Monmouth Regional Softball Having Year to Remember By John Sorce

The Falcons got off to an historic start to the season, winning their first six games. They have held their own in the competitive B North division, with teams like Middletown North, Middletown South and Red Bank Catholic also in the mix. 

“Overall, things have been going well,” said head coach Lisa Dias, who is in her second year leading the program. “We’ve had some competitive losses recently, but we are happy with the season and how it’s going.” 

The Falcons currently sit in fourth place at 12-8 overall and 7-6 in the division. They split two regular- season contests with Red Bank Catholic, lost to Middletown North, 2-0, on Apr. 12 on the road and lost by three to Middletown South on the road on May 4, but had a two-run lead until the Eagles scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. 

“We know we play in a tough division where we face a lot of hard teams, so we knew it wasn’t going to be a forever thing,” Dias said of the team’s 6-0 start. “But we knew that we could hang with them and it’s anybody’s game any day. When we beat RBC that first day, that kind of set in stone that we can do some really great things this season, and we really have.”

The Falcons have five seniors this year – Danielle Britton, Samantha Britton, Kathryn Davies, Danielle Kroll, and Lindsey Rogers. With a relatively young team that consists of some inexperienced players, Dias credited her five seniors for contributing on the field and being leaders off the field. 

Danielle Britton is hitting .343 and is the team’s everyday catcher. Samantha Britton is an outfielder and a pitcher who is hitting .306 and has struck out 27 batters in 31 innings pitched. Rogers is the team’s first baseman who is hitting .339 and is second on the team with five home runs. Kroll is the team’s shortstop who is hitting .397. Davies is another two-way player, hitting .317 at the plate and has struck out 32 batters in 25 innings pitched.

With a young team, there are also underclassmen who are stepping up for the Falcons. Freshman Karlee Smith is the team’s ace on the mound, throwing 65 innings this season and recording 60 strikeouts. She also plays center field and is hitting .314 and leads the team with six stolen bases. 

“She’s fast and she’s very athletic,” Dias said about Smith. “She’s smart and she knows the game very well. She has a lot of experience and I think that being as a freshman, she has so much potential. She’s been very clutch and overall a key player for us.” 

When going through tryouts each season, it’s the little things that stick out for Dias when she is considering players to add to the varsity roster. 

“The biggest and most important thing to me is that we focus on fundamentals almost every practice,” Dias said. “I focus a lot of doing the little things and making sure we are efficient at that. From tryouts until the end of the season, we focus on that.” 

Also returning as a sophomore this season is Mackenzie Neis, who is the team’s leader in batting average (.516), hits (32), RBI (29), doubles (6), home runs (6), and walks (10). 

“She’s been an unbelievable asset for us at third base,” Dias said. “She’s doing a nice job on that corner for us. She just came back for ACL surgery this past year, so recovering from that and being able to come back, be healthy and produce is a big deal. She has a great attitude and has been a huge asset for us as well.” 

While people from the outside might not think much of the success, the Falcons are off to show people they can compete with the top teams in the Shore Conference, and they intend to do so this year. 

“I think last year they saw a glimmer of what they can actually do as a team and I hope they don’t lose sight of that,” Dias said. “Hopefully the confidence from the seniors shines through and shows the younger girls that while other teams might not think they belong, they can prove to not only themselves but to the people that never thought about Monmouth softball that they are a tough bunch of girls. They play hard and they can definitely be successful this postseason.”