DHS Hornets softball, a powerhouse in the state of Maryland, has just started their spring season. After last year’s devastating loss to Huntingtown in the state semi-final, the Hornets are back with an eager spirit to reclaim the state title as they did in 2023. Taking the offseason to build muscle and generate speed, these girls look like they’re ready to take down any obstacle in their way. But this year, under a slightly new coaching staff and smaller roster size, the girls have already faced plenty of challenges.
The 2024 season started with a new head coach. Coach Liz Gall was hired as the head coach after Coach Lindsay Burns stepped down from her position to focus on her family and her state champion cheer team. For the previous four years, Coach Gall was the Junior Varsity head coach. One of Gall’s many qualifications to lead this team to victory includes a very impressive college career at the University of Maryland, earning herself a position as the starting pitcher towards the end of her junior year. Originally from Washington state, Gall decided her new home was in Montgomery County, MD. For the past 15 years, she has spent her summers playing for the Lyons Spirit, a highly competitive adult league in Pennsylvania that many ex-collegiate players participate in.
Last year’s Hornets roster carried 17 players and three “managerial” positions. This proved to be difficult for the girls when problems with playing time arose. This year, the slightly smaller 13 girl roster, has already shown improvement.
Damascus started their season on fire, beginning with a 19-0 shutout over Seneca Valley. The following two games also showcased the Hornets run-ruling their opponents. The game after didn’t go as well.
Clarskburg was out to get the Hornets, resulting in a 16-2 loss. This was the Hornets first loss to Clarksburg and first loss at home after a long undefeated home wins streak. After Damascus’ unfortunate loss to Clarksburg, Gall still was very optimistic about the season. Despite this setback of a loss under their belt, Coach Gall saw what needed improvement and implemented it in practice. “We left too many runners stranded,” Coach Gall explained. “We also became victims of the domino effect where one bad play led to another and became this big thing we couldn’t overcome”. This game left the Hornets a lot to work on and taught some lessons. Their following home game versus Poolesville was the opposite of Clarksburg. The Hornets run-ruled them 13-3, with a hard grounder to left field by Carlie Fogle (11)
to drive in the winning run. This game gave the Hornets pride in their game and helped them with the mindset they needed to face Sherwood the following Monday. Unfortunately, the Sherwood game garnered another loss for the Hornets. A final score of 1-12, the Hornets had their second loss of the season already. Again, Coach Gall saw the lesson from this game as a positive. Her coaching philosophy is to focus on the good parts of the game and not dwell on the errors or negativity. “It’s important for the players to build on their positive self-talk because it helps them not just be better players, but better people,” Coach Gall said. The main lesson Coach Gall took from these games is that the Hornets need to be able to respond in “big moments” and “make the big plays”. Since facing Sherwood, the Hornets have won five more games. Coach Gall wanted to acknowledge the fact that she sees such a large difference in this year’s group, and everyone’s skills have improved so much. “This group is much younger than last year with our senior heavy team,” Coach Gall claimed. “They are good leaders, very coachable, and have such strong friendships on and off the field”. Her goal for this season is for the team to always feel good about outings regardless of the score. She wants each of these girls to enjoy playing and look forward to the after school practices, team socials, and games.
