Everett prepares to defend another GBL title on the diamond beginning with Chelsea at home on April 7

Tide softball gets ready to host non-league Cambridge in the home opener at Glendale next Wednesday

By Joe McConnell

Everett High School softball coach Stacy Schiavo is back for another year. Schiavo has been at it since 1998, and traditionally has always had winning seasons, including last year’s 18-2 regular season record that earned the team another Greater Boston League (GBL) title. The Tide then took on host Belmont in the preliminary round of the Division 1 state tournament. only to lose to the Marauders, the 32^nd seed, by the slimmest of margins, 2-0. Everett began the postseason as the 33^rd seed.

Turning the page to this year, Schiavo welcomed 25 players to tryouts on March 17. She plans on carrying 14 on the varsity team, with the rest making up the JV squad. Jen Nigro is her assistant varsity coach, while Danielle Nadeau and Bridgit Cifuni are in charge of the JVs.

Even though it’s still early, Schiavo sees several strong points on this year’s varsity roster. “It might be a bit early to assess the team fully, but here are some potential strengths. The players certainly have a good rapport with each other, and are already excelling in their fielding, throwing and hitting mechanics,” the veteran coach said. “Strong pitching and an improved offense and defense are also strengths.

“But we still need to be more consistent throughout the lineup,” Schiavo added. “We have to focus on pitch recognition and timing in order to make solid contact more often. With that said, we are focusing on improving our swing mechanics and mindset when we get up to the plate, while on defense, we have some players in new positions, who are adjusting to those skills.”

But based on early season coaching observations, Schiavo has already seen veteran players more assertive this year. Overall, their hitting, defense and pitching have gotten much better.   “We have seen players placed in a new position or asked to take on a different role exceed our expectations so far in practice, while also showing adaptability and skills that weren’t previously noticeable last year,” the coach said.

Schiavo scheduled no scrimmages, but the team is ready to open up the regular season next Wednesday, April 2, against visiting non-league Cambridge at Glendale Park, starting at 4:30 p.m. They will close out the week against those same Falcons at their place – St. Peter’s Field in Cambridge – two days later at the same time. They will then return home to Glendale to face Chelsea on Monday, April 7, at 4 p.m.

Lynn Classical and Medford, whom they shared titles with the past couple of years, and Revere are teams that should pose threats to the Tide this year, according to Schiavo.

This year’s varsity team is made up of freshman Arianna Osorio-Bonilla, sophomores Olivia Dresser, Mia Allen and Graziella Foster, junior Juliette Romboli and seniors Talyciah Arrington, Jayla Davila, Kassidy Rivera, Mia Oliva, Emma Salvi, Ashley Seward, Alexa Uga, Luiza Velev and Peyton Warren.