The 2018 softball season proved to be a “foundational” one for the young Fountain Hills High School softball team, according to head coach Randy Bragg.

The Lady Falcons finished their season with a record of 5-13, seemingly unable to find a grove to settle into. Their final ranking in their division was 29th.

Bragg said he believes that since this was his first year in the role as head coach, the team went through some growing pains.

“I think there was an adjustment period for the girls to get accustomed to my style of coaching and my expectations,” Bragg explained. “I am not sure that they fully embraced either one, but I believe as time went on they were more open to accepting the change and I think we built a solid foundation for next season.”

Bragg said he also believes that the team’s youth played a role in how the season went; the Lady Falcons only had one senior on the squad who was ill for some of the season.

“This was a stepping stone type of year for us,” Bragg said. “We are only losing one player this year, and one more next year, due to graduation, and we have an exciting group of players coming up from the middle school. The freshmen were thrown into the fire early and I think that, in the long run, those lessons learned will pay off for us in more victories.”

Bragg did see improvement, though, in the Lady Falcons’ games over the season. Offensively, FHHS was strong with a team batting average of .320. Bragg said the Lady Falcons still need to improve defensively, but at least one Falcon is showing major progress.

“As far as on the field improvements go, we developed into a pretty good offensive team. Our stats support that. But, unfortunately, we did not play well enough defensively to compete at a higher level,” Bragg said. “Sophia Buckley’s growth as a pitcher was phenomenal. She has the right attitude about it and accepts her role as our number one pitcher and, for the time being, our only pitcher.”

Another aspect of the game that Bragg believes FHHS needs to focus on, no matter how minor it might seem, is the mental aspect of the game.

“We have to develop a tougher mentality for the game,” Bragg said. “I am sure the girls are tired of hearing me say that they need to focus more but, from my perspective, that is a fundamental skill that they have to have to compete. We need to continue to improve on offense so that we can play more small ball by executing more and better slaps and bunts.”

Overall, Bragg said he feels like this season has given him a better understand of the team he is coaching.

“I think that I have a better perspective on what type of team we are,” Bragg said. “We can certainly hit the ball well, and once we put the pitching and defense together, we will be tough to beat.”

Four players on the FHHS softball team qualified for 3A Metro all-region team including freshmen Sydney Loyet, junior Gabbi Coughlin, freshmen Sophia Buckley and senior Maddy Boulanger.

Loyet led the Lady Falcons in offense with a batting average of .543 as well as four home runs, the most on the team. Loyet qualified for the first team all-region.

Catcher Gabbi Coughlin was the Lady Falcons’ second biggest hitter at a batting average of .471. Coughlin led the team on RBIs, 35, and was eighth in the region.

Buckley and Boulanger both were strong hitters with averages of .390 and .342 respectively. Buckley had a slow start but, by the end of the season, she was really able to make contact at the plate.

Boulanger, the teams’ only senior, filled the role of leader and captain for the team despite battling an illness. Bragg said watching Boulanger battle to get back to the field was one of his favorite memories.

“I really enjoyed getting to know the girls better and watching them grow as a team,” Bragg said. “But I will never forget how Maddy Boulanger fought to get back on the field after being ill. She was an inspiration to me, and hopefully the rest of team.”

Bragg and the Lady Falcons are optimistic for the future of FHHS softball.