After a solid campaign in 2015 that saw them reach the Class A quarterfinals, the Harrison softball team is primed to break out this spring, thanks to a healthy combination of experience and athleticism.
Harrison returns seven starters from last year’s 14-8 team, including Sydney Woolf and Christina DeCarlo, who have a combined nine years of varsity experience.
“The one thing I have this year is that my seniors are very unselfish players, they’re very team oriented,” head coach Dean Marino said. “That’s good with the younger players, practices have been easy, and so far there’s been very little wasted time.”
Marino said one area in which his team will be loaded this year is speed. The Huskies return no shortage of offensive firepower, including seven players who all hit over .300 with at least 60 at bats in 2015, but they will also be able to put runners in motion to capitalize on scoring chances this year. According to the head coach, the Huskies will no longer be a station-to-station team.
“I’ve had to change my thought process a bit because we have about six girls who can run like the devil,” he said. “We have three or four girls who can hit it out of the park, but we’re going to be using a lot of bunt-and-run, hit-and-run, steals and delayed steals to put pressure on opposing teams.”
On the mound, the Huskies will likely rely on sophomore Sydney Briotta, who is coming back from a foot injury and was recently cleared for action, and freshman Tamara Day, whose sister Taylor previously starred for the Huskies.
“I always say I’ve had about eight great ballplayers who came through here and went to play in college, and they all had something about them, a confidence,” the head coach said. “Tamara, I think, has it, too. We just need to find out if she has that mental toughness.”
The Huskies will need to be tough in order to make their way through a challenging regular season schedule. With league foes like Eastchester and Pelham and nonleague opponents including Clarkstown South, Pearl River and Tappan Zee, Harrison will not lack for competition.
“Our schedule is loaded,” Marino said. “Every team I scheduled was a final-eight team in either [class] B, A or AA last year.”
Harrison will open the season on April 4 against Saunders and begin league play on April 12 when they host Byram Hills.
