Cherry Hill East Softball Moves on Without Musumeci

It wasn’t just the start of a new season for the Cherry Hill East softball team against Washington Township Monday.

It was the start of a whole new era.

A little more than three weeks after the death of former coach Charlie Musumeci, who was the program’s head for nearly three decades, the Cougars took the field under new coach Stephanie Digneo, with a new slate and goals of pushing the program beyond where it’s been before.

While things didn’t go exactly as planned in the mercy-rule, 15-0 loss, Digneo still saw the potential in her players.

“We got our nerves out—we’re hoping that this is opening-day jitters,” she said. “We’re a young team—we have maybe three returning varsity players that actually got quality playing time last year. We have a lot to learn, and we’re just looking to improve each and every day. I’m excited about the season.”

That doesn’t mean the first game was easy, though. While she’s known since January, when Musumeci officially stepped down, Digneo said moving into the longtime coach’s spot was daunting.

“The first game as a new coach anywhere is nerve-wracking,” she said. “You want to make sure the time you’ve put in practicing is going to show in the game.”

While it may have been nerve-wracking for the coach, the transition wasn’t all that difficult, the players said, and Digneo’s already found support under a team that’s only known one coach since the ‘80s.

“It wasn’t that hard [adjusting],” said Michelle Sachais. “It’s a good change, I think.”

The next challenge is taking a team a year removed from an under-.500 record and building toward a possible playoff run, Digneo said.

“Our goal is to make the playoffs and compete in the playoffs, not just get there,” she said. “We have some strong leaders on the team that set a good example. The backs of our shirts say ‘Raising the Bar,’ and that’s what we want to do for East softball—raise the bar.”

While there weren’t extensive memorials to Musumeci, who died last month after battling adrenal cancer, the Washington Township players expressed their condolences to East before the game, and Township coach Tracy Burkhart handed over a $200 donation to the scholarship fund established in Musumeci’s memory.