This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Raiders Softball Team Enthusiastic About Advancing this Season

The Raiders start their season this Thursday in a game against Plainfield.

Whether the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High softball team can be more than just an average unit this season will depend on many factors.

In this sport you're talking about playing at a high level on defense, getting consistent pitching and timely hitting. You have to be in the game mentally, as well,  with knowing where to field your position, how to run the bases and having a game plan when stepping up to the plate all being keys to success.

First-year head coach Jess Hulnik – no stranger to coaching softball in town – has a team that is enthusiastic about learning all aspects of the game.

Find out what's happening in Scotch Plains-Fanwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I've been doing a lot of stuff with the town now for several years," said Hulnick, who is also the SP-F swimming coach.

In order to challenge the rest of the teams in its conference in addition to every other squad on its schedule, Scotch Plains will seek to improve as the season goes in with a blend of seniors and juniors and also some freshmen and sophomores.

Find out what's happening in Scotch Plains-Fanwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Even some of the returners, I think, did a lot of platooning last year," Hulnik said. "We have a real, nice, solid senior and junior class and the freshmen – even the ones we don't have up with us now – seem to be really, really solid, as do some of the sophomores that are both up here and on JV."

Scotch Plains hosted perennial Group 4 power Watchung Hills Thursday in a scrimmage, with Hulnik getting in as many of her players as she could to see how they would measure up against a quality opponent.

"This was our first division, so I'm not sure right now everyone up here is going to stay," Hulnik said. "I think it's important for the freshmen and sophomores to play, so if they're going to be up here I would like them to play and get experience."

Scotch Plains wrapped its scrimmage schedule up on Monday with a matchup at home against Mount St. Mary of Watchung.

"All the kids are doing well right now and I think we're going to have a good season," Hulnik said. "Obivously, we still have stuff to work on."

This year's team – with several players back – is coming off a 12-11 season under last year's head coach Kelli Covert.

Junior right hander Amanda White is one of the returning varsity performers. She was one of three pitchers used in the scrimmage vs. Watchung Hills.

White started and threw four effective innings.

"She's been doing real well and has been hitting most of her spots right now," Hulnik said. "Her composure is excellent. She never gets rattled. As the season goes on she will get better. I'm real pleased with the two outings she's had so far."

Coming off a knee injury that sidelined her for most of basketball season is returning junior first baseman Aysia Peterson. 

"She's hitting the ball well most of the time and moving around at first better than I thought she would be, so I'm excited about that," Hulnik said. "She has a nice presence on the field and good leadership."

Hulnik has junior Courtney Zyla and freshman Christine Monroy handling the catching duties, with Zyla a returning varsity player.

"I think both are doing a really good job of blocking stuff and they're really hustling and working hard back there," Hulnik said. "Both have good arms and are not afraid to try to pick people off, but they're also pretty smart about it. I don't know if it's definitely going to happen, but I'm looking - especially early in the season - to alternate so they don't get too beaten up back there. At catcher you tend to take a lot of abuse and we have some weeks where we're going four games straight. They both seem to be doing a nice job for a competitive position, which is another good thing."

Also pitching against Watchung Hills in the scrimmage last week were senior right hander Bianca Root for two innings and junior righty Olivia Brokaw for one, which was a scoreless seventh in which she allowed just one walk.

Root and Brokaw both played on the varsity level last year, with Root tossing an 11-hitter in a 7-2 conference setback at Union County Tournament finalist Linden and Brokaw going 2-for-3 with a home run in the season-ending 19-5 home win over Plainfield.

"I'm pleased with my pitching and catching right now," Hulnik said.

 Scotch Plains is scheduled to open its season Thursday - April 1 - at Plainfield at 4 p.m.

The Raiders swept the Cardinals in Watchung Conference play last year, opening their 2009 season with a 7-2 win at Plainfield.

Scotch Plains and Plainfield are two of the seven teams that are situated in this year's newly-formed Union County Conference-Watchung Division.

"We set three goals for this week and we worked on those things and they got a little bit better this game," Hulnik said. "We really wanted to try to cut down on our strikeouts a bit, really attack the ball a little bit more in the field and work on our cutoffs a little bit. Those were the things we really worked on this week. We will keep working on those and will add a couple of other things next week."

NOTES: Scotch Plains has 12 conference games - six home and six away - vs. fellow Union County Conference-Watchung Division foes: Union, Linden, Westfield, Elizabeth, Plainfield and Rahway.

In the consolation game of last year's Villa Walsh Tournament in Morristown, White tossed a six-hitter in blanking Morristown-Beard 1-0. After Zyla reached on a three-base error in the bottom of the sixth, Peterson drove her in with an RBI-single.

Peterson was 2-for-2 with an RBI and Zyla 2-for-3 with an RBI in a 16-1 conference home win over Irvington, which is now situated in the Super Essex Conference.

White also earned the mound victory in a 4-2 home win over Elizabeth, halting the Minutemen on five hits, while striking out four and walking just one. Lyndsey Douglas went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

The Raiders lost at Kent Place 7-3 in a first round Union County Tournament contest and were then downed at home by Millburn 12-5 in a first round North 2, Group 3 matchup.

UNION COUNTY CONFERENCE

Watchung Division for 2010 (7 teams): Union, Linden, Westfield, Elizabeth, Plainfield, Scotch Plains-Fanwood, Rahway. 

2010 SCOTCH PLAINS-FANWOOD RAIDERS

VARSITY SOFTBALL TEAM:

PITCHERS:

Amanda White, junior, right hander

Bianca Root, senior, right hander

Olivia Brokaw, junior, right hander

CATCHERS:

Christine Monroy, freshman

Courtney Zyla, junior

Amanda Schroder, freshman

FIRST BASE:

Aysia Peterson, junior

Kelly Lapham, freshman

SECOND BASE:

Andrea Barone, senior

THIRD BASE:

Brokaw

Zyla

SHORTSTOP:

Taylor Sebolao, freshman

Julia Root, junior

LEFT FIELD:

Liz Gallo, sophomore

CENTER FIELD:

Lyndsey Douglas, senior

Schroder

RIGHT FIELD:

Jen Kickenwicz, senior

Nikki Appezzato, senior

Cassie Zito, senior 

REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE:

April at Plainfield, 4 p.m.

April 3 Cougar Classic at Cranford's Adams Avenue Field.

Teams: Cranford, Scotch Plains, Pope John of Sparta, Ridge.

Each team plays twice, with game times 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

according to Cranford's schedule on www.highschoolsports.net.

April 5 Bridgewater-Raritan, 3:45 p.m.

April 8 Elizabeth, 4 p.m.

April 10 at South Plainfield, 10:30 a.m.

April 12 Kent Place, 4 p.m.

April 16 at Westfield, 4 p.m.

April 17 Villa Walsh Tournament, 1 a.m.

April 20 at Roselle, 4 p.m.

April 22 at Union, 4 p.m.

April 24 Linden Classic, TBA

April 26 at Bayonne, 4 p.m.

April 27 at Rahway, 4 p.m.

April 29 Linden, 4 p.m.

April 30 Plainfield, 4 p.m.

May 4 at Elizabeth, 4 p.m.

May 7 Westfield, 4 p.m.

May 11 Union, 4 p.m.

May 13 Rahway, 4 p.m.

May 14 at Linden, 4 p.m.

May 18 at Union Catholic, 4 p.m.

May 20 Roselle Park, 4 p.m.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?