Christin Martin (left) and Summer Haverick (right) are starting their third season as coaches of the Twinfield-Cabot softball team.
by Ken Brown
MARSHFIELD – As softball and baseball programs struggle to survive all around the state, the Twinfield-Cabot softball team will start the spring with a surprising uptick in numbers and get an additional boost from a few Danville players joining the roster.
Co-head coaches Christin Martin and Summer Haverick embark on their third season in trying to rebuild and re-energize a Lady Trojan softball program they both played for and loved. They’ve struggled with participation numbers in their first two seasons, survived their first year in the vaunted Mountain League in 2022, and may be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel this spring with 23 strong coming out for early practices. Meadow Baptiste and Chloe North are representing Cabot and Austin Roos, Ella Marshall, Phoebe Crocker, and Kendall Hale are making the trip over from Danville after they were unable to field a team for the first time in program history. The Lady Bears’ storied program had made it to eight consecutive Division IV Final Fours and won six state championships under head coach Paul Remick. For the first time in a very long time, Martin and Haverick will be able to field a junior varsity team this spring at Twinfield-Cabot, a crucial development in sustaining a successful program.
“We’re really excited for the turnout so far this season and all of our girls from Twinfield, Cabot, and Danville have had great attitudes so far. Having a JV team is going to be great in helping and developing our less experienced players and get them some playing time while they learn the ropes,” said Martin.
Coach Summer Haverick (center) answers a question as Twinfield students August Howe (left), Sophi Mancini (right back), and Aleacya Moshinskie (right front) put away mats after practice Friday. Their first home game on the Burt Hodgdon Field is scheduled for April 11 against Thetford at 4:30 p.m.
Senior Madison Duke returns for her senior season after taking her lumps in the circle last year for a young team navigating through a schedule filled with Division III and IV powerhouses. That experience should prove to be invaluable this season for a returning core with another year of varsity experience under their belt. Aleacya Moshinskie, Hannah Haverick, and Kendall Hale have also shown signs of leadership to the coaches in early practices.
“Our older and more experienced players have been diligently working with the younger girls and that has been great to see. It’s a great group of girls and the varsity team is feeling really sharp early on. We can’t wait to put the girls into live game situations and see how their hard work is paying off. We’re looking forward to continuing to develop this program and are really excited for the season,” said Martin.
The Lady Trojans will look to improve on a one-win season in 2022 that ended with a first-round loss to Craftsbury Academy in the first round of the Division IV playoffs. They are tentatively scheduled to scrimmage Woodsville, N.H., this week and weather permitting, will open their season at home against Thetford Academy next Tuesday. Randolph is scheduled to come to Marshfield next Thursday.
Danville school student Phoebe Crocker works on her sliding skills, using a sliding mat, during softball practice March 31 at Twinfield. This year five Danville students will be joining the Twinfield-Cabot team. Hannah Haverick (in back), of Twinfield, watches.
