COMING AROUND: Princeton Day School softball player Julie ^–Patterson rounds second base in recent action. Last week, freshman catcher Patterson had a triple, a single, a run and two RBIs in a 19-8 loss to Hopewell Valley. PDS, now 1-4, plays at Pennington School on April 28 before hosting Morrisville High (Pa.) on April 30 and Willingboro High on May 2. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Julie Patterson had a level of comfort as the Princeton Day School softball team faced the Hopewell Valley junior varsity squad last week.

“I have played against this pitcher and I know her pitches,” said PDS freshman catcher Patterson, who plays travel ball for the Ninjas.

Patterson put that knowledge to work, smacking a triple and a single with a run and two RBIs.

“I wanted to get some runs in because we needed an extra boost of energy,” said Patterson, reflecting on a game which saw PDS fall behind 6-0 in the first inning only to close the gap to 6-3 and 10-7 before falling 19-8.

“I just hit the ball and drove it into left field and ran the bases. It really helped the team get some energy.”

Playing catcher gives Patterson the chance to use her energy on defense for the Panthers.

“It is good to experience new pitchers and it helps me with blocking practice and to get my throws down,” said Patterson.

With PDS boasting a number of freshmen making a major contribution, including Hailey Young, Elisabeth Berman, Guilia Gerschel, and Brooke Smukler, in addition to Patterson, the newcomers are developing a strong connection.

“We definitely make up a lot of the team and I think that is good because in school we can really bond together,” said Patterson, who also stars for the PDS girls’ hockey team. “We always practice together so we can talk about how we think the game went. We boost each other up all throughout the day and get psyched with each other.”

PDS head coach Paul Lano is psyched with how Patterson has been coming through this spring.

“Julie Patterson put an enormous amount of pressure on herself playing against a school where all of her friends and she responded,” said Lano.

“She had a couple of base hits. She gives us the leadership behind the plate, especially with two other freshmen (Berman and Smukler) throwing the ball on a regular basis and that is huge. She does not play on this team like a freshman at all and it comes out. She is very coachable. Her bond with Annika Asplundh and Kiely French and the other hockey players is huge. It is a huge benefit for me, she is filling a lot of gaps for me.”

The play of the PDS freshmen collectively has given the squad a huge boost.

“They are pitching, they are catching,” added Lano. “Berman and Smukler are the pitching staff and they are both good. Gulia Gershel is climbing up the ranks, she is definitely becoming a factor.”

Junior infielder/pitcher Annika Asplundh and junior outfielder Kiely French have been big factors for the Panthers this spring.

“Annika came in today to pitch and steadied the ship, with her experience and knowing how to handle batters and at bats and all the situations and being able to run the infield,” said Lano.

“Kiely would have been a good addition to the infield but at this point I needed some leadership in the outfield. We can’t have all rookies out there so she was my remaining best outfielder for sure.”

Senior Emma Sharer also helps steady things for Lano. “My lone senior is Emma and she gives us her leadership,” said Lano. “She has been like an assistant coach since the day she joined the team as a sophomore three years ago.”

Lano believes that getting his players to take a more aggressive approach offensively will lead to more competitive games down the stretch.

“What I would like to see is a little more confidence with the opportunities that they get, especially at the plate,” said Lano, whose team has started 1-4 and plays at Pennington School on April 28 before hosting Morrisville High (Pa.) on April 30 and Willingboro High on May 2.

“They all know how to swing the bat. They just need to develop a little more plate presence, knowing the count and when a pitcher has to throw a strike, knowing that is their opportunity to hit one. Our M.O. is we want them to attack, we want them to be aggressive. We want them to attack strikes. We can play with better teams if we get the ball into play.”

No matter how many more wins PDS ends up getting this spring, Lano enjoys getting the opportunity to work with his players.

“They love to play the game,” said Lano. “For half my team, this is their second or third sport but when they come out here they give me their all.”

Patterson, for her part, is determined to keep giving her all. “We see that we can battle back and that will definitely help us in future games,” said Patterson.

“We have some good competition coming up and we will play hard against them.”