(This is the latest in a series of entries by guest bloggers throughout the high school spring sports season. Mike Nemchek and his daughter Sammi, who is entering her fourth year as a starter on Trinity Catholic’s softball team, explore the topical nature of the parent-athlete dynamic. Mike coached many of the city’s top players in youth leagues, including Sammi.)
By Mike Nemchek
Quite often, the expression “having a senior moment” is associated with forgetfulness.
This past week, however, the three senior co-captains (catcher Julianne Vesciglio, shortstop Merrilee Weston and second baseman Sammi Nemchek) on the Trinity Catholic softball team had moments of brilliance that no one is likely to forget for quite some time.
Due to a previous rainout, Trinity had four games this past week and, after Friday’s 2–1 victory at Norwalk, swept to four straight wins. Especially impressive were the come-from-behind victories against Danbury and Norwalk.
A co-captain should lead by example, so perhaps that’s why coach Tom Kriz has them batting in the first three spots in the order and defensively playing three of the key spots in the field. The three amigos did not disappoint their coach or the loyal fan base that continues to support the green and gold.
Over the course of the four games they led with their bats, gloves, arms and legs. Clutch hits and sacrifices were abundant, aggressive defensive play took away sure hits from the opposition, Julianne threw out several would-be base stealers and all three took the extra base to put their team in a more favorable position to score.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not implying the three won the games by themselves. In fact, any success enjoyed by the Crusaders up to this point is due to the collective contributions from the entire team. After all, you can hit the ball all over the field and score 20 runs, but what good is it if you give up 21 runs and lose?
Fortunately for Trinity, the rest of the team follows the lead of its co-captains and is building a reputation for dominating pitching, a surging offense and a sound defense.
As if an undefeated week wasn’t enough for the three seniors, the Stamford Advocate acknowledged their academic achievements along with those of their teammates in an article that appeared in Friday’s edition. As a parent and former coach, I’m extremely proud of the three knowing the same effort and dedication is being put forth in both the classroom as well as on the field.
It was quite a special week for these three seniors, one that was filled with many unforgettable moments.
