The Ewing High School softball team has three vital seniors, but the core of the team’s makeup comes from the junior class.
Abbie Mahan and Sydney Mahan are two of the Blue Devils’ five juniors.
The twin sisters — Abbie is six minutes older — have helped at the plate and in the field. They each had a small taste for varsity as freshmen with Sydney getting more at bats that year. They returned last year and jumped into regular roles.
“When they came in as freshmen, they were definitely young and had to kind of learn the ways,” said Ewing coach Katie Schuh. “But last year they really stepped up and came in hungry for a position and they both said we want to start and we’re going to find a way to make that happen. And then that kind of carried over to this year. And the two of them and the rest of my juniors, honestly they like lead the team. They definitely set precedence and let the other girls know what’s expected.”
Expectations are high for the Blue Devils. They graduated three players from last year’s team that won 14 games, one of the better win totals in recent history. Their trio of seniors is strong with veteran pitcher Abby Singer and catcher Emily Gamboa Ordini as well as shortstop Amonnie Wertz Panniel, who last year registered her 100th career hit.
“I was expecting us to do really well coming back because we didn’t lose that many people and we still have a lot of talent on the team,” said Abbie. “Pretty much it was just filling in those couple of places and I think we were going to do really well this season.”
The twins definitely do their part to help wherever they can. For the second straight season, Abbie is starting in right field most games. She can also pitch, and is one of the players that could be tasked with replacing Singer after she graduates. She’s also capable of catching.
“I’m pretty comfortable with the role I have with me getting put into the pitching position some,” Abbie said. “I’m comfortable in both pitching and right field. Wherever they put me, I’m comfortable and I’m happy to do whatever they ask.”
Then there’s Sydney. Last year, she settled mostly into third base, but she’s played just about every position for the Blue Devils this spring.
“Literally anywhere,” she said. “This year I haven’t been in the same place.”
That role comes with its own challenges. Sydney has to be prepared to play anywhere in the field, or sometimes she just gets to hit if the Blue Devils don’t need her in the field.
“I think I play a good role,” Sydney said. “I love that my coaches have the confidence in me to just throw me anywhere, whether they need me or not. In the lineup, they think that I can hit wherever. I don’t really care where I am in the lineup as long as I get to hit.”
Ewing is counting on the sisters to come around at the plate. The Blue Devils as a team got off to a slow hitting start in the cold weather of the early season. That cost them in a 2-4 start, though both wins are in the Valley Division of the Colonial Valley Conference, and Ewing has confidence that it can play up to potential with just a little improvement.
“As far as offense, it’d be really nice to get all our bats going at the same time,” said Schuh. “That was our struggle to start the season. I had like two people hitting, but now that’s up to about six girls hitting average. So if I could get those other three on board, that would be key. And then our defense, our defense can be solid when we’re focused on it and having each other’s backs, but we tend to have a bad inning and it allows us to fall apart, so if we can minimize that, I think we would be a solid team.”
Abbie had a great year at the plate last season. She hit .429 with three home runs and five doubles, and she drove in 22 runs while hitting mostly out of the clean-up spot.
“I think it was just my confidence level was really high and starting off the season well with hitting and stuff kind of helped me throughout the season,” she said. “I know I can hit better than I think I can sometimes and the batting average, it just comes with that.”
She attributed the big improvement from her minimal freshman appearances to believing more in herself and putting in some extra work on her hitting leading into last year.
“I’ve definitely focused on hitting a lot over the summer with my travel team and my teammates helped a lot with that too because they kind of boost my confidence and they know how I can hit,” Abbie said. “Them kind of building up my confidence helps me. And just practice with hitting off live pitchers and just soft toss and stuff really helps.”
Sydney had a promising debut at the plate as a freshman, and last year was steady with 10 RBI and 10 runs scored. She hit a home run in Ewing’s loss to Hightstown this year and is looking to get her bat going more for the Blue Devils. She is hoping that the experience she’s gained since freshman year and the success she had last year will help.
“It definitely gave me a lot more confidence, whereas freshman year coming in not knowing the coaches, not really knowing how some of the players play and then realizing last year how people play, how they act on the field, how their mental game is a lot better,” Sydney said. “I know even more how people play, how they work on the field, what their mindset is. Last year helped a lot.”
One player that she didn’t have to learn more about was her sister. The two have been playing together since they started in T-ball together, then up through Ewing Girls Softball Association and now with school and the Ewing Edge travel teams.
“We pretty much do everything together,” Abbie said. “We’ve gone through softball together our whole lives. And me and her, we do have our days where we don’t like each other as much. But when it comes to softball, we really trust each other and the plays that we make and we know that have each other’s backs.”
When Abbie started pitching, it was Sydney that was catching her. That familiarity has been a boost to them and followed them through their careers.
“I do find it helpful because when we either guest (play) for somebody or even just coming into high school, I know that I know somebody and they know my skill level and I know her skill level and we can help each other get adjusted to everything,” Abbie said. “And her being a catcher as well as a pitcher, she’s caught me as a pitcher basically my whole life, and she knows how I throw and if I’m missing a spot one day she’ll know exactly where it’s going. So it helps me in a lot of areas.”
Said Sydney: “We really bond over pitching and catching. We have like one mentality when we pitch and catch. I feel like I always know someone who’s on the field and I know her abilities. She knows my abilities and we really well together on the field.”
That connection has been something they can rely on. Their natural closeness helps them motivate and push each other to improve.
“We definitely know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and we do call each other out for it,” Sydney said. “She’s my sister. I live with her. I have to be honest with her. So it is easier to talk to her than some of my other teammates, like being honest like that, but she knows it doesn’t come from a bad place. It’s from a place of trying to help her and help her grow as a softball player. If we’re on the field, it’s easier for us to play and be more connected.”
Said Abbie: “I like how she’s very on top of everything, and even if she makes mistakes, she doesn’t really get in her head as much and the next play, she’s on it. And with hitting even if sometimes I’ll be having a bad day hitting or something, she’s on her game that day. And some days we’re both on it. But there’s never really a day that neither one of us are on at the same time.”
The twins have found some space away from each other as well. Their personalities aren’t exactly the same and their friend groups are somewhat different, but they do have many of the same friends. In the winter, Abbie has done indoor track and field (she didn’t compete this year due to injuries) while Sydney does swimming for EHS. It’s really the first time that they haven’t gone into an activity together.
“I don’t like running, so I would never go running,” Sydney said with a laugh. “But I think we just wanted to find something that could be on our own with a not be sharing this with my twin. We could be our own people and work by ourselves and not have not be tied to each other all the time.”
The Mahan sisters may face that choice down the line. Both are hoping to play softball in college, but they recognize that they may end up playing at different schools. Both are looking at a potential science-related career, with Abbie leaning toward nursing and Sydney interested in physical therapy. It would be a big change for the sisters who have spent most of their lives closely connected, and there’s no deeper connection than softball.
“It’s really fun for us both,” Sydney said. “We both love being on the team and trying to help our teammates be better by being an example and trying to not coach them, but help them in situations where we might be better or know how to work things differently.”
There are also still plenty of opportunities for them to work with each other. And given the choice, the two often partner up in practices.
“We know our skill levels are kind of the same, so it’s kind of easier for us to work together,” Abbie said. “We know how each other works.”
Twin sisters Sydney and Abbie Mahan pose for a picture before a Ewing High School softball game. For more on the Mahans and the team, see page 20.,
