Photos/Videos: Lennie Malmgren & John Knebels

By: John Knebels

ASTON, PA – Archbishop Wood’s softball team no longer has to wonder what heaven on earth feels like.

For a little more than 30 seconds, before they regained a smidgen of composure and shook hands with their devastated opponent, the Vikings resembled a long-lost family finding each other after decades of separation.

As freshman Maya McGrory – now the answer to a trivia question for the ages – crossed home plate with the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning in three-seed Wood’s 3-2, epically memorable Catholic League championship triumph over four-seed Conwell-Egan on May 23, the scene at Neumann University ’s Bruder Field enveloped bedlam, ecstasy, relief, wonder, and disbelief all wrapped in one overflowing bow of raw celebration.

Emotionally exhausted assistant coach Maeve McGill, racing toward home plate, bending over in a super-brief impromptu meditation, then standing up and fully embracing sixth-year head honcho Jackie Ecker, who had sprinted the 60 feet from her perch at third base with long strides akin to a triple jump Olympian . . . Senior Gianna Anzideo, arms fully stretched like a free-falling airplane in no mood to touch down anywhere any time soon . . . McGrory flying past home plate through the arms of tough-as-nails junior catcher and on-deck hitter Paige Ross . . . A junior varsity contingent enthusiastically joining their more experienced peers in a  visual that proved there is no such thing as a caste system in Archbishop Wood softball.

The huddled Catholic League champions – starters, reserves, junior varsity travellers, coaches – sharing a mega-tight single embrace to celebrate an eight-game winning streak that began on a cold afternoon on April 26 with a 5-4, eight-inning nail biter over the same Conwell-Egan squad that, in the championship, led the Vikings on two occasions but were unable to . . . wait for it . . . chop Wood.

“I can’t believe that just happened,” said Wood junior  Dakota Fanelli, whose three-game, postseason performance cemented her arrival among the all-time clutch Catholic League heroines. “I don’t even know what to say.”

Fanelli didn’t need to find words; her vocabulary had just been engraved in double take-inducing statistics.

In 18 playoff innings that encompassed a 15-0 win over six-seed Lansdale Catholic and a stunning 12-3 victory over two-seed Archbishop Carroll, the Catholic League Pitcher of the Year and PhiladelphiaSportsDigest Most Valuable Player surrendered a miserly two earned runs and struck out 17 hitters. Batting cleanup, Fanelli also drove in the walk-off run on a bases loaded, no-out line drive to right field that was misplayed but would have been plenty deep to score McGrory – the 11th different Viking to score a run in the playoffs – with a sacrifice fly.

Because of Fanelli’s pitching, a defense charged with only three postseason errors, and team-wide hitting fueled by senior Abby Windish (6-for-10, 5 runs scored, 5 runs batted in, 3 walks), sophomore Maura Yoos (6-12, 6 RS, 2 RBI), sophomore Parker Kraus (3-10, 2 RS, 3 RBI, double, walk), Fanelli (7-11, 3 RS, 6 RBI, three doubles, one triple), junior Paige Ross (4-11, 5 RBI, two doubles), and junior Maggie Devlin (4-8, 2 RS, RBI), the Vikings were able to capture the school’s third PCL title and first since back-to-back crowns in 1999 and 2000.

A few days after accepting their new best friend – the Catholic League championship plaque – and racing toward their cheering family and friends in “Look what we just did” euphoria – the Vikings were asked to describe when their accomplishment finally settled in.

Senior first baseman Gianna Anzideo, who provided offensive and defensive stability after enduring early-season injuries: “Winning the PCL took about two days for it to really sink in. I was in shock that we actually did it. We have been talking about winning the PCL since fall workouts and our hard work finally paid off. In the moment, it just felt not real at all that we really just won the PCL championship for the first time in 22 years. To do that my senior year is truly a blessing, and I couldn’t think of a better way to end my senior year.”

Sophomore shortstop Julia Yogis, whose textbook-like consuming of a hard grounder up the middle and force out at second base saved a run in the first inning: “To be honest, it didn’t even feel real. You can ask anyone. As soon as we won, I went around saying, ‘This isn’t real life.’ Coach Jackie had to assure me that it was real life and we did really win.

