With only three returning varsity players from the team that went 10-6 in 2013, there will be lots of new faces around the Lady Panther softball diamond this spring. Returning are senior Lauren Guptill, junior Hannah Marks and sophomore Hannah Watmough. The only other upper classman on the team is junior Hope Lash.
“The rest of the girls are sophomores and played JV all last year,” returning coach Richard Vannah said.
“They are a great bunch of girls to coach and I have high hopes for them,” Vannah said. “Lauren has taken the lead with the girls and they will continue to grow throughout the season with her help. She has waited for her turn for awhile now. Hannah Marks only got a few starts last year but she has a ton of potential that we have only begun to tap into.
“We have some hard hitters, bunters, a little speed and some power, so we will take one inning and one game at a time.”
“As the coach of these girls, I know we will have some growing pains and some ups and downs, but if they learn something each game, I will be doing my job. I think the hardest thing for them will be matching my intensity and passion for the game. If we get into the playoffs with a young team you never know what will happen,” Vannah said.
The 2014 Lady Panther roster includes Guptill (catcher, third), Marks (pitcher, shortstop, outfield) and fellow junior Hope Lash (outfield, third); and sophomores Watmough (first, outfield), Sophie Cohen (shortstop, first), McKenzie Wing (outfield, infield), Vanessa Rancourt (catcher, outfield, third), Miranda Belcher (shortstop, outfield, Casey Wagner (pitcher, outfield), Stephanie Hill (second, outfield), Maggie Cox (second, outfield), Megan Sykes (outfield), and Paige Mason (outfield, infield).
Medomak opens their season at Lincoln Academy on April 23 at 1 p.m. Their home opener is 1 p.m. on April 25 against Oceanside.
