Zoe Argentieri ’28 is a first-time sports writer for The Flex. She contributes to The Pingry Record as both a writer and editor and is a co-leader of the Banned Books Club. Outside of school, Zoe coaches tennis for Special Olympics and writes book reviews for the Summit Public Library. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music and following the Buffalo Bills. For this piece, Zoe interviewed Sofia Philippou ’28, an outfielder and dedicated member of the girls’ softball team.
Softball: Dollywood Style
The softball team went country over Spring Break, finding its preseason rhythm in Dollywood. After graduating six strong seniors last year, including Georgetown recruit Taylor Francis, the team switched up its old traditions by changing its preseason routine.
Every year, the softball team takes a pre-season trip during Spring Break. Previously, the team always went to Disney World, which offered the team a break from the cold as well as a chance to bond with teammates and get some practice in before the start of the season. The trip offered upperclassmen the chance to form meaningful relationships with the underclassmen by sharing rooms, watching movies, and spending time in the theme parks together, creating a solid environment to develop a unified and strong team.
This year, the team traveled to Tennessee for its preseason competition and to visit Dollywood, a theme park dedicated to country music icon Dolly Parton. Some aspects of the trip were the same as the team worked “9 to 5” to improve their game. But some were different; the team played its initial games in the snow for the first time in recent history.
Sofia Phillpou ’28 explained that the idea of switching destinations was originally met with some disappointment, considering the happy memories formed during the previous trips to Disney. However, by the end of their trip to Tennessee, the team had come together like Dolly and Kenny Rogers in “Islands in the Stream,” ‘relying upon each other.’
Not only did the team put up a strong final record (3–2), but they also made memories off the field. Phillipou described the team as “hardworking but always fun” and described how they spent time together watching the World Baseball Classic in their designated snack room. The upperclassmen roomed with the five new freshmen to make sure they were fully integrated into the team culture. Phillipou said some of her favorite memories of the trip included hanging out in the hot tub, baking brownies, and eating team dinners prepared by the coaches. In Dolly’s words, this team had “something going on.” That chemistry will continue to act as the backbone to the team’s wins on the field.
Phillipou made it clear that the Pingry community can expect great things from the softball team this season. She said the team’s current strengths are in their hitting and pitching, and references Gabriela Gomez ’28 and Genevieve Provence ’27, stating, “We have very strong pitchers in Gabby and Genevieve and can trust them to be strong in the circle.”
The team moved up a division from last year and is now competing in the Skyland Delaware Conference. Phillipou explained, “We have a harder schedule this year. I believe we can be very competitive. It’s really just going to come down to our consistency and making sure we go as hard as we can every game.”
Like Dolly herself, in the past, softball has not always been recognized as the outstanding talent they are. The Pingry community should double down on its support of the team this spring and come out to witness the results of their hard work and commitment.
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To contact the author: Zoe Argentieri