First things first for Taft, Allentown softball season
Allentown High School’s Kristen Taft (l) gets an out at first base during the Redbird scrimmage with Rumson-Fair Haven March 19. JEFF GRANIT staff
The senior second baseman at Allentown High School is heading to Lehigh this fall on a softball scholarship after she leads a rebuildingAllentown High softball team with high hopes. Allentown, last season, won its fifth straight Colonial Valley Conference Patriot Division championship.
In that NCAA tournament game, Lehigh’s men’s basketball team fell short, 90-74, after hanging tough for most of the game and leading at times.
“It was really exciting to see my [college] team play in the men’s tournament. I was really excited,” said Taft enthusiastically as she goes from playing in the Patriot Division this season to the Patriot League in her college career.
And she’ll be stepping into a Lehigh softball program that also as had consistent success like her high school team. Lehigh has won 11 straight Patriot League regular season titles and won five Patriot League tournament titles in the last six years, assuring a berth in the NCAA Tournament those five seasons. The Mountain Hawks last season won two NCAA tournament games, including a victory over Texas A&M for the second time in four years, before losing to host Florida. Lehigh finished 36-18- 1, its ninth straight season of 35 or more victories, and comes into this week with a 7- 3 record this season.
“I just liked the overall college experience when I went there,” said Taft, who also officially visited the University of Connecticut and also considered Lehigh’s neighboring Patriot League rival — Lafayette — where she made unofficial visits as well as James Madison University. She is undecided on a major.
Bob Dubina in his six years as Allentown High School head coach has had five future NCAA Division I players and 15 Division III players in his lineup.
“We’ve been pretty successful,” said Dubina.
For Taft, it will be a different season. She is moving from playing second base on last year’s 19-9 team that lost in the county tournament finals to West Windsor-Plainsboro South, 5-1, to playing first base. The Redbirds also lost in the second round of the NJSIAA tournament to Raritan, 4-0.
“On my travel team [Jersey Intensity], I played first base,” said Taft. “I feel pretty comfortable already for this season. It’s good and I’m tall (5 feet, 10½ inches).”
And Lehigh also is looking at Taft playing on the right side of the infield. It replaced an all-Patriot League second baseman with a sophomore and four fresh- men getting looks at that spot for this season, and has a sophomore first baseman back who was the Patriot League Rookie of the Year last season, but there’s not a lot of depth beyond that player.
For now, Taft is looking to lead her young high school varsity team that has only two other seniors likely fitting in the lineup at this point in right-fielder Jamie Kalan, a spot starter last season, and Corryn Sargent, who played junior varsity last spring who may take over second base that Taft vacated.
Taft last season batted .521 with four home runs and 20 RBIs.
The team heads down to Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Saturday (March 27), to play seven games in three days against teams from New Jersey, New York, Georgia and Virginia at the Cal Ripken Experience.
“We’re going to hit the ball and put runs on the board,” said Dubina. “We have a young pitching group and the top returnee has three games under her belt. Defensively, we’re learning. That’s the biggest part right now.”
Taft agreed, saying, “We’re pretty young but we have a lot of talent. For me, I have to show them what they don’t know and fix bad habits.”
With the bad weather in the early season limiting practices, Dubina feels the pitching can catch up in Myrtle Beach. He is excited about the teaching his staff can impart to his young players with assistant coach Christine Brenner, a former player at University of Connecticut who was head women’s softball coach at Monmouth University for nine years, and new junior varsity coach Stan Spiridon.
Carly Witkowski, a sophomore righthander who was 2-1 last year, is the No. 1 pitcher going in with sophomore Elisa Andrew, who pitched junior varsity last season, and freshman Alex Dominici also handling the pitching.
Dubina said the state rule change for this season moving the mound 3 feet farther back to 43 feet from the plate, the same distance as college softball “will not affect us at all. The girls knew about this and have been working at 43 [feet in the offseason].”
Dana Sensi batted .420 with three home runs and 22 RBIs, and “lived up to her billing” as she played the key shortstop position all last season capably as a freshman. Junior Courtney Drennan, who played half of the games at third base, will be the regular there this spring. The rest of the lineup is sprayed with freshmen. Three freshmen are battling for the start at catcher, with Emily Marr showing the best defensive skills, Erin Drennan swinging the stronger bat and Nikole Lugo showing a balance in hitting and fielding. Lugo may play in the outfield.
Two freshmen are in the running for playing time in the outfield — Bryana Smith and Madeline Brunck. Another freshman— Kristine Kinsey — shows promise. Three other players also showed versatility to come in and fill in at different positions, as needed — juniors Emelie Klehr and Jasmin Lugo (Nicole’s sister) and sophomore Shannon Abbott.
Dubina is assured many uncertain areas will be resolved in the Myrtle Beach trip.
“Trips like that one are a good bonding experience,” said Taft. “You get to know each other and click more. I think we’ll do good as long as we keep our heads up and don’t make errors.”
