Defending Div. 4 state champion Case is eager to carve out another path to success, this time with a more youthful squad.
Lily Picard is back at shortstop, and Megan Smith returns to center field, with All-Scholastic Breanna Fontes (.560, eight home runs, 37 RBI a year ago) moving behind the plate and Skye Dupree covering second base.
Seniors Jaydn Morrell and Jill Allen will pitch and play shortstop for Bourne, and junior Page Meda will do the catching. Each batted above .350 last season.
Abington brings back South Shore League All-Stars Brenna Howley (shortstop) and Kasie Bailey (catcher). Calli Pineau will take charge of center field.
East Bridgewater is returning four key players, captained by South Shore League All-Star catcher Maddie Blette and shortstop Sarah Silvia. All-Star pitcher Maggie Schlossberg will toe the rubber again, and fellow All-Star Emily McNaught will play third base.
Amesbury is expected to contend out of the Cape Ann League. Picher Izzy Levasseur, shortstop Calista Catarius and third baseman Alexis LeBlanc are the top returning players.
Div. 3 state semifinalist Triton has six returning starters, led by All-Scholastic pitcher Emma Penniman (247 strikeouts, 1.96 ERA). Cape Ann League All-Star Mallory Johnson will also pitch and patrol right field, and Kyla Story will play shortstop.
North Reading retains Cape Ann League All-Star pitcher Keely Hannon. Caitlin Reilly will be the center fielder, and returning to the infield are Olivia Reilly (catcher), Kristen Galvin (third base), Jocelyn Ostrowsky (second base) and Maggie Schultz (first base).
South Coast Conference All-Stars Lauren Bernaiche (pitcher) and Christina Magnett (shortstop) are back for Apponequet. Eva Zuber will be at third base, and Caleigh Venuti will be behind the plate.
Dighton-Rehoboth will be captained by All-Scholastic senior outfielder Lucy LaTour. South Coast All-Star infielders Haleigh Kelley (a state home run leader) and Camryn Cloonan return, with Emma Horrocks as the catcher.
Greater New Bedford returns Ana Tsonis (pitcher, third base), Ava Neno (second base), Ayla Emin (first base) and Emma Machado (third base) to the infield. Alexia Tsonis (center fielder), Zoe Texeira (right fielder) and Genesis Nunes (right fielder) will cover the outfield.
St. Mary’s advanced to the state quarterfinals and will face fellow contenders Archbishop Williams and Arlington Catholic in Catholic Central League action. The Spartans will look to outfielder Brooke Moloney, second baseman Michaela Walker, third baseman Ashanty Pardilla and catcher Roma Braid.
CCL All-Stars Alyssa Burke (center fielder), Regan Parr (left fielder, infielder, pitcher) and Jill Ondrick (pitcher, third base) are back for Archbishop Williams. Candace Sumner (catcher), Ciara McMenamin (right fielder, pitcher) and Monica Kelley (shortstop) will also hold significant roles.
All-Stars Maddie Connolly (first base) and Kathleen Simmons (second base) are returning to the Arlington Catholic infield, while Addison O’Donovan will play center field.
Norton will send Tri-Valley League All-Star Liana Danubio back to the pitcher’s circle. Addison Portanova, Paige Donahue, Avery Tinkham and Lucy Perachio are returning players for the Lancers.
Medway returns the Tri-Valley League All-Star battery of Ava Fahey (pitcher) and Priya Bedard (catcher). Olivia Klaus is at first base, with Nina Pacella in center field and Katie Anderson in left field.
Hanover brings back senior center fielder and Patriot League Fisher MVP Kaelyn Chase. Chase will captain the Hawks along with McKenzie Foley at third base. Noey Giardina will cover shortstop and Abby Hanna will be behind the plate.
Pembroke has nine returning players, including four Patriot League All-Stars. Kelly McGee will pitch, and Olivia Skeiber will play third base, while Ava Dunphy and Maria Cantino will roam the outfield.
In Div. 5, Lindsey Gratton and Abby Powers are back in the Millis outfield. Riley Caulfield will pitch and Emilia Leach will be the catcher.
Georgetown reached the Round of 16 and could be a team to watch out for with the return of pitcher Maddie Grant, catcher Ava Fair and shortstop Ellie Barbarick.
Cohasset will be captained by Taylor Soderberg (pitcher, shortstop), Angelina Grimes (catcher) and Catherine Toomey (first base and cleanup hitter). The Skippers also bring back Caitlyn Simms (pitcher, shortstop) and Samantha Kearney (center fielder).
