The Huntington varsity softball team continued to improve its competitiveness this past spring. The Blue Devils won five games while losing two games by one run and a third by two runs. With nine underclassmen eligible to return, head coach John Walsh and assistant coach Eric Mininni are hopeful the 2023 season will be a successful one.
The 2022 squad was captained by senior Maddy Bavaro and led by sophomore pitcher Ruby Meidenman, who fanned 133 batters and garnered All-League honors.
“Ruby is an outstanding pitcher,” Walsh said. The highlight of the season came in a league game against Bellport when the Blue Devils rallied in the final inning for a 5-4 victory.
“We have most of the infield returning as well as Ruby,” Walsh said. “Several players from the JV will help the varsity next spring. A strong Finley team will also help in the future.”
Bavaro and teammates Sophia Toscano and Cynthia Contreras were recognized at the 54th annual Blue Devil senior athletic awards ceremony in the high school auditorium with special honors.
Bavaro was named the team’s Most Valuable Senior with Toscano capturing the Most Improved Senior award and Contreras claiming the Coaches Award.
An Advanced Placement Scholar with Honor, Bavaro is headed to Lehigh University where she plans to study humanities. Inducted into five different academic honor societies, the teenager also played on the varsity volleyball and fencing teams. She proved to be a great leader for the Blue Devil softball squad.
Inducted into Huntington’s National Honor Society and English Honor Society chapters, Toscano, who played catcher for the Blue Devils, will be attending the University of Maine. The teenager was named a Distinguished Senior after compiling an academic grade average of 90 or better during every semester of high school. Her upbeat personality kept her teammates laughing throughout the season.
Contreras plans to begin her studies at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood. She was counted on by Walsh, Mininni and her teammates to always give her all on any given day and played an integral role in the team’s victories.