Fireballs Lay Foundation For Future Growth And Success

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Sometimes, a season of trial by fire leads to a memorable end-of-season win.

The Green Hornets 10U Fireballs softball team didn’t have the greatest season ever by record, but they did notch a big win come tournament time.

Severna Park defeated the Havenwood Phoenix, 17-8, at Rock Creek Park on June 1 to get a confidence-boosting playoff win in the North County Community Girls Softball League 10U consolation tournament. Having just lost to the Phoenix a few nights earlier, the victory was a positive step for a team that took big strides throughout the spring.

“We had lost to [Havenwood] a couple nights before that game but came back out and played the best softball we had played all season and won,” said head coach Mick Young, who coached the team with assistants Brandon Cassady and Chris Rom. “Everything clicked that night and the girls, as well as the coaches, couldn’t have been more excited.”

The team of Emily Hall, Sienna Miller, Madison Cassady, Megan Young, Zoey Stafford, Andrea Rom, Keirstyn Gaiser, Parren Smith, Lizzy Thompson, Ava Cosler, Ava McPhee, Taylor Moran, Austyn Lundfelt and Jaider Zaniker went 2-11-2 overall on the season, but they have a strong foundation to build on moving forward.

“We had four players who had never played before and only one that had played a season of 10U,” said Young. “It was definitely an adjustment going from the kid/coach pitch game in 8U to the all-kid-pitch scenario of 10U, but we saw steady improvement throughout the season. Looking ahead, our coaches are very excited about the direction we are headed. Being one of the younger teams this year, we definitely struggled at times, but most of our team is coming back next season. What I am most proud of is the way we were aggressive at the plate all season. If there were pitches to hit, we were getting our swings in. We also had multiple players with no pitching experience have some real success on the mound. It will be nice to have them back next year when we can really fine-tune some pitching fundamentals and watch them improve.”

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