Varsity Baseball and Softball (2023-2024)
By ADELLE PITTS and JADE YOO ‘27
Exeter’s baseball and softball teams have been experiencing a very successful 2024 season. All of the teams have been playing great in their games, with boys’ varsity baseball scoring seven wins so far, and girls’ varsity softball having four. The teams bring great spirit and energy and are a valuable part of Exeter Athletics.
The baseball team works hard during their games, which is shown in their victorious game on April 2, where they won 17-1 over Berwick Academy, scoring their third win of the season. “The team played well and we were able to get everyone some good at bats and innings in the field,” described Head Coach Timothy Mitropoulos. “In the middle innings, I am always curious how the team is going to respond and continue to play. The guys did that very well and expanded the lead, never giving Berwick a chance to come back.”
Even with the varying ages and places the team comes from, they’ve been working hard together to make the best game, consistently practicing and working on small details in their game. “Practice is very important for staying at the top of your game,” lower Dana Mussulman added. “We are working on the small details, such as bunt coverage and pickoff plays, stuff that sometimes gets overlooked, but is very important for the game.”
Lower Josh Dunn spoke about how far he believes the team dynamic will take them. “We’ve had a pretty special group. I mean it’s kind of been what we’ve preached since day one, but we’ve got a lot of good guys, a lot of hard working guys, motivated guys.” He continued, “I think we’re just excited to play some tough competition, just excited to play some good baseball.”
Their season is not over, and the team is still working hard to prepare for their last few games.“We are playing a schedule of talented teams,” remarked Voulgaris. “It will be exciting to see how we compete against those teams. We have some good players, and it’ll be fun to see how they progress against the teams in our league.”
The girls’ varsity softball team has also been having a great season, working hard to bring the best results. This is exemplified with the game on April 19, when the girls varsity softball team went head to head in an exciting match against a strong opponent, Thayer Academy. Throughout the game, the girls were in close contention, with the score staying relatively even for the duration of the event. The girls worked very hard during this matchup and were able to secure their win by one run, with the final score being Exeter with four runs, and Thayer with three runs. It was an exciting match throughout, and the team’s training efforts were made apparent with the game’s result.
To prepare for their match against Thayer, the team’s practices were grueling each and every day, and every player had to put their best effort into each practice. Lower Meagan Ward said, “We have been practicing since the beginning of spring term, as well as having preseason in Florida. Since our first five games were canceled, we had extra time to practice and prepare for the first games.”
The team is relatively young, with five preps and five lowers contributing to a fourteen-person team. Both coaches are also new, making for an important preseason. Coach and Instructor in History Jack Gronau said that the team “became cohesive really quickly” and has been focusing heavily on “getting to know one another and [team] building.” The team has been working hard, with effective practice being rewarded with a now 3-1 record. Coach Gronau stated that he is, “[feeling] positive about how things have been going and continue to go.”
Sherman commented on the team’s spirit. “Our team is extremely tight knit,” she said. “The captains make it feel like a family, and I love each and every person on our team. We have a great dynamic.”
The softball team put in lots of preparation and training since the beginning of the season. “Although this is my first season coaching at Exeter,” Head Coach Jen Boyden explained, “I think we’re on a good system. We’re lifting twice a week and any other days that we have the opportunity. We get outside often and do a lot of defensive work, which paid off.”
This year, the team has a significant number of lowerclassmen who will likely play for multiple years. “There’s three seniors and only one junior, and there are a lot of younger players,” Boyden said. “They are learning a lot. The future is bright too, since they’ll be around for a while.
“There’s a lot of positive softball that’s gonna come out of this team for the rest of the season and then also for the next few years,” Boyden remarked.
