The Falcons’ game against Independence on Monday, May 13, marked the end of the Briar Woods Softball season. Their season ended with an impressive 14-6 record.
Head Coach Wortman shares his mindset going into the season and what the biggest challenge was, explaining, “being a new coach to the program, being compared to previous coaches [and] earning the trust of the players [was the biggest challenge]. I wanted to try and make the transition as easy as possible for them, and we [all] had to learn each other’s style.”
They had a great start to their season with a 7 game winning streak, however, they had some trouble stringing together hits in their games against Riverside and Lightridge towards the middle of the season.
In the girls’ first game against Riverside, on Monday, Apr. 8, the Falcons were held scoreless and the Rams went on a run during the third and fourth inning, where they scored four of their six runs. Similarly, in their first game against Lightridge, on Tuesday, Apr. 16, the Bolts’ airtight pitching proved to be too much for the Falcons, and Briar Woods fell to Lightridge in a 2-0 loss.
Briar Woods redeemed themselves by starting a new 4 game winning streak against Potomac Falls and Independence. In their second game against the Panthers, on Thursday, May 2, Briar Woods pitching and hitting was unmatched, shutting out the Panthers by a score of 10-0. In the second inning, the Falcons proved to be a challenge for the Panthers’ pitchers, where they scored eight of their ten runs. One of the highlights was freshman infielder Kara Yurish’s day at the plate, where she went 2 for 4 with a triple and three RBIs. The Falcons pitching staff had back-to-back shutouts, beating the Independence Tigers the next week in a 3-0 win along with the Potomac Falls Panthers.
Alyssa Hoyler, senior, right fielder and captain of the softball team mentions how she and her teammates have bonded, saying, “my teammates and I bond a lot, and when we do we either hangout at someone’s house or go out and get food.”
Additionally, sophomore outfielder Ellie Petitt comments on her relationship with the team, saying, “the Briar Woods Softball team is a very close group and all of [us are] very close [with each other].”
Unfortunately, they lost their district quarterfinal game to Independence on Monday, May 13, but they put up a good fight, trying to make a comeback by scoring two runs in the seventh inning, ending the season with a 3-2 loss. Both Yurish and senior center fielder Giuliana Bohmer had two hits and an RBI each. This loss marked the end of the 2024 Briar Woods Varsity Softball season.
Petitt expresses her excitement for next year, stating, “I’m hoping we go further next season and I’m excited to play with the returning players again!”
Although the Falcons’ season is over for this year, they maintained their reputation for being a dominant force in the conference, especially in the beginning of their season, where they took their opponents by storm.
“My favorite memory from this season was probably senior night and overall, just having a winning record,” shared Hoyler. “My teammates are [definitely my favorite thing about softball] and how close all of us get. The skill level and competitiveness is super fun,” she continued.
Reflecting on the end of the season, Coach Wortman mentions how proud he is of the team, concluding, “the players did a great job of being a cohesive team. They really seemed to enjoy themselves and it’s always great to see the girls smiling and having fun.”
