FULL STORY BY JEAN DELPLACIDO

Paige Wodarski had to face a lot of changes her freshman year playing softball at Stonehill College.

There was a new head coach in Ali Maloof, who took over the Skyhawks after Ken LeGrice died. There were also a bunch of incoming third basemen that forced Wodarski to change positions, not to mention the overall difficulty of adjusting to college pitching.

The former Danvers High and Cushing Academy standout had always been a power hitter, one known for crushing home runs and driving home her teammates on the bases. In her first season at Stonehill this past spring, however, Wodarski learned the value of getting on base via singles and doubles in addition to making the switch defensively across the diamond to first base.

"We had a good season, our last in the Northeast-10 before joining Division 1 in the Northeast Conference and having a totally different schedule," said the 20-year-old Wodarski, who bats left-handed. "It's a big change and a lot of my teammates are stressed about moving to Division 1, but I really don't think it will be all that different. I do have a lot of friends on other teams we played this year, so I'll miss going up against them.

"The big difference for me was playing a 40-game season starting in Florida in February," she added. "It's long and tiring, so I'm working a lot this summer — not playing for any team, but working on hitting and throwing with my dad. I'll be ready for fall ball, and because we're now D-1 we're allowed to practice more hours and will have a few more games."

Moving across the diamond

Stonehill, with nine freshmen on its roster last spring (including three 3B's), finished 11-15 in NE-10 play and 15-23 overall.

The 5-foot-2 Wodarski played in 38 of the team's 40 games, finishing with a .243 batting average to go along with one home run and a team-leading 13 RBI. Her 26 hits were fifth-most on the team, with five doubles and four multi-hit contests.

Playing first base for the first time was also an entirely different learning experience for her. "At first I didn't want to be there because it was brand new territory, but then I began to think I could do it and be as good as I was at third," she said. 

"Some say moving to the other side of the field is not a big deal, but it really is different. One big change is my glove hand is on the line now. I worked really hard (last) winter to get it down, and by the time we went to Florida I had a really good first game. That's when I knew I'd be staying there, and now I like it almost as well as third."

Keep improving all the time

Another key player for Stonehill this past season was Amesbury's Shannon Conte, a catcher/third baseman from Pingree. She had 19 hits (including a homer) and seven RBI in 33 games.

"Shannon has a good bat," said Wodarski. "As a team, we had 10 home runs, but this was not a big home run hitting team — which didn't matter. We needed people to get singles and move runners along. I was never a singles hitter, but realized how important they are. Now I'm ecstatic to get all kinds of hits.

"One of the funniest things that happened in a game was when an opposing player hit a bunt that wound up being a pop up. I raced full tilt from first base, and Shannon came in hard from third. I dove for the ball, hit the ground and Shannon jumped over me, flying up in the air before landing on me. Fortunately, neither one of us was hurt, but she did need a second to collect herself. People watching said it was a riot."

The oldest of five children, Wodarski said she likes Maloof's style of coaching. Now that she's made the adjustment to a new position and college pitching she s looking to have a good sophomore season.

"Coach Ali is a full-time coach and very easy to talk to," said the Danvers resident. "She's out recruiting and just had a clinic for high school seniors and juniors that a lot of us worked at. She's trying very hard to make the program better. Two years ago the team won only five games; last season we won 15. My goals are to keep having fun and playing the way I know I can."

A healthcare administration major, Wodarski comes from a family where they all play sports. Twin brothers Dylan and Cam graduated from St. John's Prep this past year, with Cam now going on to play baseball at St. Joseph's while Dylan, who is recovering from a torn ACL, is headed for the University of New England and a football career. The younger twins, Cooper and Beckett, are entering the freshman class at St. John's Prep, where Cooper plans to play football while Beckett leans toward basketball and baseball.