Coach: Pikesville Softball's Youth Will Help in Future

Pikesville softball coach Mike Behrens’ team struggled throughout the 2011 season, finishing with a 4-14 record. But Behrens saw plenty of reason for optimism for the future after the season ended.

Simply put, the Panthers have some good young players that can serve as the cornerstones for this team for the next few seasons.

“We do have some young freshmen that are up with [the team] that will be the nucleus for the next couple of years,” Behrens said. “That’s the promising part.”

Two such freshmen are Taylor Hentzman and Emily Starobin. The coach said Hentzman will be playing first base with Starobin at third.

Both got lots of playing time this season. Starobin played third most of the season, moved to second for a few games, but will stay at third next year.

“She played great at third,” Behrens said of the freshman. “She has great instincts at third. She had to withstand the onslaught [this season].”

Hentzman came up from the junior varsity team during the season and played well while adjusting to softball at the higher level. She finished with a .269 batting average and five RBIs.

“We’ve got a good group of younger players, and that’s going to help us,” Behrens said. “They’re very much into improving their games.”

Pikesville also got some good performances on offense from some players. Jessica Rubin batted .390 with 12 RBIs. Emily Friedlander had a .371 batting average with two homers and 15 RBIs.

Ty Baxter also helped with a .349 average. Abby Molofsky hit .346 with 13 RBIs. She also pitched in with 16 stolen bases.

Pikesville finished with a .286 batting average. The Panthers will be looking for some more power next year also, something that would make it easier to score runs and take pressure off the pitching staff.