Avoiding injuries will be key for Burrell softball, which has small roster

By: William Whalen
Saturday, March 12, 2022 | 5:09 PM

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If it seems like the Burrell softball team is filled with a lot of fresh faces this season, that’s because it is.

The Bucs roster has 10 players, and five of them are freshmen.

“They all play travel ball, and they played for a bunch of years,” coach Rick Nealer said. “They’re just not used to practicing for five to six days a week.”

Burrell (8-7, 6-4) finished last season tied for second place in the Section 1-4A with rival Freeport.

“We played in a tough section,” Nealer said. “Our section is as good as anybody’s out there. You play Highlands, who is a great team, Knoch, Freeport, and Greensburg Salem is good as well.”

Despite injuries taking their toll on the Bucs last season, Burrell earned a No. 6 seed in the Class 4A postseason. The Bucs managed a 3-2 first-round win over Belle Vernon before losing to No. 4 West Mifflin, 6-2, in the quarterfinals to draw the curtains on the season.

“We had our ups and downs,” Nealer said. “We had some good things that happened last year. The kids definitely worked hard last year. What hurt us was the limited number of kids (we had) last year.

“We hurt in depth. The kids played well in the playoffs, and we’re hoping to build on that.”

With such a thin roster, Nealer has paid particular attention to conditioning. It’s important that the injury bug doesn’t show up.

“We started in early fall,” said senior shortstop Caroline Dynka. “We did weightlifting in the fall and softball workouts indoors. I think thats pretty important in keeping the injuries away.”

Turning the page to the 2022 season, Nealer feels this team has hitters up and down the lineup, so the Bucs shouldn’t struggle to score runs.

Besides Dynka, junior Katie Armstrong will provide some power at the plate. Armstrong also will serve as Nealer’s ace in the circle. Freshman Sabrina Hoover will be Nealer’s No. 2 pitcher.

Freshman Bella Stewart will start at catcher. Junior Cassidy Novak will start at first base, and a pair of freshmen — Pyper Ferres (second base) and Braelyn Jones (third) — will round out the infield.

Hoover will play center field, and juniors Abbie Larko (right field) and Alanna Miller (left field) will complete the outfield.

“We have some good kids. They work hard,” Nealer said. “We’ll just keep working and see where we end up at the end of the year.”

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

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