- April 23, 2024
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As the rain came down Thursday afternoon, the Matanzas Lady Pirates softball team finished up throwing drills and prepared to do some fielding work.
As they jogged into the dugout to get some water, many players were singing out loud.
Fresh off a tough one-run loss to Seabreeze Wednesday night in the season opener, the team maintained a laid-back attitude.
Until they got to work.
Last season, Matanzas lost to Ponte Vedra in the District 4-5A championship game. It was the first time in Matanzas’ history that the softball team appeared in the state playoffs. The Lady Pirates also won the South Division of the St. Johns River Athletic Conference.
It’s been a long journey for coach Sara Novak, who has been with the program since its beginning.
Four years ago, the team consisted mostly of freshmen. Now, those seven players are seniors, and they are hungry for more than what they accomplished last year.
The Lady Pirates will have plenty of pitching depth by the middle of the season, but several players are still healing from offseason injuries.
Senior Amber Johnson will see the bulk of the time in the pitcher’s circle early on.
Junior Morgan Lambert, who transferred from Flagler Palm Coast this summer after moving, will begin the season at shortstop. Lambert led FPC last season as a pitcher with a dominating 1.02 ERA. She will likely pitch this year when she is fully recovered from knee surgery.
Gabrielle Prickett, the team’s leadoff hitter and starting catcher, won’t pitch much this year. Most of her time will be spent behind the plate. Last season, Prickett was tied for the team lead in triples (two) and led the team with 15 runs scored. She’s a threat from both sides of the plate.
Marisa Magnuson is the defensive anchor at second base. She will sign her National Letter of Intent later this month to play softball at Auburn University Montgomery. Magnuson had a 0.926 fielding percentage last season.
Junior Nicole Breen moved to Palm Coast from South Florida, and she will primarily play third base.
Novak said her entire infield could pitch. What will make the Lady Pirates dangerous, though, is high fielding percentage and playing technical softball.
“In recent years, we have not had a powerhouse lineup,” Novak said. “We have had to use our small ball game and our speed to score runs.”
But Novak has brought in a travel-ball hitting coach to help the team establish some power. Adding Lambert into the lineup will help, too. She hit a home run in the game against Seabreeze — the first home run in Matanzas history.
Matanzas competes in a four-team district, which includes Ponte Vedra, Nease and Pedro Menendez.
This year could be the year for the Lady Pirates to win the district championship, and Novak and the players know that.
“What we need to do to go past where we were last year is tighten up our defense, keep our pitching solid and increase our offensive performance,” Novak said.
Novak said the team sings on the bus rides home after a win. “We don’t have the next American Idol, but it’s a lot of fun to hear them,” Novak said.
The season is barely under way, and there are a lot of games to be played. But Novak hopes there is plenty more singing in the coming months.
It all starts at practice.
POCKET SCHEDULE
7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12@ New Smyrna Beach
7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15Nease
5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19Atlantic
7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20@ Bartram Trail
7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22Ponte Vedra
7 p.m. Friday, March 1@ Ponte Vedra
7 p.m. Wednesday, March 6St. Augustine
7 p.m. Friday, March 8Pedro Menendez
7 p.m. Wednesday, March 13@ Pierson Taylor
