2006 Burrell Girls Softball photo courtesy of Brian Eshbaugh

It wasn’t easy for Burrell’s softball team, with two new head coaches and no seniors. Yet the Lady Bucs somehow ended the program’s four-year no-playoff drought. “They had to get out of their comfort zone,” says head Coach Erin Exler. “They worked hard in the off-season. They let us know they wanted to go to playoffs. They definitely have a passion for softball."

The other Lady Buc head coach, Brian Eshbaugh, agrees. Eshbaugh, who coached three state championship teams at Penn State-New Ken, says, “The girls were very dedicated. It was pretty much a whole team effort.” According to Eshbaugh, the results of that team effort really were apparent after the two coaches did some unusual juggling in the batting lineup. “The turnaround was when we put our best hitter with eight home runs and a .604 batting average into the number one batting position,” Eshbaugh points out. Such power hitters are usually reserved for the fourth batting spot, cleanup. The chances of knocking in runners left on base are good when your best hitter is hitting cleanup.

But Eshbaugh says the move was a catalyst. “It was a big turning point for us,” he says. “Six starters started hitting .300. Things started happening. And the girls finished 12-8, third in the section, and reached our goal of making WPIALs this year.”

The gaping hole of no-senior leadership was filled when another group of players rose to the occasion. Erin Exler, who played softball at Springdale and Geneva College (on a full scholarship, no less) and coached three years previously, notes, “The juniors really pretty much acted like seniors. We were a young team. We needed them to step it up, and they did. They’re the ones who made it happen.”

It would seem like two head coaches would butt heads, but it did not happen for the Lady Bucs. “We were pretty much 95 percent on the same page when we got there,” Brian says. “That made it easy.” Erin adds, “We discussed all of our decisions together and talked them all over with each other.” Brian mentions, “We trusted each others decisions. With her pitching experience, she pretty much made it work. We pretty much made it mesh together.” Erin sums up the season when she says, “It’s like I walked into something really special.”

A trio of Lady Bucs helped make the season something special. Team captain Sarah Speering, a junior catcher, must have really pounded the ball. She batted an amazing .604 on the season and had eight home runs. Team captain Leanne Abate, a skilled and experienced junior shortstop, hit .348 AND she hit four over-the-fence home runs!! Freshman Lauren Clark had a 10-6 record and a 2.47 ERA. That’s not bad for a freshman, but this young lady also struck out one hundred batters!!

Coach Exler was right. This year’s edition of Lady Bucs’ Softball was something special. They were co-champs of their section.