“The best part of our team is that we celebrate our victories, small or large, and we’re always there for each other,” team member Mara Silverstein (9) said. After a strong season against Fieldston, Loyola, Trinity, Riverdale, and Spence, Varsity Softball is looking to win the NYSAIS finals on May 24th. With the help of the Spring Training trip to Florida and practices throughout the season, the team has worked together to score huge wins this year, including a 15-5 win against Spence on Alumni Field.

Although the team ended the season 7-7, they were able to develop some great skills during games. “Having a smaller team size with only our 13 girls helps keep the team connected and together in practice, which made us successful this year,” Varsity Softball Coach Ray Barile said. 

Coach Barile’s teaching philosophy is to make every practice as intense as a game, and keep training consistent, he said. “With my coaching, the way I keep the team together is that we don’t let any one person take the blame, and I tell them when I do something wrong, and I think they appreciate that,” Barile said. 

For players, one highlight of the season was their home game against Spence on April 20. “Playing Spence was very fun, because we played very, very well as a team, and we saw success in the score, which motivated us to keep going,” Weidman said.

The team had a challenging loss to Poly Prep on Monday, but they remained focused on giving it their all. “We came the closest out of the other teams in the league to beating them this season, and that’s something [the team] is proud of,” Julia Cassino (12) said.

 Although they lost 12-0 on Monday, there was some great pitching and fielding from the school’s players, Barile said. “The game on Monday was a teaching moment for me because I was able to admit to the girls that I had made the wrong call in having the outfielders go so far, which helped us strategize more on how to improve.”

Next season, Coach Barile will be retiring, but he hopes his legacy continues through the underclassmen on the team this year, he said.