Sparked by Fassl’s Consistent Play, Hun Softball Produces Solid 3-1 Start
Julie Fassl and her teammates on the Hun School softball team weren’t about to give up even though they fell behind perennial nemesis Peddie 5-0 in the second inning last week.
“You have to think you are still in it and I think that we thought we were still in it,” said Hun sophomore catcher Fassl. “We tried our best.”
In the third inning of the April 7 contest with a runner on second, Fassl lashed a liner to center which was misplayed, resulting in a run for the Raiders.
“My first at bat was kind of lousy so I came in, it is OK, it is just one game, there are many,” said Fassl. “I just came in to swing the bat and hit it.”
Although Hun was trailing 9-1 coming into the bottom of the seventh and final inning, the Raiders kept swinging hard. Fassl produced a run-scoring single to key a two-run rally as Hun fell 9-3.
“You have to just keep going for it; I was more relaxed in that at bat,” recalled Fassl. “I had a better mindset, it was no triples or doubles, just singles.”
With a season of high school softball under her belt, Fassl has a calmer mindset on the field this spring.
“Last year, it was all nerves, being a freshman coming out here,” said Fassl. “Now I am more relaxed. I think of myself as more controlled this year.”
Fassl, who also stars in field hockey and basketball for Hun, brings an
athleticism to the diamond.
“It makes you more of an athlete, it makes you stronger all around,” said Fassl.
“Most of my family has played baseball. My dad played baseball, my brothers played baseball so it is in my blood. You learn to love it.”
With Hun rotating freshman Julia Revock and junior Kacey Abitz on the mound, Fassl has to stay on her toes behind the plate.
“I have caught many pitchers in travel, coming in and out, it is not a big deal,” said Fassl.
“You have to trust your pitchers and they have to trust me, that is what I have to show them. If they trust me, they can throw better.”
As a freshman, Fassl gained the trust of her teammates by not striking out once at the plate.
“I usually always make contact, you are going to strike out eventually,” said Fassl, an All-MAPL (Mid-Atlantic Prep League) and All-Prep selection in 2014. “I got lucky last year.”
With Hun off to a 3-1 start after posting a 7-2 win over Lawrenceville last Saturday, Fassl believes the Raiders are poised for a big year.
“It is a way different team than we were last year, it is like a whole new squad,” said Fassl.
“I think we click more, we play as a team, not as individuals. I think that is big for us. I felt like last year, we were more about stats. This year we are team stats, it is all about us.”
Hun head coach Kathy Quirk likes what Fassl brings to the team. “Julie is very consistent,” said Quirk. “I can count on her behind the plate and with her bat also.”
While Hun played inconsistently in the loss to Peddie, Quirk was proud of how her players battled to the final out.
“I think we are a team, we play for each other,” said Quirk. “There is no person out there that is going to win that game and everybody knows that. We all have to contribute. We were down 9-1 and we scored two runs in the bottom of the 7th, that shows that we were still in it.”
Quirk is confident that her team can win a lot of games as the spring unfolds. “It is early in the season, there are adjustments that we need to do,” said Quirk. “We’ll make the adjustments and we’ll move on from here.”
In Fassl’s view, the Raiders are determined to do whatever is needed to get on the right track.
“We just have to work from it, we learn from our mistakes,” said Fassl. “We’ll come back at practice tomorrow and start all over if we have to.”