It seems kind of funny in a way; but in order to bring girls from Nottingham and Hamilton together on the softball field, the powers that be turned to…a Steinert grad?
Who said rivals from all over the township can’t become friends?
The Hamilton-Nottingham softball merger has to be considered a success this season. The girls from both schools meshed together and their leader has been accepted despite the fact she went to the “other” school.
Gaby Bennett, one of Steinert’s greatest athletes of all time, has molded the co-op team into a winning outfit. H-N carried an 11-10 record into its May 23 Central Jersey Group IV tournament game with Freehold Township, and it actually won a title this year.
On May 16, H-N defeated Ewing, 4-3, in the Mercer County Tournament Invitational Bracket. Granted, it was the bottom eight grouping of the 16 MCT teams, but it was still something tangible for the new outfit to take pride in.
“I think it is a huge accomplishment for our program to have won the Invitational Tournament,” Bennett said. “This title shows how much our team has grown together, and how much potential is there for the future. I am very proud of the girls; they work hard as a team and consistently support each other. This season, we have shown that we are competitors who will give our best each game. I am very excited for what’s to come.”
Bennett noted that each school complemented the other one’s needs in order to make a winner. Hamilton was 6-11 last year and Nottingham was 2-12 and barely able to field a team, so co-op was the way to go. Keeping with the township spirit, Bennett’s assistants are Nottingham grad Taylor Offredo and Hamilton grad Cindy Astore. Gaby’s father Frank, a former HGSA coach, also helps out.
“She brings a positive environment,” hard-hitting pitcher Allyson Fonollosa said of Bennett. “She makes sure that we get what we need from our practices. She makes sure we know she’s there for us and she cares for us and she always cheers us on from the side no matter what.”
Catcher Kara Weaver concurred, saying that “She’s been a really good coach. She wants to win. I like that. I miss my old coach. (Danielle) Wilson was awesome. But Gaby’s really great — she just pushes us: ‘Let’s win, let’s win!” And I love it.”
Fonollosa, a West student, is having an outstanding sophomore year. Entering states she was batting .484 with nine doubles, five home runs, 22 RBIs and 19 runs scored. In the circle she had a 3.68 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 89.1 innings.
“She’s a good pitcher,” Bennett said. “She’s tough. She knows how to turn it on, she’s focused. I think her mentality has been really good this year, especially up at bat. She knows what she has to do, she’s able to correct herself and make those adjustments. That’s something our whole team has to learn to do.”
Fonollosa, who originally wanted to be a dancer rather than a softball player, is happy she has gotten out of her rut from travel ball.
“It’s definitely a boost,” she said. “I struggled during travel season. I’m just getting my confidence back at the plate, which is a lot of fun. It just helps me fall more in love with the sport now that I’m actually hitting well.”
Weaver, a junior from Nottingham, was hitting .379 with six doubles, two triples, two homers, 10 walks, 16 RBIs and 26 runs.
“She bats second and she brings aggressiveness,” Bennett said. “She’s been solid catching for us. She’s another one who if you want to teach her something new she’ll jump right in. She’s got an open mind, which helps her a lot.”
And then there is the lightning fast senior, Arianna Acevedo, a Hamilton student and four-year veteran. The leadoff batter was hitting .464 with 22 stolen bases, 10 RBIs and 22 runs.
“It’s been crucial for her to get on base,” Bennett said. “She’s got the most speed out of anyone. When she gets on, that gives my next two batters the opportunity to get their RBIs.”
This was Weaver’s first year getting to play with Acevedo, and she has enjoyed it.
“She is a great leader; she drives the team,” the catcher said. “She starts it off, she gets on, and then the energy just keeps going. She’s an amazing player. She doesn’t get in your face but she really picks you up. She’s a great player and a good captain.”
Going around the diamond, there is a mixture of players from both schools in the starting lineup.
Weaver is behind the plate, and the infield is all-Hamilton with Angelica Roman at first, Yeimmyli Toucet at second, Acevedo at short and Rachel Diaz and Naomi Blackburn (.355, 8 doubles, 14 RBIs) alternating on third. Nottingham’s Jamie Thornton and Ava Umansky are in right and center, while several players alternate in left. Umansky is having a stellar freshman year, batting .383 with 14 RBIs.
While team chemistry may have been a concern with new faces all coming together, it didn’t last long.
“As soon as we met each other it kind of just clicked,” Fonollosa said. “It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve met so many new friends. I love them all. It’s probably the best thing for both teams. I feel like we’re better together.”
And while Weaver misses practicing on her old Nottingham field (they alternate schools for home games), she also feels life has been better with the merger.
“I really enjoy it,” she said. “It’s a lot more competitive. Last year was terrible. It was not fun to just continuously watch people get hit with the ball. This year we’re really team-oriented and we can all play. Now it’s very competitive. Since we’re all very good, it drives us to be better than each other.”
Bennett felt it was an early adjustment but noted that the relationships were not too difficult to form between the players.
“I think some of them played travel together when they were younger and a lot of them played for the Hurricanes,” said the coach, who teaches at West. “They’ve jelled really well. The Nottingham girls fit right in with the West girls. I was a little concerned about it but our girls are super friendly. I think they just welcome people in very well. I think I was more concerned with getting the Nottingham girls over here.”
But they did indeed arrive on time, and after some mid-season struggles things began working out. Hamilton-Nottingham started at 5-2 but then lost six of eight to better competition. It entered the states having won four of its last seven, with two of those losses by one run to Hun and Delaware Valley; both respectable programs.
“As the season went on we’ve been getting tougher competition but we’re playing them closer and getting that experience under our belt,” Bennett said. “We’re starting to learn how to make our adjustments and are getting sharper in the field.”
Equally important is that they have beaten the teams they were supposed to beat.
“Our mentality is we can’t take any team lightly,” the coach said. “We know what the programs have been like in the past. And yes, even though we have more talent, you can’t slouch on any game. You have to come ready to play. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing against. You have to play with the same intensity every single game. And the same focus.”
Weaver noted that H-N began getting more respect as the season went on.
“Once we started winning they started to put in their good pitchers,” she said. “At the beginning of the season we got their second-string.”
Overall, Bennett feels like it has been a successful merger.
“One hundred percent,” she said. “I believe we’ll stick with it next year. I think it’s worked out for both programs.
“It was definitely a challenge for me but I like challenges. It’s worked out well. I’ve enjoyed working with all these girls. They’re very receptive to learning, they listen well and they work hard. It’s fun.”
Fun to be friends with rivals. Who’d have thunk it?