SOFTBALL
Much to build on
BY STEVE SHEPPARD INDEPENDENT SPORTS EDITOR
Don't forget, they were ranked number one in all of Division 3 east.

Just another nice thing for the Lady Whalers to reflect upon as they look forward to summer.

"We were very happy with the way everything turned out," coach Chris Maury noted after he had time to digest last Tuesday's semifinal tournament loss to Diman Voke. "It's nice to go undefeated in the regular season and win 19 games (overall). This is a great group of kids. They were as successful as they were because they had the right attitude."

That attitude carried them from the beginning, when they were faced with regrouping after the loss of several very talented players to graduation last year. No problem. The under- classmen were ready to show what they could do at the varsity level, and their hustle and poise was immediately apparent. They came to play, but their greatest asset, perhaps, was their insistence on having fun.

"I've been coaching for a while and I've never had a group where the chemistry was as good as it was on this team," Maury pointed out. "Everybody got along, and that makes a big difference."

They lost just two seniors to graduation, but Stephanie Norris and Maryanne Bradley will be missed next year. Norris has been a solid contributor both offensively and defensively, as evidenced in the season's last game when she scored on a wild pitch to avert a shutout.

For her part, Bradley, who came to Nantucket from Texas for her senior year, made sure her one year in Whalers athletics was memorable. She was part of two historic teams - the basketball squad that made it to the state finals, and this edition of the softball team. "She brought a lot to the team," Maury said. "The spirit that she brings to a game is contagious; it's hard for someone not to pick up on it."

The good news is that the Lady Whalers will return a solid core that gained valuable experience during the season just past, including pitchers Grace Anne Tornovish, Jess Guevara and Olivia Hull. Hull won nine games this season and was tagged for just one earned run against Diman. "Olivia got better as the season went along," Maury notes. "She has a tremendous work ethic that I'm sure she'll have for the rest of her career at NHS."

Although their tournament run ended one game short of the Division 3 final, the games that got them there will be long savored. "The worst thing about tournament play is that it's like slamming a door," Maury said. "When you're done, you're done."

Before that, however, there was the regular season finale at Holbrook, capped off by an impromptu rally at the boat in which the whole island, it seemed, welcomed the team home. "We want to thank all the people who came down to the boat when we came back from Holbrook," Maury said. "The girls are still talking about that."

And seeing the crowd that witnessed their extra inning comeback against Provincetown in the last home game of the year (featuring the clutch game-winning hit by freshman Lindsay - not to be confused with her older sister, Lauren - Fry), was another welcome confidence booster for the team.

"I've never seen a crowd like that for a softball game before," Maury reflected.

"That was great for the kids, too." I