Carrie Merritt has worked with athletes for years
OCEAN CITY – Carrie Merritt has been a familiar face in Ocean City High School athletics for years as a strength and conditioning coach. This spring she is taking on a new role as head coach of the Red Raider softball team.
“I am going back to my roots,” she said. “A little-known fact around town is that I grew up playing softball and went to college on a softball scholarship. That’s probably really my first love. I played at the University of Connecticut.” She moved away from softball during her training years, then saw the opening for the softball coaching position “and thought it was time to chase after a new little adventure.”
This is her first actual head coaching role at the high school, “which is a bit of a transition, but talk about having some great mentors that I’ve coached alongside of from my position as strength and conditioning coach. It’s neat to have the head job.”
Over the years she has worked with a host of Red Raiders; her three mainstays have been the field hockey, girls soccer and girls lacrosse teams.
One coach she singled out as someone to emulate is Trish LeFever, who led the field hockey team to multiple state championships before retiring.
“I want to continue building that culture where we become the team that people want to beat, much like the Ocean City field hockeys, the Ocean City soccers, that I’ve witnessed for so many years,” she said. “I really respect and look up to the famous Trish LeFever. She is one of my all-time coaching, teaching mentors, and I really think she had the mix of intensity but understanding that they were kids. There was the will to want to win but also to build community and have some fun. That’s what I seek to build with our kids.”
Merritt said she is off to a good start because of the foundation laid by last year’s head coach, Keri Fane, who is assisting her this year, along with last year’s assistant Jess Fane, new assistant coach Josh Handshaw and junior varsity coach Arianna Segich, a former OCHS softball standout.
“Having Keri I feel very lucky,” she said, crediting Fane with creating a strong culture on the team. “I think it’s a very dynamic staff. We each bring our own special part,” she added.
Before the season started Merritt has a number of positions solidified but is still figuring where to put different players.
Many high school softball teams rely on a single dominant pitcher used game after game, but the Red Raiders don’t that have luxury this season so she plans to use a platoon system.
“We’re going to look at doing a shared staff,” she explained. “We’re hoping they can put in some quality innings. We’re going to use three or four pitchers, including Marissa Green, Lauren Tate, Nyla Dickerson. Each of these kids has seen time at the JV level. We’re giving them a big ask to put some quality innings in. Those are the three we’re going to have on the mound and utilizing each of them in each game.”
Keri Fane will be a big help with the pitching staff because that is her playing background. Jess Fane, Handshaw and Merritt were all catchers.
Senior Brooke Groover-Illas will be the team’s catcher. “She is definitely going to be the voice behind our team. She is showing strong leadership. She is taking that important role as catcher to command attention. That position is pretty set at this point,” Merritt said.
The coach is still figuring out her corners in the infield.
“Right now our go-to at third is Anna McCabe. She is a sophomore. She started many games last year at third. We have Gabby Bowen at first. At shortstop we have Christina Barbella – talk about another anchor of our team, she’s a true leader. At second we have Taylor Vaugh, a freshman. She’s a nice surprise. She’s a well-skilled kid we can put in a lot of different places,” Merritt said.
She also has brought up some freshmen who are fighting for positions and she is considering using them as hitters or runners. They include Annabelle Shumski, Carly Hennis and Carlee Hiddemen.
In the outfield Mackenzee Segich is in center, Morgan Rocap is moving from right field to left field and there is a battle for the right field spot among seniors Katie Laursen and Aneecia Morales and freshman Sydney Catto. She notes Morales is a speedster and she expects she and Laursen will run for the Red Raiders.
She is waiting to set team goals until the Red Raiders get some more games under their belts. She notes the coaches led the girls into the playoffs last season, they have a solid defense this season and some speed on the bases.
“We’re going to be aggressive,” she said. Merritt wants her pitchers to be able to hit their spots and let the defense handle the rest. “As a former catcher, I love defense. I’m really going to be counting on our defense to make the plays and let our pitchers throw the ball and go from there.”
“I have high expectations. I really think that we can make a mark and be a surprise. I think a lot of people are going to think this is going to be the very famous term of a rebuilding year, but I think some of our seniors bring enough energy, skill and enough desire to really lead us deep into the playoffs,” Merritt said.
The Red Raiders are at Cedar Creek at 4 p.m. Friday and host Williamstown at 11 a.m. Saturday at their field at Sixth Street and Haven Avenue.
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
