PAYTON’S PLACE: Hun School softball player Payton Poandl takes a swing in a game last spring. Sophomore Poandl, who hit .400 last year in her debut season, is primed for another big season. Hun opens its 2026 season by hosting Lawrenceville on March 26. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Over the last four years, the Hun School softball program has rolled to a stellar 62-8 record featuring a number of veteran stars.

As Hun head coach Kathy Quirk looks ahead to the 2026 campaign, she acknowledges that this year’s team won’t be as dominant from the start as it goes through a youth movement by necessity.

“We have five freshmen, seven sophomores, and two seniors so we have a lot of work ahead of us,” said Quirk, who guided the Raiders to a 14-2 record last season as they advanced to the Prep A state semis.

The two seniors, Rowan Lacy and Sam Jolly, have been working hard to bring the team together.

“Rowan and Sam have been the best, I cannot say enough about the two of them and their leadership qualities,” said Quirk, noting that Lacy is a University of Rochester commit and that Jolly is headed to Sacred Heart University. “It is just the way they have interacted with all of the young kids to make them feel welcome. It is a really nice bunch of girls and the team has bonded really well.”

Two of those young players, sophomore Payton Poandl and freshman Saina Shah, will be handling the pitching duties.

“Payton is working hard on all of her pitches,” said Quirk, whose team opens the season by hosting Lawrenceville on March 26. “Saina is very young. She takes pitching lessons and pitches now and then for her travel team. They have been doing three, four innings at a time. I am hoping that midway through the season, Payton is going to be able to go a full game. She just didn’t throw over the winter.”

Poandl, who batted .400 last year with 22 hits and 14 RBIs as a freshman, will also help make the Hun batting attack go.

“She lifted weights over the winter and she is strong,” said Quirk, noting that her players worked hard this winter in the school’s weight room. “She did a great job with the bat in Florida. We are looking for some big things from her.”

One of the freshmen, Morgan Bilmes, and the two seniors, Lacy (.292 and 19 RBIs in 2025) and Jolly (.627, 32 hits), will be at the top of the batting order.

“Morgan is leading off, she gets on base,” said Quirk. “We just thought with Sam, she would always get on base and sometimes get to third and we wouldn’t get her in. We thought let’s try to see if we can get Morgan and Ro on base and have Sam get them in. She has that slap and has got the power. Payton will bat after Sam.”

Sophomores Karis Nicholas and Quinn Schweer have shown potential with the bat.

“Karis who did not see any time at all last year, she lifted this winter and what a difference in her swing,” said Quirk. “She has done a nice job, she did well in Florida. She may end up being a designated hitter if she is not playing in the field. Quinn struggled at the very beginning of the trip but towards the end, she started making good contact with the ball.”

In the field, Bilmes will be starting at catcher with Lacy at first base, Jolly at second, freshman Grace Kennedy at shortstop, and Schweer at third. Across the outfield, Shah will be in left, sophomore volleyball star Eva Cannon will be in center and freshman Nicolette Bouroutis and Nicholas will be in right with sophomore Ema Varilova, freshman Izzy Contreras, and freshman June Paleudis also seeing time in the outfield.

Quirk acknowledges that the defense is a work in progress as she works in some new faces in new spots.

“We are doing basics, basics, basics every single day,” said Quirk. “I have always done that drilling and that is what we are going to have to do.”

While Hun may not be a force from the start this spring, Quirk believes the team can develop into something special.

“It is not going to be like our last four or five seasons but you never know,” said Quirk. “I remember one year we went to Florida and we were absolutely horrendous and we came back and we were a different team.

I just like the way this team has bonded together and the way they support each other.”