Groton softball strives for improved campaign

The Section IV softball season is still in its early stages, and Groton is looking to turn things around.

After a successful 2023 campaign qualifying for sectionals, the Red Hawks missed out on the postseason last year with a 3-9 record. While they’ve lost three of their first four games this year, there have been some encouraging signs from a young team.

In their lone win of the year against Newfield, the Red Hawks exploded for 20 runs. The focus is now on seeing if they can stay more consistent at the plate throughout an entire campaign.

“I’ve got Jill Zigenfus who, if she can get a hold of the ball, that’s gone,” said head coach Jocelyn Lathers. “I’ve got Violet [Santspree] who is ripping the ball in practices. If we can just get a hold of it, I think we will be a big hitting team, and that I’m hoping can be our identity. We’re just still kind of getting there.”

Lathers is at the helm of the varsity team this season with Lisa Hubbard currently on maternity leave. Lathers is more than familiar with the players. Not only was she previously the modified coach, seven players are on the varsity soccer team that she’s coached for the past three years.

“The rapport is there with the girls, which is really nice,” Lathers said. “They know my expectations. For the most part, they know what to expect from me as a coach. I think all of those little things that you don’t have to learn a brand-new coach that you’ve never even heard of, we don’t have any of that, which is nice I was kind of able to get in and just get running with the program.”

With the outstanding fall season Lathers and some of the softball players had during the soccer season—namely winning an IAC championship for the first time since 2019—that winning mindset could pay dividends on the diamond, especially against tougher competition.

“I think it’s going to push us,” Lathers said. “We have it in the back of our mind, and we’re just trying to clean up a lot of the little things and doing the simple things better so that when we do face those tougher teams, we’re not losing because we’re making fielding errors or silly mistakes thrown to the wrong bases, things like that. [It’s] just cleaning up the small stuff and just keeping that motivation and that drive.”

In terms of key players, Zigenfus is the Red Hawks’ lone returning IAC All-Star. Along with her powerful bat, the junior has also been a reliable fielder at shortstop.

“You watch her just field the ball and instantly pop right up to throw it,” Lathers said. “She’s willing to dive .She’s willing to do a lot of the things that the younger girls might be a little bit nervous to do right now. She just has confidence. She has an air about her when she gets up to the plate, which is really nice, and I think it’s a good model to set for the other girls. She’s a lefty, but she’s not always a true lefty. Sometimes she can hit to the left field and to the right. She kind of hits all over, so that’s another advantage we have with her.”

Another outstanding fielder for Groton is Stella Holl, who has locked things down at first base. It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise she’s taking up that position given her great goalkeeping reflexes for the soccer team.

“You can put her anywhere in any sport, anytime,” Lathers said. “I’ve got her at first, and that’s clutch because sometimes we make those wild throws to first, and I’m like, ‘There’s no way she’s gonna get it,’ and somehow she gets it. It’s impressive.”

In the circle, junior Alexis Stone has taken on the role of the Red Hawks’ ace following the graduation of Natalie Ray.

“I think she’s very consistent,” Lathers said. “We’re working on her speed a little bit, working on getting her hitting the inside pitches, too. When we face some of those bigger hitters, we’re making sure we’re not obviously throwing it right down the middle for them, so it’s little things we’re working with her.”

There’s still a boatload of games left this year, and there’s plenty of room for the Red Hawks to spread their wings and soar their way back to winning softball.

“I just want to be better than the previous year,” Lathers said. “Anything that we struggled with last year, I think that we just need to improve upon. It’s probably our hitting and I think the coach from last year would agree with that. We kind of struggle when we get up to bat. I’m putting a ton of focus into that this year and hoping that that can improve for us.”