![Softball Ends Winning Season with a Championship Record]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1653667179/gsbschoolorg/mustkru3jnhp1oeeifgm/2022-05-27-softballl-season-recap.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1653667179/gsbschoolorg/mustkru3jnhp1oeeifgm/2022-05-27-softballl-season-recap.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1653667179/gsbschoolorg/mustkru3jnhp1oeeifgm/2022-05-27-softballl-season-recap.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1653667179/gsbschoolorg/mustkru3jnhp1oeeifgm/2022-05-27-softballl-season-recap.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1653667179/gsbschoolorg/mustkru3jnhp1oeeifgm/2022-05-27-softballl-season-recap.jpg","width":1600}])
GSB Softball ended their 2021-22 season with some impressive notches under their belts.
The Knights (17-5) captured the Prep-B Non-Public Championship on May 12 with a 12-2 victory over Newark Academy. The win marked Gill’s first Prep B Softball championship since 2016.
“Capturing the Prep B title was a highlight,” said Head Coach Michael Surella, who guided the team along with Assistant Coach Donna Bednarsky.
The accolades didn’t stop there. After winning the Prep-B crown, the team finished 2nd in the Skyland Conference Valley Division, advanced to the NJSIAA Non-Public B Sectional Finals for the second consecutive year in a row, and posted an undefeated 11-0 record at home. It was also the second straight year that the team totaled over 250 runs and 200 hits.
“What made me the proudest was our resiliency and our mental toughness in tight games,” reflected Coach Surella. “We never took a day off, and on game days, we fought to the last out.”
One of those nail-biters that lasted until the final pitch was the game against Delaware Valley.
“At Delaware Valley, we confronted one of the best pitchers in the state,” Coach Surella explained. “We lost 6-5, but we battled until the very end. The challenge showed me this team had some real fight in it. I felt as good about a team and about a loss as I ever have.”
Senior Captain and Muhlenburg-commit Sarah “Scooter” Hulsen etched her name into the athletic record books, surpassing 100 hits over her COVID-shortened, three-year GSB career. She finishes as the all-time GSB Softball hits leader with 125. The dedicated athlete led the team in every offensive category this season (hits, runs, RBI, and stolen bases) and is among the leaders in the Skyland Conference in all offensive categories as well.
Five additional players had 25 hits or more over the season leading the team to a .380 batting average: senior Captain Phoebe Kirsh (25), juniors Elise Cantu (31) and Vanessa Mavraj (30), and sophomores Brooke Baisley (39) and Julianna Perri (27).
Emily Titsworth, the freshman ace who commanded respect on the mount, pitched 130 innings and finished the season with 106 strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA.
“The team co-Captains, Phoebe Kirsh and Scooter Hulsen, took their roles to heart by accepting the responsibility and not just viewing the position as a reward,” said Coach Surella. “They were especially thoughtful in the handling of our freshman, in particular our pitcher who came in with big shoes to fill. They made her comfortable with her ability and helped build her confidence, which was at the heart of our overall success.”
Confidence and overall success were also seen in the contributions of senior Stephanie Vasquez, juniors Emma Moussally and Grace Crimi, and freshmen Catie Klein and Katie Lutz.
“We made another deposit into the ‘bank’ by reaching the sectional finals again this year. I know that deposit will earn interest as we move into 2023. With a strong crop of talented freshman expected to join us and adding to our already talented returning players, we feel we are on our way to being known as a softball school.”