The youth movement continues to spur the Garfield G-Men softball team. Garfield will attempt to be a force to reckoned with a roster that is primarily dominated by underclassmen, with only four returning upperclassmen.
“This is one of the largest number of girls to come try out that we have had in a long time and they have talent and experience,” Coach Tina Faulhaber said. “Sometimes you get a few girls that are just bored and think they will try softball but all of these girls have played before and some in different leagues.”
After receiving a freshman class of 15 players last year to bolster their roster size, the pipeline of underclassmen continues to flow into the program, with 13 freshmen vying for varsity and junior varsity playing time. Garfield returns six starters but will have at least six freshmen on the varsity roster at the beginning of the season, with several of them in line to become the team’s new core.
“The freshman class is outstanding,” the 16-year coach noted. “They are making my decision on final varsity/junior varsity separation really, really tough. There are girls that are no-doubters from early on, I have seen them play. But there are some that are just fighting tooth and nail for those spots; the talent is there.”
With so many underclassmen joining the program for the second straight seasom, Garfield’s depth is the best it has ever been, finally having enough players to field a true junior varsity team this season.
For Faulhaber, who has had a lengthy tenure as the head coach, it is a sight to behold as Garfield’s depth appears to on the verge of blossoming for years to come.
“It is a whole new kind of vibe and energy,” she added. “It is nice to have some options and not feel like, ‘Oh no one person is sick so our whole line-up has to be rethought and our whole batting order.’ Nice to look at and see, okay, we have a few pitchers now, we have a few catchers now and all of those pitchers and catchers can play different positions, the same thing with the fielders.”
Among Garfield’s returning starters are junior pitcher Juliana Genovese, who hit .300/.364/.440 with five doubles, one triple and eight RBIs while also tossing a 2.83 ERA across 52.0 innings of work while striking out 70 and walking only 12 batters in 17 games. The G-Men also return Genovese’s trusted receiver in junior catcher Kolby Fresch, who clubbed a .350/.466/.583 batting line with seven doubles, one triple, two home runs, driving in 15 runs over 19 games.
“They are super important because everyone knows that they are the seniors and are becoming really vocal leaders, leaders on the field,” noted Faulhaber. “They lock in, especially when you have your seniors being a pitcher/catcher combo, those are always big spots on the field. The catcher is almost like the quarterback, telling everybody the plays and all of that; it is really important to have them lead.”
Faulhaber acknowledged that the G-Men may not have a lot of power hitters in the line-up, especially after graduating one of their best home run hitters in Maddy Wilson but sees Fresch as a player who can still provide plenty of power.
Among the incoming freshmen class lies Emily Knerem, who Faulhaber describes as being a versatile defender also possessing good baserunning instincts.
Freshman Olivia Bailey adds more depth to the pitching staff. She and Knerem form a nice tandem as Knerem has served as her primary catcher.
Faulhaber also named freshman Diamond Dyson as another key contributor, as she brings more catching experience to the position and has some power in her bat.
“Diamond is new to our program because I think she moved last year or the year before, she is another catcher who can play any place in the infield; she has a fearless swing,” said Faulhaber.
Freshman Brooke Hrabek will be another bat to watch out for as she combines elite speed with elite contact skills.
“She is a quick slapper,” Faulhaber said. “She just has good hand/eye coordination with super speed.”
While the top of the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Grey Tier consists of the usual suspects in Champion and LaBrae, Faulhaber said Garfield seeks to join the upper ranks of the conference this year.
Despite having a plethora of underclassmen, Faulhaber said that the team can still get off to a fast start because what the players may lack in varsity time, they make up for in softball experience.
The G-Men will begin their season when they face neighborhood and Portage County rival Windham in a road game on Saturday morning at 11 a.m.
