By Chris Villani

Sports Writer

Blackstone Valley Tech’s softball team had its first losing season in years in 2022. But, with nine players coming back and a group that is starting to gel, head coach Peter Cardoza does not see recent history repeating itself this spring.

 BVT Girls Softball player Arihana Mercado. Courtesy photo

“This year, they are starting to click,” Cardoza said. “They are starting to see the game and make decisions on their own, so it’s starting to get a lot more fun for them.”

“They are not thinking quite as much,” he added. “They are just playing.”

BVT won five of its first seven games behind standout performances from several of its most experienced players. Senior captain Julia Bern hit a pair of home runs and drove in more than a dozen during the first seven games of the season. 

The Beavers’ other senior captain, Kasey Reeves, has played both third base and in the outfield this season. Her speed has allowed her to excel defensively and she is hitting well above .500 for the year.

Shannon Mahoney and Abby Marino, two more seniors, are also helping to drive a Valley Tech offense that has averaged more than 12 runs per game. The team’s fifth senior, Grace Gilroy, is also hitting well and has been outstanding defensively at second base.

“She makes one great defensive play per game it seems,” Cardoza said. “And she puts the ball in play consistently.”

Each of BVT’s first two losses came by a single run, but Cardoza said the strides the team has made is palpable after a struggle last year.

“In some respects, we were still feeling the effects of the pandemic last year, there were a lot of players who lost a year,” he said. “Things that I would expect a normal sophomore or junior to know, they did not necessarily know. Last year was the first losing season, at least in my time, and in quite a while for BVT softball due to a host of factors. But this year, they are making huge progress.”

Cardoza said winning the Colonial Athletic League is a goal that should be within reach for his team. He is also hoping to land a spot back in the state tournament, but he’s not focusing on which seed the Beavers will eventually lock up.

“That will take care of itself,” he said. “The goal is just ‘get in,’ and then we can see how it shakes out.”