future, the coach said.
Meanwhile, senior Anna Tang-Sung played left field for the Spartans and junior Ulrica Wu played both first base and in the outfield for the last game.
According to Lane, Wu was the most improved player on the team.
“Within the first couple of practices, she got hit in the face with a ball and she was out for a couple of practices and a game or two,” explained Lane. “In our last game, she played in the outfield, which isn’t her normal spot and despite that, she actually got an out, which was really great.”
Think of Solebury softball as a family.
“Although a lot of us were inexperienced, we still had a whole bunch of wins – more than what anybody expected,” explained Lane.
“It brought us closer together, especially since this was my last year. Having a sisterhood like that among my experiences here felt really great to me.”
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