Polytech softball seniors are proud of the improvement they've made
WOODSIDE — When they started all this, Polytech High’s softball players tried to win every game, of course.
It just didn’t happen very often.
The Panthers were very young …
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Polytech softball seniors are proud of the improvement they've made
By Andy WalterWOODSIDE — When they started all this, Polytech High’s softball players tried to win every game, of course.
It just didn’t happen very often.
The Panthers were very young four years ago. They had just one senior on the roster in 2021.
“Freshman and sophomore year, we went into a game thinking, ‘Oh, we already know we’re about to lose this game,’” said Julia MacConnell, now a senior. “But now we have hope that we can actually beat a team.”
Indeed, Polytech was 4-1 in the Henlopen North, 8-2 overall after blanking Woodbridge, 2-0, on Thursday.
That makes the Panthers 22-8 since the start of last season — which is a lot better than the 7-29 mark they posted in the two previous years.
The six seniors on this year’s squad are proud of how far they’ve come since they were freshmen. That group includes MacConnell, Mara Everton, Rachel Carey, MacKenzie Mitchell, Kyla Davis and Cheyenne Silves.
Everton was a first-year All-State pitcher last spring while Carey was a second-team pick. But, four years ago, Everton was dealing with an ankle injury while Carey was at Sussex Academy.
MacConnell did a lot of the pitching in 2021 while Mitchell was the catcher in every game. The freshmen had also had their eighth-grade seasons canceled by the COVID pandemic.
“We were all very young,” said Mitchell, a Magnolia resident who now plays shortstop and outfield. “I just knew, as we got older, we would start to progress. I think that really pushed us to get better.
“We all work as a team now. We communicate a lot more than we did freshman year. We all got to know each other and know what each person does.”
“I always knew at some point we would all grow as a team instead of individually,” said MacConnell, a Felton resident who now plays outfield and first base. “And we have, I feel like.
“We started so low and now we’ve come so far I feel like. I think we can compete with anybody if we all stay focused and work together as a team.”
Everton remembers struggling first, physically with her ankle injury, and then mentally with her confidence.
“It was really hard because, when I came back, I still wasn’t performing at my best,” she said. “It was really hard mentally. I wasn’t confident in myself so it made it really hard my first two years.”
Polytech’s only two losses this season have been a 5-0 setback to Henlopen leader Sussex Central and a 3-2 decision to Lake Forest, which is in first place in the Henlopen South.
Six of the Panthers’ eight wins have come by shutout. While Everton has obviously played a big role, coach Kyle Taylor said Polytech has also been playing some good team defense.
“When she’s on and she’s hitting her spots, two things happen, like with any good pitcher,” said Taylor. “She’s either going to get the swing and a miss or she’s going to get the pop or the groundball.
“Our defense has really picked it up this year. We’ve played phenomenal defense. We want to make sure we’re keeping that up.”
“I always know that I have a good defense behind me,” said Everton, who has averaged over a strikeout an inning in the last two seasons. “And even if they (the opponent) score first, I always know that we’re able to come back.”
On Thursday, Polytech honored its seniors before its game with Woodbridge. The seniors admitted it’s a strange feeling to know that this is their last high school season already.
“I always wanted it to come but now it doesn’t feel like it’s real,” MacConnell said about Senior Day. “I always was preparing for other people for their Senior Night. And now it feels weird that people are preparing for mine.”
But, considering how much they’ve improved since they were freshmen, the seniors have a lot to celebrate. They also have a lot more they’d like to accomplish before they’re done.
Last year, the Panthers edged Lake Forest, 1-0, in the first round of the DIAA state tournament before falling to eventual state champion Caravel, 10-1, in the second round.
Polytech’s players know that it’s incredibly difficult to win a state championship. But they’d like to have a better ending than last season.
“I would just like to make it as far as possible,” said MacConnell. “Last year we just finished on a rough note. I want to finish on a really high note this year.”
Extra points
•Lake Forest improved to 5-0 in the Henlopen South with a 1-0 win over Indian River on Tuesday. Bayli Glanden hit a third-inning homer for the game’s only run while Carah Sumpter pitched a five-hitter with eight strikeouts.
•Sussex Central needed a two-run homer from Takyla Davis in the bottom of the sixth to edge Cape Henlopen, 5-4, on Tuesday and move to 5-0 in the Henlopen North. The Vikings rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh before falling short.
•Caesar Rodney (6-4) has reached double-digit scoring in five of its six victories this year.
