By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI
MELROSE — At the Melrose High softball team banquet at Mount Hood Golf Club recently, head coach Stephen Turner gave out three awards.
Turner’s daughter, Maggie, received the team MVP Award. Turner was a first-time Middlesex League Freedom Division All-Star this spring.
The center fielder hit. 289 with a .356 on-base-percentage which was second on the team. She was also second in runs scored with 12 and tied fellow All-Star, Ava Viola, in runs batted in with 9. Turner also led the team in steals with 11.
“The players voted on the team MVP,” pointed out Red Hawks assistant coach Frank Sorrenti.
Junior Sydney Bowles took home the Coaches Award.
“She played right field, left field and second base for us and never complained,” said Sorrenti. “She did a lot for us.”
The Most Improved Player Award went to junior Sophie Brown.
“She was our catcher and did a great job of blocking pitches,” said Sorrenti. “She really took a beating at times out there.”
The players also voted on their captains for next year and they will be Bowles and junior right field Brynn Baker.
After going 0-19 last year, Melrose finished 2-17 this spring. Both wins came against Watertown as Melrose went 2-1 against the Red Raiders.
One of the wins was a non-league one as Melrose finished 1-7 in the ML Freedom Division.
“While we didn’t improve as much as we hoped, we still won two more games than last year,” said Sorrenti, who is also the Melrose High girls’ hockey coach. “We were in several games that, with a little more experience, we could have won and had six or seven wins.”
Along with Turner and Viola, who were the two captains, the team will also lose Riley Jones (pitcher) and Lucy O’Neill (outfielder) to graduation.
“They were good kids and good leaders,” said Sorrenti. “They kept the team together despite our record. It is easier to be positive when you are winning but much harder when you are not. The seniors were very resilient.”
Next spring, Melrose is slated to return 13 veterans as coach Turner will be entering his third season at the helm.
“It should be an interesting year because we have a good 8th-grade class coming in and the junior varsity team did well this season,” said Sorrenti. “We told the kids at the end of the season to work on your game during the summer and the rest of the off-season.”