For the second year in a row, Walter Panas (12-9) earned a winning record and qualified for the Section 1 Class A tournament. The Panthers were the No. 8 seed, losing in the opening round at home to No. 9 Beacon.
“We would’ve liked to have gone further in sectionals but we had a relatively young team that grew up as the year went on, we did improve,” Panas coach John Augusta said. “We are looking forward to next year. We wish we could start it next week.”
A major reason why the Panas program is on the upswing is all-section senior catcher Mary O’Reilly, a two-year captain, who will play at Delaware next year.
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“She was rock solid in the middle of the order,” Augusta said. “She was very unselfish. She was one of the best defensive catchers in Section 1. She was a very good vocal leader, you could always count on her.”
Sophomore pitcher Molly Roche earned all-section honorable mention honors.
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“She has been with us for three years,” Augusta said. “She is a stellar pitcher who has improved ever year. She improved game by game this year on the mound and is going to get a lot better. We are looking forward to two more years of Molly.”
Another player who the Panthers are excited to have for the next two years is all-section honorable mention sophomore outfielder Adrena Daw, who was another rock in the middle of the order along with O’Reilly.
“She has probably improved the most from last year to this year,” Augusta said of Daw.
Earning all-league honors was junior center fielder, lead-off hitter and co-captain Jessica Cavaliere.
“She is a sparkplug for us, she gets on base for us,” Augusta said.
