Trio of veteran softball players leads charge for Delaware Valley Warriors

By Josh Lashley
Milford — Angelo Matz, the head coach of the Delaware Valley High School softball program, knew quite well that the Warriors would have their share of youthful student-athletes inexperienced at the varsity level in the starting line-up this spring. So Matz fully understood that this year’s team would be a work in progress.
The real question going into the season was whether or not the Warriors could learn from their mistakes and improve on a constant basis both in the field and at the plate.
We are now over a month into the regular season and so far, Delaware Valley has proven that with a mix of veteran players along with newcomers on the roster, they can be very competitive.
Three players who are leading the charge for the Warriors happen to be the captains — MacKenna Powell (senior), Stefanie O’Grady (junior), and McKenna Quinn (junior).
Matz is impressed with the leadership capabilities that the trio of captains demonstrates both on and off the field.
“All three of these young ladies possess the qualities you look for in leaders,’’ Matz said. “They lead by example, and the younger players feed off their intensity and work ethic. Powell is a quiet leader who will carry the team on her back, as she can dominate from the circle, and Stef and McKenna are the more outgoing field captains who run the show.
“Quinn is currently the team leader, with a .375 average, and O’Grady is right behind at .372. Powell has been outstanding on the mound and at one point this year threw 24 consecutive shutout innings.’’
Through 14 games, the Warriors had an overall record of 7-7.
“The three captains were told at the end of last year that they would be this year’s captains,’’ Matz said. “Their work ethic and accountability is what I look at the most. They are what I hope the younger kids want to be when they are in the situation as a possible captain.
“All three of these players are outstanding. Stef was an All-Region pick last year as an infielder as well as a league All-Star. Powell was a league All-Star and Quinn is as good at second base as you will find — not flashy, just does everything well. I would think she will be noticed more this year.’’
Most importantly, all three captains are strong academically.
“All three girls are Honor Roll students, so they lead in the academic areas as well,’’ Matz said. “This year, they had to show the way for a very young group. We start four freshmen and two sophomores most of the time, so it takes patience. They have been better than I could have asked for.’’

Note: All statistics listed above occurred in games played through May 4.