Newport
More confident as a second-year starting pitcher, McNeel, a sophomore, has dominated while leading Newport to a 13-0 start with one game remaining in the regular season.
Despite offseason knee surgery, McNeel has improved her mechanics and entered Wednesday’s game at Conant with just six earned runs allowed — an eye-popping 0.55 ERA — while throwing 745 of 1,027 total pitches for strikes (.725), according to team-compiled statistics. McNeel has struck out 121 batters and walked nine.
The Tigers’ potent batting lineup features eight players hitting .294 or better — McNeel is one of four with an average of .500 or higher — and the Tigers will strive for what would be the program’s first-ever state championship when the playoffs begin next week.
“The goal is to come out of it undefeated,” said McNeel, who’s been playing softball since third grade, taking after her older sister, 2016 NHS graduate Samantha McNeel. “We just need to keep having the right mind set and keep supporting each other, which I know we will, because we love playing together.”
Newport players at a Tuesday practice unequivocally pointed to an enhanced level of solidarity for providing much of their spark. With as many freshmen as seniors in the starting lineup, rookies have complemented upperclassmen and team dynamics have largely been devoid of the squabbling some squads experience.
Freshmen right fielder Jenna Maheu (.333), third baseman Kelsey Wheeler (.294) and outfielder Shelby Adams have all been of assistance under the guidance of fifth-year coach Sam McNeel, Lacey’s dad, and the team’s veteran players. Junior second baseman Megan Howard, a tri-captain, has observed a noticeable shift compared with previous recent years.
“There’s just been no drama, no tension, and I think that really helps,” said Howard, who owns a .333 batting average with five doubles. “We pick each other up, which makes us tighter. If someone makes a mistake, everyone is focused on the next play.”
One example came during Newport’s closest decision of the season, last Friday’s 1-0, nine-inning win at Fall Mountain. The Tigers had beaten the Wildcats, 12-0, in their season opener, but it was much tighter in the rematch, a pitchers’ duel between McNeel and Fall Mountain’s Chloe Vogel. A team that prides itself on speed and small ball, Newport failed on numerous occasions to squeeze a runner home from third base in regulation, striking out on bunt attempts multiple times.
Relentless, the Tigers finally pushed across the winning run with three successful bunts in the top of the ninth, capped by sophomore first baseman Alyssa Burr’s RBI squeeze play.
The rally seemed inevitable from Newport’s dugout.
“We’re chanting and yelling for each other the whole game,” said Sam McNeel. “In the past, I’ve had teams that said, ‘Coach, we’re not going to do that. That’s for little kids.’ But if you look at all the best college softball teams, they all do it. So to me, that kind of support is a sign of maturity.”
McNeel has fed off of the support of her teammates to help develop confidence during her second year in the circle, she said, and McNeel has also sharpened her delivery. Spending part of the offseason with the Concord-based New Hampshire Comets of USA Softball, McNeel worked on adding a curveball and screwball to her arsenal. She’s also proven durable, pitching every inning this season, including both games of doubleheaders in different sites on two occasions.
“I just feel like I’m a lot better this year. Last year, as a freshman, I was one of the youngest on the team playing a varsity sport, and I was just a little more nervous,” Lacey McNeel said. “This year, I’m a better leader. It definitely helps that everyone on the team have the same goals.”
That includes punishing the ball offensively. Senior catcher Stacia Dame leads the team with a .656 batting average (21-for-32) with four doubles, four triples, two home runs and 18 RBIs. Classmates Kendall Hamilton (.550, 12 RBIs) and Hailey Perry (.351, nine RBIs) have also delivered along with McNeel, who until recently had also been leading the team at the plate.
“(The seniors) are having their best offensive years, and that’s saying something because they’re four-year starters,” Sam McNeel said. “That’s been important lately because Lacey has been slumping a little bit at the plate. We also have three juniors who have been hitting well. I would say, all-around, it’s one of the better hitting teams I’ve seen.”
Newport is one of three teams that entered Wednesday’s games undefeated, along with White Mountains (15-0) and Campbell (14-0). The Tigers won’t have faced either when the D-III tournament begins next week, and the Tigers know they’ll need to remain sharp to contend for the program’s first crown. Entering Wednesday, Newport was beating opponents by an average score of 11-2.
“This year has been a lot of fun,” Lacey McNeel said. “It’s up to us to keep it going.”
Newport wraps up the regular season today against Mascenic. The game will be played in Newport, though the Tigers will play as the road team because it is the makeup of an earlier scheduled road game.
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.