- April 26, 2024
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The Lady Pirates are stacked, with eight juniors and didn’t lose any seniors from last year’s team.
The Matanzas Lady Pirates will be led by the same players who started as freshmen two years ago. Matanzas returns all of its starters — eight of them are now juniors.
Last season, the Lady Pirates finished 9-13, but lost six games by one run. Matanzas lost to top-seeded Bartram Trail in the semifinals of the district tournament.
This season, Matanzas will be in District 4-5A, which includes Nease, Ponte Vedra and Pedro Menendez.
Coach Sara Novak said that as her team has matured over the past three seasons, so has its play. Last season, the team’s cumulative fielding percentage was .931%.
Infielders such as first baseman Marisa Magnuson and shortstop Ashley Pelose can cover a lot of ground. In the outfield, Novak said the players have been working on their conditioning and angles to better close the gaps.
Novak said the communication by her players out in the field has improved.
The biggest thing the Lady Pirates needed to improve on from last season was hitting, Novak said. She decided to have her players get more batting practice with live pitching rather than simulated pitching.
As a result, Novak said she is seeing a difference in contact when attacking different pitches.
As a team, Matanzas had a team batting average of .219 last season. Also, the Lady Pirates, as a team, didn’t hit any home runs.
That has led Novak to have her players work on their small-ball skills.
“It’s our team goal that no matter what hitter you are, you will also be able to bunt from the left or right side when needed,” Novak said.
Being able to rely on bunts in a close game to advance runners into scoring position can be the difference between a district win or loss, Novak added.
This season, Matanzas will host the district tournament. Novak hopes to see her Lady Pirates competing in the district championship at home come April.
“We are setting our expectations high and are ready to work for it,” Novak said. “The coaches and the players believe they have the power to accomplish the goal (of winning a district championship).”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Gabrielle Prickett, Jr., C/P: Prickett will primarily play starting catcher, but will also see time in the pitcher’s circle. As a switch-hitter, she hit .313 with three triples and 12 RBIs last season.
Marisa Magnuson, Jr., 2B/P: Magnuson led the Lady Pirates with 13 RBIs last season while batting .290. As a pitcher, Magnuson has five pitches in her repertoire.
Amber Johnson, Jr., 1B/P: Johnson will mostly play first base, though she will see time pitching. Last season, Johnson had two doubles and nine RBIs.
POCKET SCHEDULE
6:30 p.m., Feb. 7Seabreeze
3:30 p.m., Feb. 10@ Fleming Is.
6:30 p.m., Feb. 14@ Interlachen
7 p.m., Feb. 16Nease
6:30 p.m., Feb. 17@ FPC
6 p.m., Feb. 22Pierson Taylor
7 p.m., Feb. 24Menendez
4 p.m., Feb. 27@ Atlantic
7 p.m., Feb. 29@ Ponte Vedra
