Season in Review: Hen Hud Softball

Hendrick Hudson (17-5) had another solid spring as it enjoyed a great regular season, which earned it the No. 6 seed in the Section 1 Class A tournament.

There the Sailors knocked off No. 11 Port Chester at home before winning at No. 3 Harrison to earn a berth in the sectional final four. There Hen Hud gave an outstanding effort but lost at No. 2 Eastchester 1-0.

“We did a great job this year,” Hen Hud coach Kurt Thomas said. “Obviously we fell short of our goal which was to get back to the section finals but our girls did well during the sectionals in winning the two games that they did.”

All-section honoree senior Rachel Buckner did well for the Sailors all year in center field.

“Rachel was like a coach on the field,” Thomas said. “She gave good advice to the younger players. She has been on varsity since she was a freshman so she knows the ins and outs of the game. She knows how difficult it is to play on the varsity.”

The Sailors will also sorely miss senior third baseman Katie Ross, who was named all-league.

“Katie played for me for three years and she didn’t let me down at all, she was my lead-off batter,” Thomas said. “She could start the game, draw a walk and has tremendous speed that she used to steal bases.”

While Buckner and Ross will be missed, the Sailors have plenty of solid talent returning next season, including all-section honorable mention freshman shortstop Cassidy Boyle, junior all-league pitcher Julie Gaspar and sophomore all-league honorable mention catcher Megan Jahoda.