MacArthur comes out swinging

The MacArthur softball team is small on numbers but big on talent this spring.

The Generals’ varsity roster features only 12 players after only 24 tried out in March, but five are returning starters from last year’s team that reached the Class A semifinals. The lack of depth hasn’t affected MacArthur so far with the team starting the season with four straight wins capped by a 4-2 triumph at Oceanside on April 3.  

“It’s the lowest amount I have had come out for the entire program, but so far we are making it work,,” said 23rd-year coach Bobby Fehrenbach.

A solid core of returners includes senior pitcher Taylor Brunn, who tossed a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts in a 7-1 win at Mepham on March 31.She also stepped up big offensively that day going 2-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs.

Senior Jenna Nasello adds another option to the pitching rotation in addition to being a versatile position player, who has started games at third base and right field this season. Sofia Anderson, also a senior, leads the pitching staff as starting catcher. 

The offense is anchored by Brunn and senior second baseman Hailey Feiler, who went 2-for-3 with a double in MacArthur’s season-opening 3-0 win at Massapequa on March 28.

“She is battling clean-up and she’s ripping the ball,” Feherbach said of Feiler. “She's off to a great start.”

Sophomore Hailey Trapani, who thrived in the designated hitter role as a freshman, has moved up in the lineup and starts in the outfield. Senior Colette O'Brien and junior Nicole Stueckenschneider are also big focal points of the lineup. 

MacArthur entered the week unbeaten thanks to back-to-back extra inning wins starting with Gabby Silvestri driving in Angela Pellegrino in the eighth inning for a walk-off 3-2 victory against East Meadow on March 31. The late dramatics continued three days later when O'Brien broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the ninth inning to score Brunn and Feiler in the top of the ninth inning of the Generals’ 4-2 win at Oceanside. 

After an April 11 game against Plainview JFK, MacArthur will travel to Bellmore-JFK Thursday before a home gamer Saturday versus Calhoun at 10 a.m. The Generals are then scheduled to play a road game Tuesday at Syosset and a home battle with Clarke on April 20 at 5 p.m. 

The Generals final regular season game before the Class A playoffs begin is slated for March 12 at Clarke for a 5 p.m. first pitch. 

Fehrenbach hopes a challenging ability-based schedule in Conference I will prepare his team well for the postseason where the Generals will look to march toward their first county title since 2017. Prior to falling to Calhoun in the Class semifinals last year, MacArthur had appeared in the county finals four times in the last six seasons. 

“Every team we face is good and it feels like a playoff game every game in the regular season,” Fehrenbach said. “There are no layups.”