LINWOOD – While Mainland’s softball team is coming off a 9-14 season, the Mustangs were playing some of their best at the end of the year and there is reason for optimism this season with a strong group of starters returning.
In the postseason last spring, the No. 14 seed Mustangs took No. 3 seed Seneca to the limit, forcing their opponents to rally for a 4-3 victory in the first round of the NJSIAA South Jersey Group III playoffs. This year, Mainland is hoping to make a run of its own.
“We sort of got things figured out at the end of the season,” Mainland softball coach Brian Smith said. “We hope to carry that momentum into this season. We feel good about where we are right now. We have a lot of tough competition in our division and we’re just looking to be competitive and then get back on that winning track.”
Mainland opened the season last Friday with an impressive 16-2 victory over Holy Spirit with two of Mainland’s top returnees, senior Ava Kinkler and sophomore Denver Obermeyer, combining for 5-for-7 at the plate with two home runs.
That win came without one of Mainland’s best players Isabella Canesi in the lineup. Canesi, who helped the Mustangs’ volleyball team to their best season ever in the fall, will return to the lineup on April 12.
Canesi, who will play softball at NCAA Division I Towson State next year, comes into the season with a .433 career batting average and earned second-team All-New Jersey honors.
“Bella was an all-South Jersey performer for us as a freshman and now she’s looking forward to getting back on the field as a senior. She is a dynamic presence in our lineup,” Smith said.
“She’s kind of a towering figure every opponent knows and fears. She is the one the teams know they have to account for in our lineup and try to keep her from beating you. That takes the pressure off of others in our lineup.”
Mainland also returns junior Rayna Molina, who Smith said was arguably the Mustangs’ most valuable player as a sophomore a season ago.
“She was that in terms of the stats that she put up as our leadoff hitter,” Smith said. “She plays so many positions for us, but she’s going to start at third base. She has played shortstop when Ava pitches and she played some centerfield this spring. Rayna’s the kind of person that wherever we put her on the field, she’s the best player there.
“Offensively, she’s setting the table for us and one of the sparkplugs that gets us going. The sky’s the limit for her this season.”
Smith said Kinkler, who pitched a three-hitter against Holy Spirit in the opener, will be one of Mainland’s senior leaders this season.
“She’s been a mainstay in our lineup since freshman year,” Smith said. “She’ll be our three-hitter this year. She’s going to pitch a little bit more than she has in the past because we need her in the circle a little bit. Offensively she’s just an absolutely dynamic performer and a really steadying influence for us.”
Smith said he believes Obermeyer is ready to take her game to the next level after her freshman season, evidenced by her 3-for-4 performance against Holy Spirit, where she hit a double to go with her home run.
“We’re really looking for her to take that jump,” Smith said. “In that home run against Holy Spirit, that was the first home run she’s ever hit at any level. She’s really grown. She’s got a lot stronger this year and a lot more confident.”
Junior Joslyn Adams, who went 3-for-4 in the Holy Spirit game, will be batting cleanup for Mainland.
“She was our catcher last year but she will anchor down centerfield for us this year,” Smith said. “I think that will make us stronger defensively. She’s in a small package but she packs a lot of dynamite. She’s got a very powerful left-handed swing.”
Smith said senior Kylie Higbee will play a bigger role for the Mustangs after seeing limited time a year ago. She was another opening-game star, going 2-for-3 at the plate, both of those doubles.
“Kylie played a little bit last year but she struggled with injuries,” Smith said. “She’s not a name a lot of people will be familiar with but she is someone who is a very powerful presence. She’ll play some first base, but will be our main DH.
“Another girl who will probably fly under the radar is senior Camryn Juckett. She returned to softball after not playing since her freshman year. She’s really surprised us and she’s going to be in the outfield. She’s someone who’s going to lengthen our lineup. She’s done really well in our scrimmages and had two hits on Friday against Holy Spirit.”
Smith said overall Mainland will need to be more successful on the defensive end than last season starting with pitching. Sophomore pitcher Bella D’Agostino, who was the Mustangs’ No. 1 pitcher as a freshman, is recovering after being hit by a line drive in a scrimmage but is expected to return.
“She’s tough and we’re looking for her to step up in the circle and be our No. 1 again as soon as she’s healthy. We will need to get solid performances from our pitchers this season. We don’t have overpowering pitching but we need the pitchers to throw strikes and keep us in games.
“The defense will need to be better than it was last year. We need to catch the ball to help our pitchers out because we don’t have that like big strikeout pitcher. We have girls who are going to throw strikes and as long as our defense makes plays, that’s how we are going to be successful.”
At 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, Mainland will travel across the bay to take on rival Ocean City and will open at home on April 12 against St. Joseph (Hammonton).
“Ocean City is always that rivalry game,” Smith said. “That’s a game where no matter how the teams are performing that season, it’s always a tough game just because the girls know each other so well; they are friends and rivals.
“I think another game that will be big for us is Cedar Creek. They look to be the favorite in our division. That’s going to be the challenge because they’re the defending Group II champs. That game will give us a sense of where we stand.”
By CLYDE HUGHES/Special to the Sentinel