Sumya Mohiuddin
With the state championship in mind, the softball team is ready to exert the hard work and effort that they have put in the off-season. For three years, coach John Furlong had the opportunity to see this team mature into a more “experienced, hard-working, [and] talented” group of girls.
As a team, their relationship is strong and stable because they have all been together since they were seven or eight years old. They have participated in summer softball tournaments with the Malden Hurricanes, “a travel team that consisted of a lot of the girls that play on varsity right now,” commented senior captain Emily Hoffman.
With a strong bond to back them up, the girls are more than prepared to win the state championship. They know exactly what they want, and “the team has become a lot more intense and serious” about their goals and this upcoming season, according to Hoffman.
Hoffman, determined for the upcoming season, explained how the team “[has] great potential [and] one of the best chances to win the state tournament.” Even if one game does not turn out in their favor, she knows it is her job “to keep everyone motivated, both on and off the field.” Coach Furlong agreed that there must be important “leadership and motivational skills, like doing things when no one’s looking” to become a team captain.
Along with hours of practice and optimism, the team has an abundance of confidence that they will go a long way during the season. The team already knows their potential, and plans on going further than what they expect from themselves. Hoffman, remembering what coach Furlong has taught her, learned “hard work beats talent when talent [does not] work hard.” It’s important to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the team themselves, and to not let other people pull them down, like they have been doing previously.
Using this helpful tip, younger students from Malden High, including freshman, can look up to these dedicated softball players. Coach Furlong advised future softball players to “stay involved [and] always work on the fundamentals.”
With a bright future and successful season in view, there is no doubt that the softball team will achieve their goals and future softball teammates will work hard to keep the hard work consistent in the upcoming years.
Varsity Roster
Kiara Amos
Emily Hoffman
Rebecca Krigman
Brittany McFeeley
Bridget Furlong
Jessalynne Brown
Melissa Light
Hannah Calderone
Marissa Lally
Emily Moran
Erika Hanson
Elizabeth Fitzgerald
Marissa Wofsey
Elyse Valente
Haley Sutera
Julie Borgea
Justine Rose
