The St. Martin softball has lofty goals this season with 10 seniors and 1 slogan
The St. Martin High School softball team has spent much of the early portion of the season on the road, away from the comforts of home.
Six of eight games have come on the road, a difficult way to open the season for any team. Just not for these Yellow Jackets, who are 5-1 away from home.
When you have a roster saturated with 10 seniors, such adversities become trivial.
“We’ve played since we were little kids together, so it’s like we’re little kids just coming out here and playing,” said Anna Sherman, one of the many seniors who have helped lead St. Martin to a 7-2 start to the year.
Sherman and Laura Parker are two of the most valuable players on the diamond, tag-teaming the pitcher’s circle while also being two of the four best hitters in the lineup.
It’s not just about one or two athletes with this squad, though. It’s a full dugout of depth and chemistry that keeps St. Martin rolling.
The team has adopted the motto “All for one” to live by on and off the field with a policy of all encouragement, all the time.
“We definitely trust each other a lot more,” senior Taylor Eriquezzo said. “There’s a higher amount of trust. ... We know what we’re capable of. We know what each other is capable of.”
The result is a team that performs well under pressure and in tense moments. As much can be seen in their road record, but it also shows inside the box scores.
Most recently, St. Martin let an early 7-0 lead against Stone all but disappear by the midpoint of the game. The Yellow Jackets rallied behind clubhouse chants and clutch hits — and run away with a 13-7 victory.
“I’ll say this team is different,” head coach Emily Romero said. “I for sure feel like we bring something different to the table. ... I will say one thing: We are a loud group in the dugout. These girls bring so much enthusiasm. I will say this senior class does a great job of showing the underclassmen what it’s about and what it’s about to be a teammate.”
This group saw an early first-round exit in the playoffs in 2019 before having their 2020 season cut short by the COVID pandemic. St. Martin came back strong last year and found its way into the second round of the postseason.
The team saw one major hit to the lineup with All-South Mississippi performer Celeste Study’s graduation, but has just about everyone else back for a loaded return.
“We’ve waited so long for this moment,” senior second baseman Jaden Ladner said. “We went through COVID and stuff, we’ve had a lot of obstacles come our way. We’ve stayed together and this is the one thing that’s been so solid. Finally getting to show up and show out in our senior year altogether, it means a lot.”
The team has lofty goals for the rest of the year, starting with the district title, according to Sherman. But the ultimate goal lies further down the road.
“We can go the full way,” Eriquezzo said. “We have the talent, we have the heart, we have the love of the game.”
The lineup has six players batting over .300 and two pitchers who are forcing opponents to work for their runs. Altogether, the Yellow Jackets are a hard team to bury.
“We’re definitely putting the pieces together that we’ve been missing for a long time,” Ladner said. “The puzzle is finally finished and we’re ready to take it all the way.”
This story was originally published March 7, 2022 at 11:26 AM.
