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04/30/2024 01:08 PMLeaving the lines of communication wide and open often drives success within a group, or any sports team. For Izzy Blanchard, she is harnessing the value of utilizing the lanes of language to serve as the heart of the North Haven softball team behind home plate.
The Nighthawks’ senior catcher and captain did dancing and gymnastics as a child before taking on softball at the age of 9. She played several seasons of town and travel ball before making her way onto the Nighthawks’ roster her freshman year.
After being a first baseman for a 2023 club that had an undefeated regular season en route to the SCC Tournament final, Izzy moved over from the bag to the dish by being a catcher this campaign for the 11-2 Nighthawks.
“Communication on and off the field has been a huge factor for my success this year. At the catcher position, you need to always communicate with coaches and teammates,” says Izzy. “I also love hearing feedback from others because it pushes me to be better. I have also put in a ton of work in the offseason because our season is so short. It is all about the behind the scenes work that you put in.”
At the backstop, Izzy serves a role similar to a signal caller on the gridiron for her squad. While switching vantage points from a year ago, she knows she plays the most pivotal and paramount role on every pitch and play.
“Catcher is a little different from first base. You are in every play, so you have to know what’s going on. Our coaches say it is like being a quarterback out there,” Izzy says. “You have to call pitches for the pitcher, and you always have to know who the cut off thrower is. Yet it is a privilege to be a catcher for my last year here.”
Izzy certainly racked up the reps as an underclassman in pulling double duty before earning an early nod to the starting lineup. She did feel the pressure in the earlier phases of her tenure, though she realized that it is all about having fun and not looking too far into the horizon.
“I was double rostered for JV and varsity as a freshman, and I started as a sophomore. I used to be so nervous and kind of intimidated playing with upperclassmen,” Izzy says. “I started to realize it is just a game and not all about wins and losses. I stopped worrying about winning and losing. I also learned to just think about one thing and one game at a time.”
Izzy utilizes all of the mechanical equipment to bolster her bat when she steps into the batter’s box. The whole squad cranks up the velocity in order to better prepare for superior pitching and tear the cover off the ball.
“My hitting has been helped by using our pitching machine in practices,” says Izzy. “We usually crank it to the high 50s for miles per hour when we know we will face good pitching the next day. It helps me focus on speed. I tell myself when I get up there to simply see the ball and hit the ball.”
North Haven skipper Vinny Cretella explains that Izzy always carries herself as a consummate captain and professional on and off the field. She does anything and everything for the betterment of the team and local youth softball community–from switching positions to coaching clinics.
“Izzy is one of our team leaders. She is always backing her teammates, always the first one on the field and last one to leave; she is the ultimate team player,” says Cretella. “Last year, she was our starting first baseman and has moved over to behind the plate this year and has already thrown out three base runners. She does a great job calling the games. She is very agile behind the plate. Off the field, she and her fellow captains/teammates have been doing a great job with going to the youth clinics, helping the younger girls develop their skills, and getting them interested in softball. She also organizes fundraisers and charity events with her fellow teammates. Izzy has great leadership qualities; she always plays within herself, keeps her composure, and is a calming force on and off the field.”
The 2024 edition of the Nighthawks’ clubhouse has many more rookies than previous years. Izzy then knows she must conduct herself as a quintessential conduit between coaches and competitors.
“This year is a lot different because we have 12 freshmen and 26 total on the roster. But I feel I have done a good job communicating with the coaches and team,” Izzy says. “When problems arise and the younger girls may be nervous or upset, I try to give them pep talks and bring things to the coaches’ attention. I try to set a good example for the younger kids, and feel I have done that.”
The conference final defeat in 2023 certainly inspired the Nighthawks to reverse their fortunes for 2024. Still, Izzy and the girls go into each day realizing that success and victories are earned and not given–cultivating a creed for the group to give maximum effort every day that ends in a Y.
“Last year, we had a huge loss in the SCC finals, and so my goal that I shared with the team before this year started was that we could not go into each game hoping to have a year like last,” says Izzy. “That first loss on Opening Day put a fire into us. We realized we have to play hard because the SCC is the toughest league in the state. We just focus on making plays, hitting the ball, and not being complacent. We go into each game playing our game and playing as hard as we can.”