Varsity Softball Victorious Against Thayer

Exeter’s softball girls at bat.

Courtesy of @phillipsexetersoftball

By LOGAN LIU and HENRY WISE

On April 19, 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’s preparation was extremely beneficial, and even though many of their games were canceled, this gave them the opportunity to continue to work hard in practice and become the best they could be for their games.

When asked about her expectations, prep Melia Thibault commented, “Going into the game, we didn’t quite know what to expect. They had had some varying scores against other teams, so we weren’t sure how they were going to play that day.” Many members of the team walked onto the pitch with a feeling of nervousness, but through their efforts, the team was able to clinch the win against a similarly strong team. 

During the game, there were many exciting moments that the team noted. When asked about the team’s performance, Ward added, “The game on Friday against Thayer was the first home game of our season so we were very excited. Aside from a few mistakes we played pretty well and were excited about our second win.” In regard to particularly special plays, Thibault commented, “My favorite highlight of the game was when Caroline fielded a ground ball hit at her and she made the play to Lainey, getting the out. I thought it was executed very well and was a good play.” This exciting play helped sway the momentum of the game in Exeter’s favor. 

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.”

Softball is looking forward to more competitive games going into the season, with a game against Andover at home on May 1. With nine more games on the schedule for this strong team, the rest of the season looks very promising.