By Chris Villani

Sports Writer

It’s unusual for a team without a single senior to be considered “experienced,” but such is the case for the Milford High softball team this spring. The Scarlet Hawks return seven juniors and many of the players on head coach Steve DiVitto’s team have either two or three varsity seasons under their belt.

“While we are still young, that song and dance is getting old, we need to show up now,” DiVitto said. “What we can’t do is rest on the fact that we are younger and use that as an excuse, because we have that experience at the varsity level.”

DiVitto said this year’s squad is particularly athletic and has strong depth across the lineup. Junior Maeve Driscoll returns as the team’s top pitcher and Milford is eyeing left-handed freshman Angelina Bonina as a player who can log some innings as well and give Driscoll a breather.

Sophomore Cae Pellegrini is back at the corner infield spots and will hit in the middle of the lineup after earning Hockomock League all star recognition during her freshman year. DiVitto said Pellegrini is looking strong after a preseason arm injury.

“We need her in the middle of the lineup to continue the pop that she brought to the team last year,” he said.

Milford will also look to Camille Bonina, a junior, for another big bat. Bonina burst onto the scene as a freshman and DiVitto is hoping for that same level of production this spring.

“We want her to take that leap now,” he said. “She is an upperclassman and she is going to be the cleanup hitter in the lineup. With her and Cae in the middle, they need to be our boppers and drive in runs.”

Junior Sarah Wengal returns in the outfield and DiVitto said the left-hander is working hard. Another junior, Maddie Burns, will handle the catching duties and sophomore Olivia Baglione is set to play shortstop.

One key to success this spring will be staying healthy. Milford started 3-1 last year before injuries unraveled the season.

“We dealt with everything from torn ACLs to arm issues, back issues, you name it and we had it last year,” DiVitto said. “We finally feel like we are healthy and the girls are going to be able to play at a higher level.”

DiVitto hopes the combination of good health and experience will help the team compete for a playoff spot in the challenging Hockomock League.

“It’s time for us to put our foot on the gas and go,” he said