As spring sports begin, Sidwell’s Softball and Baseball Teams are preparing for an excellent season. Despite changes in the coaching staff, each team has adapted quickly and is ready to play.

Head Coach Heath Simon is joined by assistant coaches Maya Silva and James Gould on the softball coaching staff this year. Simon was a Sidwell parent from 2013-2017, and after his daughter played softball at Sidwell, she went on to pitch at Penn State Harrisburg.

The softball program last had winning seasons from 2015-2017, when it made three consecutive DCSAA playoffs. Simon became an assistant coach in 2017 alongside Middle School Math Teacher and Head Wrestling Coach Josh Markey. Markey, who was “a mainstay with the softball program for many years,” is not coaching the softball team this season, and “will be greatly missed,” said Simon.

Since there were just two seniors on varsity last season, Simon shared that “it provided ample opportunities and a plethora of experience for our younger team members.” This season, with a complete junior varsity roster, Simon has expressed his enthusiasm for bulking up the program with a large underclassman presence, as they will be “crucial to the program’s success in the next four years.”

When asked about his goals for the season, Simon responded, “I want to develop and continue to hone the softball skills needed to be successful in the ISL…and advance further in the ISL playoffs than we did last year.” There are 11 returning varsity athletes who competed in the ISL playoffs in 2022 on the team this year. His ultimate goal, however, is to win a spot in the DCSAA state championships.

“We want to be a genuinely competitive team,” senior Zoe Verma said. “Our lineup looks really good, and with a new pitcher coming in this year, I think we will be able to compete against the other teams in our league and hopefully make it far in ISLs,” she added.

Verma’s experience in the softball program has been an important and positive facet of her high school career.

“The team and seniors created a great environment for me when I was an underclassmen, which made the difference and allowed me to continue loving softball throughout my high school career,” Verma said.

Senior Laura Youel Page shared that one of her favorite memories from last year’s season was “when we played a doubleheader at Park View and ate dinner on the field with the team between games.”

Youel Page said the team has “unmatched energy” and is continually a “fun environment to play in.” This season, she wants the team to “improve [its] situational IQ in gameplay and to win more games.”

Across the field, Coaches Curtis Wilson and Jon Mormino are leading the baseball program this spring. Wilson has been coaching baseball for the last 13 years and expressed passion for the work, saying it was his “ultimate calling amongst multiple professional disciplines.”

Wilson continued that he has a “unique opportunity in helping develop student-athletes as well as productive manners of the community.”

Wilson shared his goals for the season.

“I believe in the vernacular of ‘S.M.A.R.T,’ which stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-limited. Meaning that we ‘WIN THE DAY’ in the classroom and on the field,” Wilson said.

Wilson is confident that “success is inevitable.” He wants to win as many games as possible while building a sustainable and healthy environment, particularly on game days. The team strives to win the MAC and compete for a DCSAA championship later this spring.

Mormino added to Wilson’s thoughts, saying “things look good” for both this season and upcoming seasons given the years that the baseball coaching staff has spent building an “excellent varsity team and an outstanding JV team.”

“My past experiences have been nothing but amazing,” senior Andrew Ludwin said about his final season on Sidwell’s Varsity Baseball Team. His favorite memories have been getting dinner with the boys after a game, playing paintball together and doing karaoke.

Ludwin said that Wilson “is [a] great [fit] as a coach.”

“He brings out the fiery competitiveness in all of us and allows us to reach our full potential,” Ludwin added.

With an enthusiastic coaching staff and a focus on team culture, the team hopes to compete for the MAC championship title.

Ludwin concluded, sharing a straightforward goal for this season: “I want to raise a banner.”