Loomis Chaffee Spring Sports Preview

As spring dawns, Pelicans have every reason to be excited about the upcoming athletic season on the Island. Eleven varsity squads look to compete with many favored for post-season play.

Coming off a 10-3 season, the Baseball team seeks to build off of last year’s success. Questioned about this season’s potential X-factor, Senior Leader Davis Hanson ‘22 says, “We have 2-3 guys in each position some of which will likely play Division I Baseball. Especially in years past, it seems like we haven’t had as much depth as we have this year.” Though, their unrivaled depth isn’t the only thing driving their team as their extensive experience can prove pivotal in their success, having a “very deep senior and junior class,” says Hanson. Having a pre-season camp in Florida and possessing a “work hard while holding others accountable” mentality, the confidence and camaraderie within the team continue to flourish. “[Our season goal is] definitely to win the league. Loomis baseball has a tradition of winning and we are going to try our best to uphold that. Everyone on the team will have a role to play.”

With the introduction of a new Head Coach, Coach Kayla Padroff, the Softball team is focused on creating a softball first mentality. “Anytime a new coach comes in, there is always a culture shift,” says Assistant Coach Hannah Insuik. Coach Insuik proceeded, confirming that “[the team] has a lot more talent than previous years.” As upperclassmen fill the majority of the roster, Coach Insuik voices that there is a “good balance in talent and leadership,” which could act as the focal point as they attempt to compete this season.

Looking to bounce back from a shortened and lackluster 2021 campaign, the Boys Lacrosse team aims to improve on last season’s showing. Revitalized with seven postgraduate players, the team has been injected with an excess of talent and experience. Despite a new spine of players in the squad, Captain Andrew Ross ‘22 states, “We have a very tight knit team and we all get along with one another which gives us a lot of chemistry on the field.” “[Our goal is] to have a winning record and eventually win our first Founders League Tournament,” continued Ross. With Head Coach Bill Ball returning to the island after leading the program from 2008 to 2012, and competing in pre-season tournaments during the Spring Break in Pennsylvania, confidence among the players is sky-high.

“Want[ing] to be noticed as one of the best teams in New England,” Head Coach Stephanie Bissett hopes to start a winning tradition with the Girls Lacrosse team. “This year there is definitely a commitment to the sport. We have a lot of Lacrosse-first girls who want to be out [on the field] practicing and improving their craft. Collectively, we also have the motivation and drive to improve as a team.” The mixture of personnel, experience, and drive on this Girls Lacrosse team could prove crucial in their triumphs this year.

The Boys Tennis team is eager to replicate last season’s 8-2 winning record success. Closing the 2021 season with six wins in a row, the Boys Tennis team is notoriously driven by form and momentum. “If we can get a win streak going and become confident in our game, we’ll have much greater success afterwards,” says Tiger Cao ‘23. Asked about this year’s potential deciding factor for the squad’s success, Cao commented, “Though we lost some great veterans from last year, we have a lot of younger players who are developing very quickly and who could possibly contribute to our success.”

With a large influx of new players on the roster, the Girls Tennis team plans to compete at a high level this Spring. “The new members [of the team] bring with them vivacious personalities and different styles of playing—contributions that are highly valued by our coach and the rest of the players,” says Chinelo Osakwe ‘23. Osakwe continues to mention how the new players contribute to the already friendly and healthy competitiveness amongst the players and confirms that “it’s no coincidence.” “This year’s goal for the team is to play and compete to the best of our ability,” voices Osakwe; the competitive and pushing environment around the team will drive the players to accomplish this goal.

Finishing last season with a forgettable 0-8 record, the Boys Golf team hopes to improve and tally up more victories this time out. Unlike last season’s squad, the roster has a lot of young talent and many underclassmen further up the competition ladder. Asked about how the team could achieve more wins this year, Captain Braidon Fitzpatrick ‘22 responded by remarking, “The two most important things are making sure that our 1 and 2 stay below 40 strokes per 9 holes in a match while making sure the bottom rung can perform consistently.” Consistency through the team in matches may determine the Golf team’s overall performance this season.

The Girls Golf team is ready to hone in and become more competitive.

“Our goal is to get better every day, as we strive to achieve our potential as a team. Our program is built on developing skills and improving our game, all while supporting each other to grow collectively as players,”

Despite underclassmen filling up the majority of the roster spots, “Compared to teams from past years, I feel like there’s more of a range of skills being represented on our current team,” commented Zou. Having such a young squad, Zou believes that “With the leadership from our coach and upperclassmen team members, I think our team definitely has a bright future.”

Girls Water Polo has sights on making the New England tournament after the two-year Covid-19 driven hiatus. Captain Pilar Wingle ‘22 hopes “For [the team] to consistently learn and grow from our games and in practice which will be essential for strong performances as a team with a lot of novice players.” With only the seniors having represented LC on a water polo team, learning through the season and gaining more experience through games will be essential for the team to accomplish their goals. When asked about a potential key for success in the season, Wingle claims, “I genuinely believe our X-factor this year will be Jackie Ryckman ‘25 [due to] the experience and talent she brings to the team.”

After two full years without competition, the Boys and Girls Track and Field teams look to rebuild the programs’ cultures and regain the seasons that they lost. Winning seven of the last nine Founders League titles, Boys Head Coach Scott Purdy stated that “It’s weird to have a group that is so inexperienced at Track. Last year we only had the Taft meet [at the end of the season], the year before we had no meets, and so we have a lot of guys who are pretty good athletes but who’ve really never competed—and in some ways, it’s almost like starting a program… We definitely have talent but how good that talent is we don’t really know.” Despite the uncertainty with the squad’s lack of experience, Purdy continued noting, “Individually [our goal] is just to watch guys get better. It’s fun to watch our athletes as they grow.” On the other hand, Girls Head Coach Lilian Castillo de Hutchinson expressed her excitement to once again compete, “A [student] can train really hard and push themselves but the adrenaline that they get from competing against someone else is something that cannot be replicated.” Both squads aim to compete for Founders League titles and restore the culture of their respective programs. Castillo de Hutchinson comments, “Track and field is the sport that has lost the most because of COVID; we had two full seasons taken away from our students and our athletes, and so we cannot wait to compete once again.”

“Individually [our goal] is just to watch guys get better. It’s fun to watch our athletes as they grow.”