LYNN — Lynn Senior Little League Softball All-Stars manager Chad Wilkins expected his team to be competitive and solid across all three phases. Wilkins didn’t exactly expect his team to reach the regional round. Now that they’re here, Wilkins and the Lynners are making the most of the experience.
Lynn defeated Woburn in districts and took down Charlton last weekend in sectionals, earning a bid in regionals which begin Saturday and run into next week.
“I always wished to go this far but never expected it,” Wilkins said. “Going through the districts and getting into the sectionals, we played Woburn for the fourth year in a row. They’ve beat us twice and now we beat them twice. It’s always competitive against Woburn. We played Charlton two years ago in states and they beat us handily. This year, we got the best of them. They were great games.”
In addition to Lynn, the regional pool play tournament also includes Connecticut, Rhode Island and Jesse Burkett (Worcester). Lynn begins play Saturday morning (11) vs. Connecticut at Vernon Hills Field in Worcester. The Lynners also play Rhode Island Sunday (9 a.m. at Vernon Hills), Jesse Burkett Monday (9 a.m. at Ty Cobb Field) and Connecticut Tuesday (10 a.m. at Ty Cobb).
This is Lynn’s first trip to regionals. The team is in its third year and Wilkins has managed it for all three seasons.
“When you get to states that’s when you really start seeing good teams,” Wilkins said. “It was a pleasant surprise getting through the states and now being in regionals. We want to enjoy the whole experience there and hope to compete. If the ball bounces our way, you never know. Maybe we move on.”
On the diamond, pitching and defense have been Lynn’s two key strengths this summer. Pitchers Lily Newhall, Jenna Tobin and Abby Fila have taken command in their appearances in the circle. Tobin and Newhall both pitched last weekend against Charlton and neither allowed a walk.
“They throw strikes,” Wilkins said. “That’s probably their biggest strength. There haven’t been many walks at all. All three of them throw strikes. They all seem to have a knack for getting out of trouble when they get in trouble. The defense comes into play there.”
And it only helps Lynn’s cause that timely hitting has also been there at the right times. All three elements have added up to create a winning formula for Lynn.
“Pitching and defense have definitely been our strengths,” Wilkins said. “We also get timely hitting. You need all three to be successful. Our pitching and defense by far have been our strengths thus far.”
At the plate, Wilkins can’t single out a player that stands out above the rest of the batting order. A different mix of players have contributed at different times, meaning Lynn’s depth on offense makes it a tough unit to keep off the scoreboard. Julia Nickolau gets things started from the leadoff spot and the rest of the order follows her start.
“I’ve played everybody and there’s not one person that has stood out above the others,” Wilkins said.” Julia has had a hit in every game. She’s our spark leading off and she’s an excellent baserunner so she causes havoc when she gets on. Every game it seems it’s somebody different.
“There’s not much of a weakness in our order,” Wilkins added. “Even the girls that haven’t started, they’ve come in and contributed. Whether it’s a sac-fly or a sac-bunt, everyone has chipped in. It’s hard to single somebody out offensively. One game it’s somebody and another game it’s somebody else.”
The team will spend the week in Worcester and fundraising effort was a key part of making that possible. A fundraiser was held at Tony’s Pub and contributions have come in throughout the week.
“We’re doing some fundraising to help get the team to stay there for the whole duration,” Wilkins said. “It’s going very well. We had a fundraiser at Tony’s Pub earlier this week. We held some raffles. A lot of generous individuals have helped out in sending some checks. It’s going very well. The city of Lynn always comes through when the youth needs it.
“It’s a great group of kids and a great group of parents,” Wilkins added. “Just coming to the field and practicing every day, I have a ball and they do too. The longer we go, the more fun we have. You can see it in their faces how much fun we have.”
