MARBLEHEAD — Just because the Marblehead softball team didn’t have a season this spring, that doesn’t mean the Magicians can’t celebrate their players. Tuesday evening on the field at Marblehead Veterans Middle School, Marblehead softball held a Senior Night celebration for its two seniors — co-captains Frances Paik and Emma Ferrante — and also inducted former star Allison Kappoll into the Marblehead Softball Hall of Fame.
“It’s a really special night,” said Gold, who would have coached his 15th season for the Magicians this spring. “We make it a tradition every year to have the seniors come and run the basepaths one last time, and we didn’t get to do that this year. So we felt it was only right once we could get the whole team together to do something for our two captains, who happen to be our only seniors this year.”
Honoring the seniors is something that Gold really wanted to do considering what they went through in missing their final season of high school sports.
“They deserve it as much as anyone, maybe even more because they didn’t get to play this year and they missed out on that final season,” said Gold.
Ferrante leaves the program after playing on the varsity squad for three and a half seasons. An infielder and a speedster on the bases, she was happy to be able to spend one more night around all of her teammates.
“I wasn’t expecting this much, but this is as good as it could get and I loved it,” Ferrante said of the celebration. “I’ve played with these girls since I was in third grade, so just growing up with them and going through this journey with them has been amazing.”
“I brought Emma up to the team halfway through her freshman year because we needed some speed, and she turned into a really great ballplayer,” Gold said. “She progressed every year, and she was a real leader. One of the best I’ve ever seen in terms of getting ready for a season.”
Ferrante is moving on to Colby-Sawyer College this fall to play field hockey (she was also the captain of this year’s Magicians field hockey team).
“As seasons were starting to end and I started realizing that high school sports were ending, I just knew that I couldn’t not play sports in college,” said Ferrante. “I’m excited to keep playing field hockey at the next level.”
Paik, an outfielder with a golden glove in the field, is still upset that the season was canceled but she is appreciative of what her teammates did to celebrate her.
“This has all been really nice,” Paik said. “It doesn’t make up for the season being canceled, but I’m happy that we could still continue this tradition on the field. It’s been very emotional.”
“Frances might have been one of the top two defensive players I’ve ever coached,” Gold said. “She was so great in the field, she was a quiet but great leader and she could really play.”
Paik is continuing her education at Tulane University this fall, and although there’s no softball team at school, she’s thinking about trying to scratch her competitive itch somehow.
“I’m planning on studying photography and I want to double-major, but I haven’t decided what that other major is going to be yet,” said Paik. “I’m also probably going to try to find a local softball league in the area, because I’m not done with the game yet.”
As for Kappoll, a member of the Class of 2016, she is the ninth player in program history to be named to the Hall of Fame. The induction into the select club at Marblehead is a true honor for the former Magicians star.
“It’s pretty amazing and I’m honored to be chosen for this,” said Kappoll. “This is a great program and I’m happy that I was able to be a part of it for four years. This team helped me prepare for college ball and I’m really grateful for the time I spent here.”
Gold remembers Kappoll simply as one of the best players he’s ever coached.
“She’s one of the best of the best,” Gold said. “A four-year starter, she was really a five-tool player. She had a cannon for an arm, she played shortstop, left field, third base, catcher. She was a great hitter. She was clutch in big games. She could do it all. She was a dream of a player.”
Kappoll is just a few classes away from graduating with a degree in mathematics from Seton Hill University after playing four seasons with the Griffins.
“The plan right now is to get my degree in mathematics and then go for my masters in engineering,” Kappoll said. “The coronavirus kind of threw things for a loop, but I just have to go back for a few classes to finish things up.”
