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Familiar faces back to defend Highland's crown
It probably does not take much time for Donald O'Meara to compile the Highland School softball roster.
Step one: Find the girls basketball roster.
Step two: Copy.
Ten members of O'Meara's state runner-up hoops squad will transition out to the diamond. The seasonal shift has become commonplace for Highland since its softball program launched in 2006.
The results seem to indicate that the Hawks may be on to something.
Highland boasts three straight basketball state finals trips, two consecutive softball state finals appearances, and the 2007 VIS softball championship.
But, this year for example, a trip to the basketball finals left a whopping two days off before softball season started.
So the real question is: Do the Highland players ever get sick of each other?
“Maybe,” senior Erin Whitney said after a laugh. “We see each other every day — in school, in practice. But we love each other, so it's not that bad, it's like sisterly love.”
Teammate Hannah Safren seemed a little more enthused about the constant companionship.
“We hang out all the time,” Safren said. “We're always together, 24-7, from the beginning of school.”
Either way, the continuity paid off for Highland last season — at least in softball.
After dropping the 2007 basketball state title game to Walsingham Academy, the motivated Hawks rolled to the school's first softball championship.
Now, just weeks removed from another hoops finals loss to Walsingham, Highland has all the tools necessary to grab a repeat softball crown.
“Being that so many of them played basketball and already had that letdown, I think that really helps,” said O'Meara of drawing positives from his team's basketball defeat. “They are kind of like, 'We've got to work hard to get another [title].'”
Highland's battle began last week at the Grand Strand Softball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Over five days, the Hawks faced a string of high-powered Virginia schools — Madison, Gar-Field, South County, McLean and Langley — finishing 2-3.
“I'm really satisfied with the Myrtle Beach tournament,” O'Meara said. “We're playing AAA schools 10 times the size of us, and in two of the games, we beat ourselves.”
Madison stifled Highland in the tournament opener, 4-0 on March 17.
The next day, Highland rebounded with an 11-2 thrashing of Gar-Field. The Hawks pounded out 14 hits, aiding solid pitching from junior Maire Shaughnessy.
She picked up a second win later in the tournament, tossing nine innings for a hard-fought 2-1 victory against McLean.
South County and Langley handed Highland 3-1 and 5-4 losses, respectively, to round out play.
All in all, Highland performed well against some stiff competition, a theme that O'Meara hopes runs throughout 2008.
With just two other schools (Quantico and Randolph-Macon) in the Delaney Athletic Conference softball league, Highland loaded up the rest of its slate. The Hawks will battle Culpeper, Mercersburg, Rappahannock and perennial power Turner Ashby, among others.
“It's only the third year [of the Highland program] and we're already getting teams like that on our schedule,” O'Meara said. “It just shows that Highland softball has come a long way.”
Shaughnessy is a key member of the hoops-to-hardball move. She is Highland's unquestioned No. 1 pitcher — “We're going to ride that arm all the way,” O'Meara said — and will bat leadoff this season, sliding up from cleanup to replace Reba Tutt.
Tutt, now starting for the University of Pittsburgh, created havoc on the bases. Shaughnessy is a masher, meaning that the Highland offense takes on a new look with her at the top of the lineup.
“It's a lot different, but it doesn't bug me,” Shaughnessy said. “I have to do my job, get on base and trust my teammates to bring me in.”
Interestingly enough, Shaughnessy and Tutt may meet again in the near-future. Shaughnessy, a junior, is being heavily recruited by several of Pitt's Big East foes as a third baseman.
Tops on the list is Seton Hall, which even sent a scout to the Hawks' scrimmage with Flint Hill on March 12.
“It will be interesting, different,” said Shaughnessy of a possible 2010 showdown with Tutt. “I've never played against her.”
With Shaughnessy's bat moving from the middle of the order, Highland had a crucial RBI-producing slot to fill.
Enter Morgan Stephens — a role player in basketball this season who will be counted on for big softball numbers.
“She came from playing second base, so it's just going to take her some time to get adjusted,” O'Meara said. “She's got an awesome stick.”
The same can be said for players littered through Highland's stacked lineup.
Junior Ella Miller, a stellar athlete behind the plate, had the game-winning hit in last year's state title triumph.
Hannah Safren is steady at second, while Denae Davis and Erin Whitney are productive from third base and centerfield, respectively.
Oh, and those four, plus Shaughnessy, formed Highland's basketball starting five.
But there are, believe it or not, softball players not seen on Highland's hoops team.
“They give us a new flair,” Whitney said, still laughing.
Junior Morgan Minyard returns in left, with Mollie Dooley, a transfer from New Jersey, starting at first. Freshman Sidney Dodson inherits right field.
And eighth grader Camille Lewandowski could earn playing time after returning from a foot injury.
“She's got a good stick and she's also a pitcher. There's a possibility that she could see some time on the mound,” said O'Meara of Lewandowski.
Be it eighth graders or seniors, O'Meara has an abundance of talent to work with. Again.
He will welcome that news, because the state title raised expectations.
Plus, with the DAC softball competition basically nonexistent, everything will build up to the VIS playoffs and a possible rematch with Greenbrier, which Highland vanquished for last year's title.
“They know that Greenbrier is out there,” O'Meara said, “and they will be challenging.”
That is not a problem, though. Highland softball — as evidenced by the Myrtle Beach trip — will not shy away from a challenge.
After all, not everything can be as easy as creating a roster.
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