HAMILTON TOWNSHIP - Who wants to wait a year when you can compete now?
Despite being a predominately young and inexperienced team, the Oakcrest High School varsity softball team is poised to make some noise in the Cape-Atlantic League.
“I don’t think we are [a year away from being a contender],” Oakcrest head coach Francine Raph said. “With our talent and [senior pitcher and second baseman Rebecca Turygan] ability we can do good things.”
For 2007, the seventh-year head coach will have a team consisting of everything but hardly any seniors.
The team will have only two seniors on this squad: Turygan, arguably the team’s best player and leader, and first-year varsity player Tara McDonald.
Turygan will likely pitch the majority of the games for the Falcons. The coaching staff will look on her to provide senior leadership.
“She is a second-year starter and will be our leader this year,” Raph said.  “She improved a lot as a pitcher last year. She has a good variety of pitches and is probably one of the most controlled pitchers in the league.”
However, the team features a young nucleus of qualify defensive players that may surprise the CAL’s more experienced teams this season.
Oakcrest’s outfield is much improved since last season with juniors Melanie Mackleer
Emily Gatjkowski, and Tori Pilallis showing a lot of promise early in the preseason.
“The outfield has improved tremendously,” Raph said. “You can tell that they have been working all year on it.”
Piallis will likely play centerfield because of her tremendous throwing range, while Mackleer and Gatjkowski will patrol the outfield corners.
Piallis is the team’s most gifted athlete with her ability.
“She has a great arm and dives for a lot of balls,” Raph said of Piallis. She can play anywhere [on the field].”
Only two infield starters return  -- junior shortstop/third baseman Justina Mishkovsky and Turygan  -- from last year’s 8-14 squad, but everyone else has varsity playing time  or has shown the poise needed to play varsity ball.
Look for sophomore first baseman/catcher Monica Mackleer, Melanie’s younger sister, and sophomore pitcher/first baseman Emily Rheault to provide solid glove work. Freshman Cary Chamberlain, who will likely play third base, and Megan Lee will look to prove that they belong at the varsity level.
As for the team’s offense, Rheault will be the team’s primary offensive threat, with Monica Mackleer providing protection for Rheault as the team’s clean-up hitter.
Batting ahead of Rheault will be the speedy Chamberlain and Pilallis.
The inexperienced Falcons might only go as far as Turygan can lead them.
“It’s really going to be on Rebecca’s shoulders,” Raph said.