Windsor
This year is no exception, as the Yellowjackets have already taken titles in football, boys basketball and girls basketball. There’s a joke floating around school that there may have to be an addition to the school to accommodate the next batch of championship banners.
But nowhere on the walls is there a banner recognizing a state softball crown. As good as the girls have been at field hockey, track and basketball, no Windsor team has ever won a softball title.
In 2012, with Katelyn Curtis in the circle, the Jacks made it all the way to the VPA Division III title game before losing a one-run game to Peoples.
“That game still stings,” said Curtis, who is working with the pitchers this year, along with first-year head coach Heather Stearns.
Like almost every other Windsor coach, Stearns is home-grown, having graduating from Windsor High in 1993, where she played three sports and was on a state championship field hockey team.
Stearns has taken over the softball reins from Phil Hathorn, who spent 19 years with the softball program, the last nine as head coach.
“I just thought it was time,” Hathorn said. “Lots of times you get qualified coaches that just need a chance. I certainly think Heather is ready.”
Stearns was Hathorn’s assistant eight of the last nine seasons.
“Phil has been really helpful,” Stearns said. “I’ve been leaning on him a lot.”
Added Hathorn: “I’ll be around if she needs me, but I won’t be looking over her shoulder.”
Consequently, the transition from Hathorn to Stearns has been a smooth one, with the endorsement of the administration.
“Heather has considerable coaching experience in our school system for both softball and field hockey, making her a trusted and familiar face that could lead to a smooth transition,” assistant athletic director Andy Tufts said. “Her own playing career and more recent activities show she is both very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about softball, and she clearly has a competitive fire that we hope will translate well to the next generation of players. She has the full endorsement from the previous coach and supervisors in our system.”
Windsor is coming off a 3-15 season that included a first-round tournament win before a loss to eventual losing state finalist Leland & Gray. While there are more than 20 players on the team, one of them is not Olivia Rockwood, who was the lead pitcher a year ago, but “is going to concentrate on basketball,” Stearns said.
Still, it is not something that has dimmed the spirits of Stearns. “I think we’re going to be OK,” she said of a team that will have no seniors, 10 juniors and 11 freshmen.
While Curtis is working with several pitchers, junior Carah Rugg, who saw lots of time in the circle a year ago, is likely to get a large share of the duty.
And Rugg knows that a lot is on her shoulders. She has been getting ready for it, hoping to not only increase her velocity but keep the ball in the strike zone.
With that in mind, Rugg has been working in the offseason with Curtis and has been able to do some throwing in her cellar.
“Even if it’s a bunch of socks off the wall,” she said.
But what got Rugg into trouble last year, she said, was her confidence — or the occasional lack thereof. “I’d lose my focus when I wasn’t throwing strikes,’ she said. “I would get upset. Confidence plays a big role. I just got upset just too much. I’ll be better this year.”
Stearns feels pretty good about the defense even though she has a big hole to fill at catcher with the graduation of Erin Wierzbicki.
While the team had trouble scoring runs last year, Stearns thinks the hitting will improve. Curtis, who can still throw hard, is pitching batting practice. “Curtis) is a huge asset for us,” Stearns said. “I think we’re going to score some runs. We’re going to be OK. I’m also confident about our defense.”
One returning defender is junior third baseman Brooke McKeen, who is approaching the new campaign with enthusiasm.
“I think we’ve got some talent here; we just need to be more consistent than last year,” she said.
McKeen played on Windsor’s most recent state girls basketball championship team, and she realizes that Windsor athletes are in a special situation.
“There’s a real chemistry in this school, real spirit, and we always play well together and we get the best coaches,” she said. “I feel very fortunate to play here.”
Windsor opens at home on April 6 with Woodstock.
“Our goal is to win more games than we lose,” Stearns said. “To do that, we need to get the maximum out of each kid.”