The Lynn Classical softball team is coming off of a 13-9 season which included a state tournament appearance and an upset victory over Lexington in the Division I state tournament. This year, the Rams will compete in Division II, but the goals remain the same for head coach Joe Morin. 

“Last year we came in second place in the conference and we felt like we were the better team. We let two games slip away late,” Morin said. “All offseason we talked about taking care of business and finishing strong this year to bring home a GBL (Greater Boston League) championship.” 

The Rams graduated eight seniors, including starting pitcher and lead-off hitter MeKayla Poisson. Classical also lost its center-fielder and one of its strongest hitters, Manuela Lizardo. 

“Our pitcher MeKayla Poisson graduated, she started a lot of games for us the last two years,” Morin said. “Fortunately one of my senior captains, Rachel Dana has thrown a lot for me the last two years. I’m confident she can step up and take that role. I have two sophomores who can pitch as well. Rachel has the most experience though.”

“We lost Manuela Lizardo in the middle of our lineup. She hit the ball hard and was a great center fielder,” Morin said. “I’m not asking my players to make up for the six home runs that Manuela hit, I want them to do what they’re good at. If they’re fast I want them to put the ball in play and use their speed. I think we’ll have a lot of good skill sets this year, one of which is our speed.” 

Other than filling the positions left by the seniors, a lot of leadership left O’Callaghan Way. However, Morin believes his captains are ready to take on the responsibility. 

“I have two senior captains Rachel Dana and Lauren Wilson. And our junior Nevaeh Eth who’s also a captain. Nevaeh has started every game for me. She’s batted one through four in the order, she’s a very good softball player,” Morin said. “She’s been a bit quiet over the last two years, but I’m starting to see her taking over in a leadership role. She’s stepped up and leads by example. I think she’s one of the best players in our conference.” 

Morin is excited about his underclassmen and their potential this season. 

“Brooke Braswell last year as a freshman she started every game at first base and hit around .500. She’ll definitely have a big year,” Morin said. “Emma Chevalier is a very good volleyball player. She’s another sophomore. She didn’t play a ton of innings last year, due to the players in front of her. This year she’s going to start every game for us. I just don’t know what position she’ll play. She’s a very good athlete with a lot of speed. She’ll probably play multiple positions.” 

Although the Rams moved from Division I to Division II, Morin acknowledges that there are great teams in every division and it won’t be a stroll when the tournament comes around the corner. 

“The last two years we were able to win a game in the tournament while in Division I. I tell the girls we can compete against anyone,” Morin said. “Even going down in a division, there are a lot of good teams in this division. Honestly, there are great teams in every division and we’ll need to play our best every game.” 

Last year, Morin scheduled tough non-conference opponents to help his team be ready for anything once the playoffs started. This year, he’s doing the same. 

“We’ll play Lowell right off the bat early. They struggled last year, but they still have like 3,000 kids in the school,” Morin said. “Then we’ll play Reading. The Danvers coach is now at Reading so we’ll play them this year instead of Danvers. Then we added Swampscott and Winthrop to play some NEC teams.” 

The Rams have made the playoffs every year for over 20 years. Morin wants to extend the streak and also win the John Holland Memorial tournament. 

“Making the state tournament is the goal. Now we’re in Division II, maybe we can get a bit higher in the power rankings which would benefit us,” Morin said. “I want to host a playoff game even if it’s a preliminary game, just so we can get a crowd and build some momentum to start the tournament. We want to reclaim the GBL championship. We won it two years ago and finished second last year. One of the goals we have had since I got hired is to win the Holland tournament.” 

Lynn Classical’s quest to accomplish its goals started on Monday as it was the first day of practice.