Calhoun's facing county's best

Making a myopic view of the season, it would seem that Calhoun has taken some recent lumps on the softball field, dropping five straight games—the most recent a 10-3 decision to Oceanside on April 14 — after a 5-1 start. 

But eyeing the big picture as the opposite is, in fact, true. Looking at the number of losses isn’t as big of a talent identifier as much as who the team has come against. Because the Lady Colts (5-6 overall, 3-5 in Conference AA-II) have taken some large steps forward, the latest coming this season when the team moved up to Conference AA-II.

On top of making the leap in conference play, Calhoun has also squared off against all five teams in A-I as part the crossover portion of the schedule. Suddenly, the team is regularly matched against the best in Nassau County. “On the one hand it is hard to play against the teams that are at that level because they are all elite teams,” Lady Colts coach Jason Boland said. “But winning is our ultimate goal, and being 3-5 [in Conference AA-II] means a lot because we’re fighting for every game and for every win.”

A one-run extra inning loss in the first-round of last season’s playoffs was the final sign for Boland that his team was ready to battle with the best that Nassau County softball has to offer, and success this spring has been driven by a number of players. Sophomore pitcher Nicole Imhof, who’s struck out 33 in 42 innings pitched, has an earned run average of 3.00. “She’s definitely proving to be one of the best [pitchers] in Nassau County,” Boland said of Imhof, who continues to improve off an All-County campaign as a freshman and also leads the team with a .400 batting average. “We all know with her pitching, she gives us a shot to win every game.”

The lineup has proven to be well-rounded, with freshman Jordan Walley leading the team in home runs (two), including one in the loss to Oceanside. Junior shortstop Lauren Trimarco is a lineup anchoring force in the number three slot with a .389 average and team-high seven runs batted in. Junior Joanna Marmo, Imhof’s catcher, is also the cleanup hitter has a pair of triples and a slugging percentage of .474. “We enjoy the fact that we’re up here with the other teams and honored to be included in the conversation with the East Meadows and Long Beaches,” Boland said, noting that his team knocked off the Lady Marines this season for the first time ever as a league opponent. “After a loss [the girls] are already talking about what they can do in the next practice and how they can get better. That’s a great thing [to see] as a coach.”

Calhoun closes out its Conference AA-II regular-season schedule with home games against Baldwin (this Friday at 4:30 p.m.) and Syosset (May 2) sandwiched around an April 30 road battle at Hicksville.