Div. 3 Players to Watch
C: Roma Braid (St. Mary’s), Priya Bedard (Medway), Skylar Colburn (Triton), Naishaliz German (Greater Lawrence), Amanda Grace (Lowell Catholic), Ava Gray (Danvers), Abigail Greene (Norwell), Abby Hanna (Hanover), Emma Horrocks (Dighton-Rehoboth), Rebecca Hornung (Southeastern), Kendall Larkin (Medfield), Olivia Reilly (North Reading), Lily Ventre (Saugus), Caleigh Venuti (Apponequet)
P: Gigi Aupont (Bishop Fenwick), Savannah Azoff (Dennis-Yarmouth), Lauren Bernaiche (Apponequet), Emma Callanan (Foxboro), Maggie Carney (Lowell Catholic), Julie Chisholm (Southeastern), Victoria Cuscia (Foxboro), Liana Danubio (Norton), Cece Donovan (Sandwich), Ava Fahey (Medway), Christina Gentile (Dedham), Ashley Hart (Nashoba Tech), Callie Hogan (Essex Tech), Molly LeBel (Pentucket), Emily Meleedy (Newburyport), Kelly McGee (Pembroke), Jackie Murdock (Arlington Catholic), Samantha Nasella (Greater Lawrence), Jill Ondrick (St. Mary’s), Emma Penniman (Triton), Gianna Scoppettuolo (Northeast), Emersyn Smart (Ursuline), Kaleigh Stenstrom (Tri-County), Annie Thornett (Salem), Ana Tsonis (Greater New Bedford)
1B: Caroline Andrade (Watertown), Anna Bennett (Falmouth), Isa Bishop (Essex Tech), Eva Boudreau (Wilmington), Sophia Buzzelle (Latin Academy), Maddie Connolly (Arlington Catholic), Kella McGregor (Lynn Tech), Francesca Reardon (Shawsheen), Skylar Sverker (Salem)
2B: Erin Condon (Hanover), Lily MacKenzie (Wilmington), Kathleen Simmons (Arlington Catholic), Michaela Walker (St. Mary’s), Zoe Wilson (Lynn Tech)
SS: Bella Burke (Southeastern), Camryn Cloonan (Dighton-Rehoboth), Ava Cossette (Tri-County), Noey Giardina (Hanover), Alivia Imbimbo (Shawsheen), Emma Keefe (Newburyport), Haleigh Kelley (Dighton-Rehoboth), Maddie Lilley (Swampscott), Jashley Lopez (Greater Lawrence), Liv Loux (Salem), Christina Magnett (Apponequet), Paige Matte (Greater Lowell), Devany Millerick (Saugus), Mollie Miner (Lowell Catholic), Kayla Murphy (Pentucket), Ava Neno (Greater New Bedford); Sarah Rickard (Seekonk), Kaylee Shaw (Falmouth), Kyla Story (Triton)
3B: Jocelyn Bickford (Pentucket), McKenzie Foley (Hanover), Colleen Ganley (Ursuline), Ella Hamilton (Latin Academy), Ashanty Pardilla (St. Mary’s), Regan Parr (Archbishop Williams), Hannah Richard (Nashoba Tech), Ava Rogers (Saugus), Penny Saich (Norwell), Olivia Skeiber (Pembroke), Elsa Tucker (Essex Tech), Eva Zuber (Apponequet)
OF: Alyssa Burke (St. Mary’s), Maria Cantino (Pembroke), Kaelyn Chase (Hanover), Jenna Connelly (Gloucester), Taylor Dolan (Cardinal Spellman), Ava Donoghue (Fontbonne), Ava Dunphy (Pembroke), Elle Eteman-Gilbertson (Latin Academy), Mallory Johnson (Triton), Kaelyn Larkin (Medfield), Lucy Latour (Dighton-Rehoboth), Brooke Moloney (St. Mary’s), Addison O’Donovan (Arlington Catholic), Aysha Paula (Greater Lawrence), Kaitlyn Pugh (Saugus), Evelyn Sim (Norwell)
Div. 4-5 Players to Watch
C: Chelsea Amaral (Rockland), Jolee Anderson (Wareham), Kasie Bailey (Abington), Kate Bekeritis (Ipswich), Madeline Blette (East Bridgewater), Kaitlyn Collins (Minuteman), Jayden Craft (Blue Hills), Ava Fair (Georgetown), Bree Fontes (Case), A.J. Gates (Monomoy), Angelina Grimes (Cohasset), Paige Meda (Bourne), Tess Silva (Westport)
P: Riley Caulfield (Millis), Alyssa Collins (Minuteman), Molly Degnan (Hamilotn-Wenham), Bailey Deleire (Mystic Valley), Maddie Grant (Georgetown), Izzy Levasseur (Amesbury), Jadyn Morrell (Bourne), Madison Nereu (Wareham), Margaret Schlossberg (East Bridgewater), Taylor Soderberg (Cohasset)
1B: Penelope Biggs (Manchester-Essex), Laura Feliz DeJesus (Cape Cod Tech), Sarah Langtry (Carver)
2B: Lilly Furman (Monomoy), Morgan Hubbard (Lynnfield), Isabelle Kearney (Cohasset), Sophia Marcus (Mystic Valley)
SS: Abby Aiello (Manchester-Essex), Jillian Allen (Bourne), Ellie Barbarick (Georgetown), Neala Boyd (West Bridgewater), Calista Catarius (Amesbury), Bella Fazio (Hamilton-Wenham), Anna Gardner (Manchester-Essex), Brianna Hewitt (Rockland), Brenna Howley (Abington), Jayda Pequita (Westport), Lily Picard (Case)
3B: Ava Gamache (Lynnfield), Alexis LeBlanc (Amesbury), Willa Leighton (Monomoy), Emily McNaught (East Bridgewater), Patty Spillane (Old Colony)
OF: Sydney Ard (Nantucket), Skye Dupre (Case), Jaelynn Harraden (Upper Cape), Elin Roberts (Ipswich)
