There’s a youth movement underway with on the Pleasantville softball team, and fans and opposing teams got their first looks at it this past season. With a team that went 11-22, Trojans’ head coach Robert Friday certainly had a team that took a few lumps along the way, but it also provided valuable learning experience for a lineup that called upon a number of freshmen and eighth-graders to play at the varsity level. Friday says the younger classes at Pleasantville represent an exciting opportunity for the future of the Trojans’ softball program.

“It was nice to see a group of younger girls come through. We’ve had one or two or three different classes come through, and this is the first time since I’ve been coaching that we’ve had a large number in one class come through. I think that’s where our future is, and we’ve got a class below them I think is going to help out also,” said Friday.

“Our upperclassmen really have to step up now. They know they’re being pushed. They know there’s opportunities there. We still have some young ladies that played really well that are going to be part of that mix. It’s exciting for me – I was a little apprehensive going in, I knew we were going to take our hits playing the competition we did – but they reacted really well, [and] kept a positive attitude. You always say ‘now it’s your time to step up,’ and that’s true for this group.”

While the Pleasantville softball team should certainly be excited about their potential for the future, they do have to address one key concern in particular: replacing an All-Conference senior pitcher. Liz Moore was in the circle for nearly 78 percent of the Trojans’ innings this season, while freshman Traci Kunze and eight-grader Bailey Oliva learned the ropes.

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