Before boarding its bus to head upstate, the Pine Plains softball team plans to spend time on Friday with some of the district’s elementary and middle school students.
Expanding on the idea of a send-off pep rally, athletic director Rob Scott said, the schools will come together to cheer for the softball team before it departs, and the players will mingle at bit with the youngsters.
“It’ll mean a lot to the little kids, especially the athletes, to be able to interact with them,” Scott said. “They’re stars in the community and they are who those kids hope to be like.”
Not a bad group to aspire to mimic, considering the Bombers on Saturday will make their second consecutive appearance in the state final four. The softball team has emerged in recent years as the most successful program in an athletic department that has enjoyed remarkable success in several sports.
The Bombers now are in pursuit of the capstone: the program’s first state championship.
“Winning it all would mean a lot to the team and our whole community,” coach Les Funk said. “To achieve that would be huge.”
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Pine Plains came close to winning the title last year and returned all but one player to a relatively young team. With that, the Bombers entered this season considered among the favorites to conquer the class. Now here they are, two victories away from their pot of gold.
Pine Plains faces Section 3’s Sandy Creek in a Class C state semifinal on Saturday, 11:30 a.m. at Moreau Park in Glens Falls. The winner advances to the final at 4 p.m. against Greenville or Chautauqua Lake.
“We definitely had expectations to make this far,” pitcher Alex McKenzie said. “We thought we could get here and there was some pressure because a lot of people expected it, too.”
That send-off reception, Scott said, contributes to “program building.” Fostering a connection between the varsity team and young hopefuls, he said, will be beneficial. After all, many of these current players were among a group of kids in 2008 cheering the softball team before it headed north for its first state semifinals appearance.
Pine Plains has since become a perennial contender, and one whose future appears bright beyond this season. The Bombers have only three seniors with six underclassmen on the roster now, along with a slew of fourth- and fifth-grade kids in local recreational leagues whom the high school coaches believe already have the talent to become excellent players.
Get over the hump for Funk
Players credit Funk for the development of this team and the overall growth of the softball program. It’s for that reason, some said, their greatest motivation this weekend is to capture for a state championship for the coach.
Funk is in his 13th season as the softball coach. He also helmed the girls basketball team that reached the final four in 2015 and 2016.
“For all the years he’s been a great coach, he deserves it,” shortstop Johanna Schmidt said. “Everyone wants to win for obvious reasons and it’s great to say, ‘I was part of a state championship team.’ But to see the smile on Coach’s face if we win, that’d make my day —my year.”
Haley Strang was on both squads, as well as the softball team that lost by a run to Rochester’s Bishop Kearney in the final last June.
“Each time, we’ve fallen just short and it breaks my heart,” said Strang, a centerfielder. “I know Coach has to feel that disappointment. It’s about time we got over the hump.”
Preparing for a showdown
Clearing this hurdle, of course, won’t be easy. In Sandy Creek, the Bombers face an opponent with a high-powered offense and a dominant pitcher bound for a Division I college.
The Comets are 20-1, averaging 12.1 runs per game, and have beaten 15 of their opponents by 10 or more runs. Their star, Carley Stoker, has pitched to a 0.76 ERA with 233 strikeouts in 120 innings. In addition, the Central Connecticut State commit is batting .612 with seven homers.
Stoker allowed four hits and fanned 14 last Saturday as Sandy Creek edged Edison, 1-0, in nine innings to win their region.
“She throws hard and has a lot of movement,” Funk said. “But at this time of the year, you go in expecting to face great competition.”
Sandy Creek lost by a run to Bishop Kearney in the state semifinals last season and that team went on to beat the Bombers, 4-3, in the final. So the Comets, like Pine Plains, likely lamented falling just short and played the “could’ve been...” scenarios in their minds. But for both teams now, it would be within reason now to ponder the “could be” storylines. Bishop Kearney moved up to Class B, and eyes have turned to the two teams that almost beat it.
“They’re in the same boat as us where you’re thinking, ‘This championship could be ours now,’” Funk said. “But that means they’ll be as fired up and hungry as we are.”
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In anticipation of a run to the state tournament, Pine Plains crafted a difficult schedule, littered with tough non-league opponents. The Bombers (15-5) began their season with an exhibition tournament in Disney World, facing talented teams from different states. Back home, they booked a few large-school opponents including Mahopac and Monroe-Woodbury.
Entering the playoffs with a sparkling record meant much less than having his team get a taste of elite competition, Funk said. Even if it meant they would be overmatched. Pine Plains on Wednesday also scrimmaged Minisink Valley, the Section 9 Class AA champion who also will be competing in the state semifinals.
“You’ve got to see that level of pitching and get used to it,” Funk said. “You can’t really simulate that in a week of practice. We’ve been preparing for this all season.”
Pine Plains overwhelmed S.S. Seward to win its third consecutive Section 9 title. But a truer measure of its ability was in beating Pawling and East Rockaway in the regional rounds last week. Both opponents were headlined by experienced star pitchers — Olivia Zoeller and Emily Chelius, respectively — and the Bombers combined for 11 runs against them.
“That East Rockaway game was big for us in terms of dealing with nerves and getting over the pressure,” Funk said.
Failure is 'is not an option'
Pine Plains has its own high-powered offense that features catcher Cat Simmons, a slugger known for her mammoth home runs. Strang, with her athleticism, is excellent defensively in centerfield and is a line-drive hitter with power.
Schmidt bats in the middle of the order and is a good run producer. The shortstop is also a leader on the infield with eighth-grader Lourdes Belanger at third and seventh-grader Miranda Koch at second base. Schmidt, herself a capable pitcher, tossed 5⅔ scoreless innings of relief in the state final last year.
Senior Mackenzie Burton is an anchor at first base, and often utilized is a rotation of corner outfielders that include Krysta Shaffer, Kris Wilson and Sarah Carver. Meg Murray, Paige Tegtmeier, Bella Torre and Emily Lindquist provide depth.
McKenzie will be their starting pitcher in the state tournament, as she was last year as a sophom*ore. A converted catcher still learning some of the nuances or pitching, she has been a rock for them nonetheless.
“There’s a lot of great teams whose season ended and they’d give anything to be in our position right now,” Funk said. “You obviously want to win the whole thing, but you appreciate the fact that this whole journey has been great. Making it here in back to back years is special.”
Last year’s experience, Schmidt said, taught the Bombers they can ill afford even a momentary lapse in focus and intensity. That’s a message she has imparted on teammates.
“We’re pumped,” McKenzie said. “I know we have our work cut out for us because it’s all great teams there and anybody can win. But at the same time, losing is not an option. We’re ready!”
Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4826, Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
Pine Plains softball
What: State Class C softball semifinals, finals
When: Saturday
Where: Moreau Recreational Park, Glens Falls
Who: Pine Plains vs. Sandy Hook, 11:30 a.m.; Chatauqua Lake vs. Greenville, 11:30 a.m.; winners play in championship at 4 p.m.
Live updates: Follow Stephen Haynes on Twitter, @StephenHaynes4, for live updates throughout the day, and visit www.poughkeepsiejournal.com for stories, photos and video
