BEVERLY– When Endicott softball coach Katie Bettencourt reflected on last season, there was a lot to be proud about. Bettencourt guided Endicott to 30 wins, a 16-2 record in the Commonwealth Coast Conference and an appearance in the CCC championship game. The Gulls were one win shy of reaching the Division III NCAA Tournament. Not bad for her first season at Endicott.
“To win 30 games is a really great accomplishment,” Bettencourt, who coached at Assumption prior to Endicott, said. “It’s something that might not ever happen again. I’m proud of the team for that. It’s hard. We did fall short but now we know what it takes to get to that championship game. The team has been working really hard this preseason so I’m excited.”
Now the challenge for Endicott is moving past last season’s success and turning its attention to this season. With a year of coaching at Endicott under her belt, Bettencourt feels better prepared for who the Gulls will match-up against during the spring.
“It’s nice because everything isn’t brand new,” Bettencourt said. “They know the expectations. They know how practices are structured. It’s not as much talking, it’s more doing. It makes things easier. That’s good, and obviously now having a little more understanding of the conference helps. I have scouting reports on everyone. It eases the anxiety a little bit knowing the competition.”
Bettencourt said the offseason went well. One of the main goals was to bring Endicott’s incoming freshman class up to speed and she felt the Gulls did so.
“We had a pretty good fall,” Bettencourt said. “We have about six freshmen so it was about just teaching them the expectations on an everyday basis. The team did a good job staying in shape. We jumped right back into it as soon as they got back from the holiday break.” Bettencourt foresees a competitive CCC this season. The Gulls were picked first in the conference’s preseason poll with four first-place votes. But it’s one thing to carry high expectations and it’s another to act on them.
“I think it’s going to be tough,” Bettencourt said. “Teams know us. They’re going to bring their best game when they play us. It’s going to be tough competition. If you looked at our preseason poll there were four teams with first-place votes. It’s going to be competitive. It’s really anyone’s conference.”
Pitching projects to be Endicott’s strength this season. Lynn native Michaela Hamill, a St. Mary’s product, returns to anchor the Gulls’ rotation. Hamill went 8-2 last season in 62.2 innings of work with a 2.46 ERA. Joining Hamill in the rotation is fellow junior Maggie Oram, who went 12-2 last spring with a 2.55 ERA in 99 innings.
“Our pitching staff is where our depth is,” Bettencourt said. “We have five very good pitchers that do a good job hitting their spots. They just go out there and they compete. That’s definitely where our strength is.”
Offensively the Gulls return sophomore infielder Adrianna Favreau, last season’s CCC Rookie of the Year. Favreau batted .439 with 3 home runs and 25 RBI during her freshman season. Also returning to the batting order are senior outfielders Gina DeMilt, Hailey Arduini and Olivia Odermatt, and senior first baseman Jamie Hopgood. Hopgood batted .402 last season with 3 home runs and 31 RBI.
“Jamie just flat out hits the snot out of the ball,” Bettencourt said. “We’re looking for her to produce some big numbers for us.”
Endicott’s currently in the middle of its early-season Florida spring break trip. The Gulls started the season on a positive note, with consecutive wins over Mt. St. Mary (5-0), Marian (4-2) and Framingham State (3-2). They lost their first game of the year to Bowdoin (8-7) Monday. Endicott has six more games on its Florida schedule before returning home next Friday to take on CCC rival Gordon.
“We have a very challenging early schedule,” Bettencourt said. “We’re playing a lot of very good teams. One was in the college World Series last year. It’s going to be a challenge for us. We don’t have to play our best softball until April. We just want to get better every time we take the field. We’ve only been outside for about a week so things won’t be perfect. We just want to improve every game.”