By Lorenzo Recupero
To say the 2023 Everett High School softball season was a great success, would be a great understatement.
Earning an 18-3 overall record, and sole possession of the Greater Boston League title, the Lady Tide strutted their best stuff on the diamond all season long.
Led by seniors Kristi Skane, who averaged over 7 strikeouts per game and batted .469, and Kayley Rossi, who protected the field with a team-high .993 regular season fielding percentage, the Lady Tide got off to an 8-0 start to the season behind top-notch pitching and defensive efficiency.
The strong start — and 7 out of their 9 batters hitting over .400 during the regular season — led the Lady Tide to the GBL title.
And prior to the tough 14-0 MIAA Division 1 State Tournament loss June 2nd to Needham High School, the Tide had eight shutout victories of their own.
The unexpected loss to Needham HS defined the tournament game for Crimson Tide Coach Stacy Poste-Schiavo and her team but did not do as much to define the overall season, when it was all said and done.
“We had a great season and won the GBL title which we need to embrace,” said Poste-Schiavo, who noted this season left a lasting impression on her.
“This team taught me how to be a better coach and person and made me realize that while it is fun to win, it was more important to see each of them become better players and people. We had an amazing season and created memories that we can always look back at and be proud of our accomplishments,” said Poste-Schiavo, the winningest softball coach in EHS history.
Senior outfielder-turned-pitcher Kristi Skane, who was monumental on the mound for the Lady Tide, standing tall there for 109 total innings, earning a 17-2 regular season record to go with 143 Ks and an ERA of 1.73, said this season’s success meant a lot and will carry over to life beyond her high school pitching days.
“I learned this season that I can’t let what happens during one game, inning, or practice transfer into the next. This was big for me as a pitcher and as one of the power hitters of the team. If I struck out or didn’t hit well, I couldn’t let that carry into next inning where I was pitching. It was like there were two different sides to me, the girl who pitched and the girl who hit. I couldn’t let them bleed into each other. This is important in life too, you can’t let one bad thing weigh you down, you can’t carry it into the next day,” said Skane, who will be attending the University of Southern California (USC). “This season’s greatest success was being solo GBL Champs. We finally got that title to ourselves. I’m really proud of my team for girls realize that a lot of softball is how you’re approaching it mentally. If you think you’re going to strike out, you will. If you’re determined and need that hit, you will hit. We needed to have more trust in ourselves and in each other to be able to uplift each other and we did. I’m proud of that, even if we weren’t the GBL Champs.”
Regular season Leaders
Batting
Emilia Maria-Babcock, centerfielder – Batting Average.542 with slugger % of .819 (30 singles, 2 doubles, 3 triples, 4 home runs, 21 RBI).
Alexa Uga, 3rd base – BA .477 with slugger % of .662 (24 singles, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs. 23 RBI).
Bryanna Mason, 1st base – BA.475 with slugger % of .831 (16 singles, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs, 15 RBI).
Kristi Skane, pitcher – BA .469 with slugger % of .703 (19 singles, 8 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run, 20 RBI).
Ashley Seward, right field – BA .439 with slugger % of .877 (13 singles, 5 doubles, 3 triples, 4 home runs, 20 RBI).
Emma Longmore, 2nd base – BA .429 with slugger % of .589 (19 singles, 3 doubles, 2 home runs, 21 RBI).
Kayley Rossi, catcher – BA.410 with slugger % of .672 (14 singles, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 20 RBI).
Defensive
Kayley Rossi – Fielding Percentage .993.
Bryanna Mason – F% .980.
Emilia Maria-Babcock – F% .980.
Gianna Masucci – F%.930.
Kristi Skane – F%.955.
Pitching
Kristi Skane – 109 innings, 143 Ks, 65 hits, 26 BBs, 36 runs (27 earned), ERA 1.73, 17-2 overall record (8 shutouts).