BEVERLY — When new Endicott softball coach Katie Bettencourt got her first look at the Gulls in the preseason, she knew pitching would be her squad’s strength this spring. Bettencourt liked what she saw from her pitchers and knew she’d depend on her rotation to get the job done.
Lynn native Michaela Hamill has certainly done her part in pitching in for Endicott’s rotation this season.
Hamill, a sophomore right-hander, has picked up where she left off after a stellar freshman season last year. In 11 appearances, Hamill has thrown 59 2/3 innings, fanned 31 batters, logged two saves and tossed five complete games. She holds an 8-1 record and a team-best 1.64 ERA.
“From start to finish, Michaela has been very consistent,” Bettencourt, who was named the Commonwealth Coast Conference Coach of the Year earlier this week, said. “She just comes in there and pounds the strike zone. She’s developed a very good offspeed that has made her very effective. She’s been very steady in our pitching staff.
Bettencourt added, “I think overall our pitching staff is young. We’re only graduating one senior. I’m very excited to see how Michaela progresses over the next two years.”
After making the jump from high school to college softball last spring, Hamill has felt more comfortable this time around. While last season’s focus was about making the adjustments, this year has been about taking those lessons and running with them.
“I’ve been a lot more comfortable this season after pitching last year,” Hamill, a St. Mary’s graduate, said. “That gave me a lot more confidence and I knew what to expect this season. Last year, going from high school to college, there were a lot of adjustments.
“I try to stay calm (in the circle) and not think too much about what’s going on,” Hamill added. “I just focus on pitching the ball, staying out of my head and staying focused.”
The Gulls wrapped their regular season on an 11-game win streak to finish at 28-4 overall, 16-2 in CCC play. With rain postponements throughout the season, Endicott was forced to grind out a tough stretch this past week. The Gulls won eight games, four doubleheaders, in a four-day period to end the regular season on a high note.
“I think it gave us a lot of momentum,” Hamill said of the closing stretch. “We haven’t practiced in a while because we’ve been playing so many games. It gets us excited to keep playing.”
Everything came together for the Gulls this spring. It started with a solid core of returners and a group of incoming freshmen who fit in smoothly. Chemistry was never a concern at Endicott.
“We basically have the same team as last year,” Hamill said. “Our whole team is a very close group of friends. We didn’t lose many players from last year’s team. The incoming freshmen came in and fit in well. That helped us a lot.”
With chemistry checked off, the main challenge for the Gulls was adjusting to a new coach in Bettencourt. A Peabody resident, Bettencourt took the helm of the program after two seasons directing the softball team at Assumption.
Once the players gained familiarity with Bettencourt’s coaching style, that box was checked off too.
“Coach Bettencourt played softball. That helps us a lot because we can relate to a younger coach that played,” Hamill said. “She’s really knowledgeable about the game. She really whipped us into shape. We have a lot of talent on our team and she has utilized us all well.”
As the pitchers found their groove and emerged as Endicott’s strength on the diamond, the bats found their rhythm. The Gulls are batting .354 as a team this season with a .495 slugging percentage and 16 home runs. Endicott has scored 192 runs, already surpassing last season’s mark of 184.
“This season has been a little bit of a surprise,” Hamill said. “We have a really good pitching staff. Our hitting has improved a lot this season. That took a little bit of pressure off our pitchers because we’re scoring more runs.”
Endicott’s efforts have earned the Gulls the top seed in the CCC Tournament, which kicks off this weekend. The Gulls will host either Salve Regina, Gordon or University of New England today for the start of the double-elimination phase of the tournament.
Hamill and the Gulls are approaching the conference tournament as a clean slate.
“We’re looking at it as a new season and forgetting everything we’ve done so far,” Hamill said. “Playoffs is a whole different ball game. Anyone can beat anyone on any given day. We’ve done very well through the regular season but we don’t want to get too ahead of ourselves.
“The games will be closer, no team will be easy to beat. We still have a lot of work to do.”
