By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI
LYNNFIELD — The Lynnfield High softball team recently had its awards night at the Route 1 Grill House in Saugus. First-year Pioneers head coach Hector Longo gave out three awards that night.
Ava Gamache won the MVP. Award as she was named a first-team All-Cape Ann League player for the second-straight season.
The third baseman finished hitting .457 (37 for 81) with three homers, 33 runs scored and 21 runs batted in. She had a .506 on-base percentage,
“It’s hard to put into words how good she was this year,” stated Longo, about the 11th-grader.
Morgan Hubbard received the Coaches Award. The shortstop hit .519 (29 for 56) with 21 runs scored and 15 RBIs. Her OBP was .672.
“She’s a highlight-reel defender, regardless of where she plays, and offensively might be as good as it gets in our league,” said Longo, about the sophomore. “She practices and plays the game hard and has a ton of fun doing it.”
Hubbard was named to the CAL Second-Team All-Stars for her first career All-Star appearance.
Abi Travers won the Unsung Hero. The senior hit .368, with two homers, 13 RBI and she scored 20 runs,
“She struggled early,” said Longo, about the first baseman. “However, she then came alive the second half and bounced back well to hit over .300.”
The Pioneers reached the second round of the MIAA Division 4 state tournament before losing at Uxbridge, 9-1, in the Round of 16 game back on June 6 to end the year at 12-10.
In the Cape Ann League, Lynnfield went 6-8 as they came in 5th place in the Kinney Division.
The team will be losing five seniors to graduation, Travers, Celia Carbone, Lauren Amico, Ava Marotta and Trinity Gesamondo.
“For me, in my first year, it was a very satisfying season,” said Longo. “I had no idea what to expect. My two captains, Carbone and Amico, were consummate leaders. That’s so important for a new coach. My other seniors, Travers, Marotta and Gesamondo, could not have been better teammates and competitors.”
The captains for next spring will be Gamache, Catie Kampersal and Sophia Brown who will all be seniors next year.
“Ava, as I probably have said 100 times, is a coach on the field, a leader at third who knows the game so well and is so into it,” said Longo. “She’s a multi-sport captain.”
Longo also had praise for Kampersal and Brown.
“Catie is a great person, a quality kid, and a three-sport competitor,” said Longo. “She was named captain for the PLNR hockey team for next winter, too. Brown might be as good a competitor as we have when the game starts. She’s a battler and a kid that wants the ball against the good teams.”
Overall, seven players are expected to return to the team next season.
“We have some holes to fill but we so have our main pitcher and catcher coming back,” said Longo. “Hopefully, we can move up in the Kinney Division.”