Lindbergh head coach Darin Scott believes his varsity softball team will be ‘solid’ this year with most of the squad’s starting roster from last year returning. Photo by Bill Milligan.

By Robert Chalupny
For the Call

After a trying season for the Lindbergh High School varsity girls’ softball team last year that didn’t produce a single conference win, the Flyers will have a chance to redeem themselves this season with most of their starting roster returning in 2017.

Head coach Darin Scott said he hopes that the 2016 season was a learning experience that will provide his players with some extra drive as this year’s season gets underway.

“We are going to be a solid team. We’ve got pretty much everybody back from last year,” he told the Call. “We only lost a couple of seniors, one starter, so we’ve got pretty much eight out of nine starters back.

“We struggled a little bit with pitching last year, but we have all three pitchers back, and hopefully with a year under their belt, we hope they will be better this year … We are definitely looking to get back in the conference race.”

Lindbergh’s three returning pitchers from last season are Lauren Berzinas, who also plays the outfield, Claire McCune and Ryanne Morgan.

Highlighting the team’s returning group are shortstop Kayla Swiderski; Allison Shakiba, who played third base last year and will add center field to her resume this year; catcher Josie Hutcheson; and first baseman Madison Gann.

As the new season gets underway, Scott said he feels pretty good about where his team is at and expects the Flyers be very competitive.

“I think overall we are a very strong, athletic team. It’s just a matter of competing in the circle,” the Lindbergh coach said. “Offensively, I think, we are very strong. We are going to be strong defensively, but offensively we can hit up and down the lineup. We’ve added some more depth. We’ve got some more speed coming in.

“We are an extremely solid team when it comes to offense and defensive, and we’re real quick. But again our question mark is in the circle, and if we can compete with our pitching, I feel like we can compete with anybody,” Scott added.