Hopkins Academy softball rose to new heights this year, finishing the regular season with a record of 14-2 and a conference record of 11-1, earning the Golden Hawks their first co-league title since 1991, sharing it with Franklin County Tech.
As one of the smallest schools in the region, with a high school enrollment of just 157 students – 219 when including seventh and eighth-graders – the Golden Hawks’ meteoric rise seems nothing short of a miracle.
But in reality, this has been a project of Hopkins Academy softball coach Paula Cristoforo, that has been years in the making and is now bearing the fruits of hard labor.
“It’s been a long time coming for Hopkins softball,” Cristoforo said.
“Win or lose – I’m proud of this team. I’m proud of everything we give, every single day… I’ve been very fortunate to work with such a talented group, that works hard every day, that wants to come and learn and develop. There are many players on this team that simply will do anything I ask of them – they will rise to the occasion.”
The Golden Hawks enter the postseason with momentum and firepower behind them, riding a nine-game winning streak and are one of just seven teams in Western Mass. to record over 200 runs scored in the regular season – and the only one to have also held opponents under 60 runs scored.
The team is littered with strong hitters, but the standout performances of the Hopkins seniors this spring has set a new standard of what can be accomplished.
Taylor Barry has developed into one of the top hitters in the region, recording over 30 hits and 15 RBIs this season, leading the team in both categories. Isabelle ‘Izzy’ Palmisano, Jessica Markowski and Daisy Vendetti have also made strong contributions as well, each with over 15 hits on the year.
And in the circle, starting pitcher Kaelyn Zakaitis has been one of the stingiest hurlers in the region, forcing the opposition to toil for every single run.
This senior class has paved the way for Hopkins’ future, represented best by the career achievements of three seniors in particular: Zakaitis reaching her 200th career strikeout, Palmisano collecting her 100th career hit and Barry marking 100 career hits as well.
These achievements are noteworthy enough on their own but as the first athletes in the program’s history to reach these numbers, these achievements are monumental and indicative of what is to come.
“I’m really proud of all my players and their achievements, but having players be able to reach these milestones really just helps encourage other players to want to make those milestones,” Cristoforo said. “It forces other players to strive to achieve exactly what (these seniors) were able to achieve. It gets younger players to look up to them and aspire to be them.”
“I have a few players over at the elementary school, in fourth, fifth and sixth grade who are currently playing (softball). They come and watch our games and they say, ‘I’m playing for you, I want to play for you, I want to make that same achievement’.”
The gravity of these achievements and their potential effect on Hopkins softball is not lost on the seniors.
“We do have a lot of young players on the team, so it’s definitely nice for them to see people achieving things like this so they know they can too,” Barry said.
Five players on the varsity roster are underclassmen, with each receiving significant playing time this season.
Freshman Lily Ellia nailed down the starting catcher position this spring after spending the last two years as a role player, while sophomore Maggie Potter has taken tremendous strides as a hitter in her third season with varsity. Eighth grader Cassie Dion has impressed in her first season with the varsity side at the plate and in the circle, proving that this senior class will be leaving Hopkins softball in good hands.
“I’m excited to see who the other girls are that are going to be following right behind me,” Zakaitis said.
Palmisano remembers how she felt ahead of the season, visualizing her name on the banner inside the Hopkins Academy gymnasium to commemorate players to achieve 100 hits – and the first to do so from the softball program.
”I played basketball in the winter and every time I had practice, I’d look up at that banner and I would get butterflies in my stomach for when my name would be on it,” Palmisano said. “I’ve been really looking forward to hitting that mark.”
Many of the seniors have been under Cristoforo’s wing on the varsity side for years. Palmisano was called up to the varsity team as a seventh grader, while Markowski and Barry moved up as eighth-graders.
“Being able to have a player for six years is really a wonderful opportunity. It really is,” Cristoforo said. “It affords me the time that I need to develop them. Many of them come up and maybe they played a different position, but I need something a little more specific.”
Cristoforo remembers Palmisano’s first start with the varsity team, moving into centerfield after playing in junior varsity as an infielder. Palmisano’s speed initially caught Cristoforo’s eye and the move has worked out better than Cristoforo could have imagined six years ago.
“(Palmisano has become) one of the best outfielders I’ve ever had the ability to coach,” Cristoforo said. “Having the players through the years is really a unique opportunity that I am grateful for.”
With all that experience and knowledge collected, the seniors have been able to guide the current crop of youngsters and help make the transition to varsity a little bit easier.
“It’s scary at first being on a team that is so much older than you,” Markowski said. “But since we’ve been in their shoes, we know what it’s like.”
Their approach is simple and effective – age does not beget talent.
“Nobody is better than anybody else just because of your age – we’re all equals,” Palmisano said.
Cristoforo has another unique advantage in developing her team. As one of the two first-grade teachers at Hadley Elementary, Cristoforo has known many of the girls on her team for years, even before joining the varsity team.
“(Paula) knows us all so well, she knows how to talk to us,” Markowski said. “Obviously everyone is different, everyone has a different way of responding to things. (But Paula is) pretty good at knowing what to say to people.”
“(Paula) knows what motivates us and when we’re not pushing ourselves all the way,” Palmisano added. “She knows what we need to hear and she says it.”
Another wrinkle to the program is its all-female staff behind Cristoforo. Middle school coach Erica Warner played softball for Hopkins and graduated in 2012, while junior varsity coach Lindsey Lord played for Smith College and varsity assistant coach Katelyn Sylvia played for Elms College and currently teaches at Hopkins.
“What’s really positive is young female athletes seeing strong women as leaders in the field who have played,” Cristoforo said. “They respect where we’ve come from, all having those unique backgrounds and all bringing us a specific talent.”
As the Golden Hawks head into the postseason, they have their eyes set on making more history, having never advanced past the quarterfinal round of the Western Mass. tournament. As the two-seed, the Golden Hawks are favored in their first-round matchup against seventh-seed Lee (11-7) in the Class D tournament.
But the Wildcats have pulled off some big upsets this season, defeating Drury on May 15 and defeating Lenox twice in April, making the quarterfinal game a marquee matchup.
The first pitch is set for 4:00 p.m. on Monday, May 22 at Hopkins Academy.
