Last spring, the Westfield softball team finished its third consecutive season with a winning record. This season, the girls aim to replace five key senior contributors, including their leaders in hits, home runs, runs and RBIs, in hopes of making a run in the county and state tournaments.
Those leaders were Kalea Calugay and Alivia Macaluso. Calugay, a power hitter, mashed a team-leading eight home runs from the right side of the plate. Macaluso drove in 34 RBIs, had 35 hits and scored 23 runs.
Head coach Caitlin Cheddar spoke highly of both Calugay and Macaluso: “We’re gonna be built a little differently as a team because of those two huge losses.”
Other notable seniors who departed from the team are Aden Brooks and Ali Verga, who had 21 and 20 hits, respectively. The Blue Devils also lost Casey Laguna, who was voted the team’s most valuable senior.
Despite these crucial departures, expectations are the same. “One of our focus points is that we want to come home with some hardware. Conference championship. County championship. Sectional championship. We’re gonna compete for all of those,” said Cheddar.
Senior captain Grace Loder agrees with Cheddar and is confident that the Blue Devils will be in contention for a county and state championship. “I wholeheartedly believe that we could win both. Our conference and section is very competitive, however, I believe as a team we are highly motivated to play to the best of our abilities,” said Loder.
Westfield last brought home hardware in the spring of 2021, defeating Elizabeth 6–3 in the final round of the sectional championship.
The Blue Devils have not won the county tournament since 2014. Cheddar, who compared the county tournament format to March Madness, believes that the most-skilled team does not always win. “It’s about the magic of the moment and taking that mindset of one-and-done and using it to your advantage.”
This year, Westfield will be led by over 10 returning players, including the trio of senior captains in Loder, Avery Pierce and Rachel Witzel.
“I think those three have been waiting for their chance in a lot of ways and I think that they’re ready. We definitely are going to look to them and all of our other seniors, and all of our other returners to lead the way,” said Cheddar.
Speaking about the honor of being selected as a captain, Witzel said, “It was such a rewarding feeling. Avery, Grace, and myself had put in so much effort during the offseason, especially with making scheduling for our Sunday hitting sessions.”
Pierce, a right-handed pitcher, logged the second-most innings pitched on the team last season. In 50 2/3 innings of work, Pierce punched out 26 batters and had a low ERA of 3.18.
Loder, an offensive threat, collected 13 hits last season and drove in 8 runs. She also tallied 4 extra-base hits and drew 8 walks.
Witzell, the right fielder, appeared in 18 games for the Blue Devils last season. She accounted for 13 runs in those 18 games and picked up 2 hits in 16 at-bats.
Aside from the three senior captains, “we have some really good young talent that I think will be ready to make their mark immediately,” said Cheddar.
Witzel, on the same page with Cheddar, said, “We have a roster full of girls that are all skilled in their own way, and I believe that if we work collaboratively and everyone can contribute their strongest assets, we will be unstoppable.”
A portion of the young talent consists of a pair of returning junior stars, Catherine Heflin and Erin Doherty. Heflin hit for a stellar .366 average last season with 26 hits, 5 of which were launched over the fence. Doherty, also known for her performance at the plate, had 20 hits and scored 14 runs.
Other important contributors that Cheddar is looking forward to seeing play in the preseason scrimmages are freshman Natalie Ardente and sophomore Quinlan Doherty. Cheddar believes that Ardente will be the starting second baseman and Doherty will get the starting nod in center field.
The offensive approach will be a bit different from last year’s team. “Last year we had a lot of power hitters, this year we are built a little bit differently,” said Cheddar. “We got more gap hitters, more hard-contact hitters. We’re gonna lay down some bunts, we’re gonna steal some bases. It should be very exciting to watch.”
