North Shore a true program

Posted

Following a softball season where North Shore finished 18-2, coach Toni Papetti stresses that staying consistent and making strides towards continued improvement relies not only on its ability to mentor current players, but also develop a family mentality among it’s full program for years to come.

“I really want those who read this to know we’re a whole program and not just worried about varsity,” Papetti stated. “From little league to the middle school, seeing more girls come out and being a part of this entire North Shore program is important to us.”

That building block mentality from the little league ranks all the way up to varsity has come to fruition in a positive sense for North Shore, as its undoubtedly successful 2016 is looked upon to become the start of a trend.

“When I first started, we weren’t really clicking, but when the younger kids started coming up through the ranks and preparing themselves for softball and got to varsity, it became ‘Oh we can play,’” Papetti said.

With a dynamic like this, the impact of four seniors leaving from last year’s team definitely still hurts, but is manageable. The Lady Vikings, still having four seniors returning this year, look to a mixture of talent, a “small ball” playing style, and a family mentality to propel them back towards a winning record. 

Of those returning seniors is pitcher Alexandra Johanson, who will be looked upon to lead a young rotation of pitchers and be the go-to ace.

Another returning senior is Juliana Broccolo who tends to lend herself to Papetti’s small ball style as a flexible position player. A starting shortstop last year, Papetti is tampering with the idea of placing her in the outfield this season. “She’s quick and she has a good arm,” Papetti said. The coach also spoke to the ability of moving around her players as flexible pieces around the diamond to open up new opportunities.

Sophomore Jade Diaz, who played catcher last year, looks to be an integral key to the team’s success. Diaz, a quiet scholar off the field holding a perfect 100 scholastic average, may be the sparkplug this Lady Vikings team is looking for on the field. “She’s going to help us and lift up the team at times,” Papetti said. “She played catcher last year but can play anywhere. (She is a) great outfielder and infielder. She learns quick and she knows the game well.”

Another player who stands out is sophomore Zena Kontorouhas, a probable regularly starting first base candidate for the upcoming season. Upon asking her players about their individual and team goals for the season, Kontorouhas showed a fiery desire to be the club’s starter at first base after learning and improving over the offseason.

With winning becoming a recent product of the program’s collective family identity, a litany of younger ballplayers look to be involved in and propel North Shore up in the coming years. However, this season, North Shore looks to stay hungry and assert its style on all opponents.

“We’re focusing on having an assertive attitude towards playing, playing with purpose, and keeping our girls focused,” Papetti said.