“It really didn’t even start to sink in until the day after,” continued Yogis. “As I walked through the halls at school, people started congratulating me and I finally started to realize that we actually won. When it completely sank in was our first practice back after winning. Coach Jackie started telling us about all the people who had reached out and all the things we were doing in honor of winning, and that’s when it really sank in. I still can’t believe it’s real life, but now I know it is, and I couldn’t be happier.” 

Junior Dakota Fanelli, who knocked in two of Wood’s three runs and maintained her composure on the mound despite needing to navigate a postage stamp-sized strike zone in the championship: “I think the reality of it has layers. There is the moment that Maya crossed home plate and our team came together to celebrate. A season’s worth of hard work with an amazing group of players paid off, and our ability to celebrate that moment together was amazing. Once the dust settled a bit, I couldn’t stop thinking about the events of that day.  

“Parker Kraus, Elizabeth James, and Abby Windish were beasts in the outfield. Conwell-Egan was a great group of hitters, and if it wasn’t for my outfield, the game would have been different. Julia Yogis’ amazing play at short was insane. Abby and Maura’s base running forced Conwell-Egan into a tough position. As things begin to settle, these are the things that hit you and make you say, ‘We did that!’  

“Finally, days later, I just think about all the people that have helped me become the player I am today. My family, my pitching coach, my travel coaches and teammates, my Wood coaches, and my Wood teammates who push me to be better each day. That is when it becomes completely real. We won the PCL!”

Sophomore centerfielder Parker Kraus, who reached base three times with two singles and a walk in the championship and hovered over the outfield like a gatekeeper who wasn’t even entertaining the notion of relinquishing the keys to her kingdom, especially in the fourth inning when she snared all three outs, and later when she corralled what turned out to be Conwell-Egan’s last at bat with two on and two outs in the seventh: “It definitely took a few days to really sink in. We established it as the goal from Day One, but then had to grind day in and day out to get there. So, it took having a few days to breathe, to realize that we actually did it.” 

Coach Jackie Ecker, who since inheriting the Vikings in 2017 has amassed a 41-22 PCL overall record (36-18 during regular season; 5-4 in playoffs), the second best winning percentage among PCL coaches: “We have been so appreciative of all the calls, messages and texts from so many people congratulating us for winning the PCL. The girls have been taking turns bringing home the plaque to savor every bit of this win. Our first practice back was low key; a lot of talk about the game and the feelings afterwards. So amazing. We got back down to business the end of last week and the girls are ready for districts and states. We look at winning the Catholic League as being a part of history. It will be a memory that we will never forget.”

Assistant coach Maeve McGill, who started at Wood in 2017 and is most responsible for pitch selection and outfield development: “I don’t think it sunk in until the girls started passing the PCL plaque around, starting with Dakota and moving through the team, each taking a night with it at home. They were so excited and deserve every bit of recognition.”

Junior catcher and tireless pillar Paige Ross: “Honestly, that whole entire day felt like a dream. It wasn’t until the next morning that I woke up and really could wrap my mind around the accomplishment that my team and I had achieved.”

Junior Biz James, whose sacrifice bunt moved Nolan into scoring position in the aforementioned third inning: “Winning the PCL really sunk in for me on the bus ride back to Wood from the championship game. I was celebrating on the bus with my teammates and it just hit me that we won the PCL. It was such a cool and crazy moment of realization.”

Junior All-Catholic third baseman Maggie Devlin, who went 2-for-3 and played flawless defense, particularly when she snared a line drive with two on and one out in the seventh: “I think it really sunk in that night when I was talking to my family about the game after the bus ride and after dinner. And then throughout the next few days, every time someone would say congratulations, it would hit me again that we won the PCL.”

Freshman Maya McGrory, summoned from the bench to pinch run, and then recording Archbishop Wood’s most important run in 22 years: “It definitely did take some time to sink in that we won the PCL Championship, especially because it has been so long since Archbishop Wood softball has won it. It did take more time to sink in that I was the winning run. It felt great that we won and the game was a team win. We were mentally strong throughout the entire game no matter what the score was, and I think that had a big impact on the win.”

Archbishop Wood . . . Catholic League Softball Champions.

 (Contact John Knebels at jknebels@gmail.com or on Twitter @johnknebels.)