Morgan Softball Seniors: A lasting impact
The Morgan Girls Softball team played Portland on their senior night 5/13, wrapping up a 19 and 0 season, and saying goodbye to five seniors: Nina Fishman, Laura Orn, Meadow Papacoda, Alyssa Ruthstro,m and Keyla Vasquez-Zuinga.
Even though the girls suffered another loss, the Huskies were playing well in the first two innings of the game. Freshman Gabrielle Ferraiolo hit a three-run home run for the Huskies to end the first inning with three runs on the board. In the second inning, the Huskies kept going by scoring two runs, but it just wasn’t enough with the Portland Highlanders scoring 11 runs in the first inning and three runs in the second.
It has been a difficult season for the Husky defense, and senior night was no different.
The team will be losing key players of the team next year, including captain Nina Fishman, captain Laura Orn, Alyssa Ruthstrom, Meadow Papacoda, and Keyla Vasquez-Zuniga, who are all graduating seniors and have made a lasting impact on the team.
Junior catcher Whittney Treubig said ¨They were always there for the team, making us better day by day. Everyone on the team is going to miss them very much.¨
Captain Nina Fishman has been playing softball for 13 years. She started at the Little League level with her dad, Jon Fishman, as the coach. Fishman started playing for the Huskies her freshman year and became a starter for the Huskies at second base during her sophomore season, earning her captain’s title her junior season. Nina is an organized captain who has a positive attitude, despite the hard games. Fishman plans on going to UConn in the fall to major in materials science and engineering.
Captain Laura Orn has also been playing her entire life, but when she moved to Clinton from Massachusetts, she started playing with the Eliot softball team. She started playing in the outfield when she moved and has been an outfielder ever since. Orn is a kind leader who always keeps a good attitude through the tough season. Orn plans on going to Providence College to major in biology (pre-med).
Alyssa Ruthstrom has also been a softball player her entire life while also being a captain of the volleyball team here at Morgan. With her long legs and flexibility, she has been an amazing first baseman, catching any ball that comes her way. But, when the team was in need of a pitcher this season, she stepped up and started pitching for the team with no prior experience. Along with Captain Fishman, Ruthstrom plans on going to UConn to major in Journalism.
Meadow Papacoda started playing softball at a very young age and has played a number of positions throughout her career. During her sophomore year, however, she tore her ACL while skiing, and she tore her meniscus while jumping on a friend’s back. She had a rough recovery but was able to come back in her junior year. Papacoda stepped up as a pitcher along with Ruthstrom this season to fill a void at the position. The team could always count on her to throw strikes. Papacoda plans on going to TIGI Hairdressing Academy located in Guilford, CT, to pursue a career in hairdressing.
Even though Keyla Vasquez-Zuniga just started playing this year, she is a fast athlete who always cheers on her teammates, no matter how the game is going. Even though Keyla doesn’t have much experience on the field, when she shows up the team feels a change in the atmosphere. Junior Whittney Treubig says ¨She always lightens the mood when she’s at games and practices¨ She plans on attending Southern Connecticut State University to major in Nursing.
The girls and coaches will have to adjust while they are losing two of their three captains and multiple starting players.
Some of the youngers girls on the team will have to step up and fill in these roles on the team, but sophomore Abbie Granham believes there is hope at the end of the tunnel, ¨going into my junior year, next year, and being an underclassman, I know I have to step up, especially since we are losing important players and need to fill their positions.¨
