BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott softball team has named their captains for the 2014 season. Seniors Jesse Bilafer (Concord, Mass.), Nell O'Connor (Harwich, Mass.) and Alex Moise (North Reading, Mass.) will be the leaders of the squad this season as announced by Head Coach Mark Veilluex who is entering his 20th season at the helm of the softball team. The Gulls will look to these three standout student-athlete to help an Endicott softball team, who is highly respected in the region, to continue their success from 2013 and come out strong in the 2014 season.
Jesse Bilafer, Second Base
Bilafer, a senior Psychology major has played in 124 games throughout her career while earning a spot on the First Team All-CCC in 2012 and Second Team All-CCC in 2013.
"Jesse is a strong leader, which is a big reason why she is a two-year captain", says Coach Veilleux. "She is always prepared and has a team first attitude. Jesse is always the first to show up and the last to leave, she leads by example which is her biggest quality, her actions are noticed by her teammates and they follow."
The infielder is no stranger to being a leader on this Gulls team as she was a junior captain in 2013. She believes her experiences last season helped her grow as a leader and looks to continue to grow in 2014 saying, "I definitely learned a lot last year. I learned how I could be most effective as a leader, and what my teammates best responded to. Working alongside Jocelyn Russo and Byrne Katz was a great experience and they taught me a lot about leadership as well. I'm really looking forward to working with Alex and Nell this year, and I think each of us has something very unique and special to offer as leaders of this team."
The senior is honored to come back as a leader of this team saying "I'm really looking forward to being a leader of the Endicott Softball team this year. It's a special group of talented athletes, and girls who are really willing to put in their best effort. I'll be bringing a positive attitude, and what I think is my most powerful attribute, leading by example. Competitiveness, attitude, and effort are all contagious, and I'm confident that this group will succeed when focusing on those three things."
Nell O'Connor, Pitcher
O'Connor, a Sports Management major, has an impressive 25-12 record on the mound, while going 11-4 last season being named the CCC Pitcher of the Year. She holds the program record for most games finished with 18.
Coach Veilleux says, "Nell is always looking to lend a hand. She is very organized and has a way of motivating the people around her. She is very vocal and the team responds to her on and off the field. When she is on the mound she takes charge and is confident which seems to flow throughout the rest of the team"
O'Connor is eager to start the 2014 season after a successful 2013 season that left the Gulls with an impressive 17-1 CCC record stating, "I'm very excited to be a captain this season, I hope that I can bring a positive and upbeat attitude to the team, as well as a steady and calm presence on the field. Softball is such a mental game, and we have a very young team, so it will be so important for the upperclassmen to set the bar high."
Alex Moise, Outfield
Moise, a Biotechnology major, has played in 106 games throughout her career in a Gulls uniform. Moise was named First Team All-CCC in 2012 and she is currently tied for first in program history for highest stolen base pct. with 1.000.
Coach Veilleux says, "Alex is a take charge type of player, she does a great job at creating confidence in every single player and her presence is known in the outfield. Last season Alex was struggling at the plate and I sat her for a couple games and I learned a lot about her at that time, she was not fazed and showed support for her teammates around her, which I believe is a strong quality of her leadership."
Moise is very excited for the 2014 season and even more excited to have the privilege of being a leader on this team saying, "As a captain, I want to give the team confidence. I want to always stay positive and reassure players on the team that they are a part of a talented team because they earned it! I also want to show them composure. It is completely natural to become nervous, but they need to trust themselves and just play the game we all love. When we are all confident and composed, no one will be able to beat us."
When asked about the goals of these three captains, all responses were the same, to win a conference title, and to have fun in the process. The current seniors on this 2014 squad are the only members who have brought a title home to the nest and they hope that they can wrap up their careers with another banner.
Endicott will start the season down in Clermont, Florida for the Dot Richardson Spring Games. Their first game will be on March 16th when they play Bowdoin and Bethany (W.V.).
