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Elizabeth Gebhardt '29

Avery Smith (12) and Annika Slootmaker (12) smile with a sign boasting Slootmaker's 500th strikeout of her career. Both players broke school records--Smith got her 100th hit on April 20, earning her more hits than anyone on Haven's softball and baseball teams.

It’s been an unprecedented season for Haven varsity softball.

Just about a month after hitting 400 career strikeouts, senior Annika Slootmaker broke the school record, surpassing 500 career strikeouts.

Four days earlier, senior Avery Smith broke the school record for career hits.

Smith earned her title on April 20 at the girls’ game against Upper Darby High School. Haven won 11-4, but the true victory was Smith getting more hits than anyone on a softball or baseball team in Haven history. 

Initially, Smith didn’t realize she had broken the record. After two hits, she thought she had one to go, but her family and friends’ reactions told her otherwise. 

“I saw [my mom] running, so I was like, ‘oh, okay, I hit it,’ and then [Annika] was dancing,” Smith said. “When I realized it was 100, it was really nice.”

Head coach Michael DeAngelo appreciates Smith’s consistency and leadership. 

“[She’s always] leading off every game, going out there and just doing what we need her to do day in and day out,” DeAngelo said. 

Smith credits her skill to her quick reaction time and refusal to settle into expectations. 

“If the pitcher is throwing something all game, and somebody’s telling me to expect it, I don’t want to expect it,” Smith said. “[I] see the ball and go.” 

Slootmaker broke the strikeout record a few days later on April 24, when the girls played against Oxford Area High School. 

She has played softball for Haven since her freshman year, when there was only a varsity team, so it took extra effort to keep improving every year. 

“I felt absolutely great,” Slootmaker said. “I didn’t think I was going to reach this when I was a freshman. [This was] built out of some humble beginnings.”

In the past, Slootmaker has struggled with self-confidence, but with the support of her teammates, she has grown into a strong team captain. 

“Over the years, [I’ve been] maturing in general and getting more experience, and playing with this team has really helped me with that,” Slootmaker said. 

DeAngelo recognizes Slootmaker’s solid performance throughout the game, which was made especially clear when she reached her strikeout goal with the first batter up to the plate. 

“It was great to just get it out of the way, and then she pitched phenomenal the whole game, struck out 17 batters out of the 18 outs,” DeAngelo said. “That’s just what she’s been doing all year, and she’s great to have out there.”

Smith and Slootmaker have worked hard over the course of their careers to get to this point, so reaching it is gratifying to say the least.

“I’m glad I had a great team behind me,” Slootmaker said. “It’s sort of a culmination of what I’ve contributed for the school, so it’s really nice to see that.”

Both Smith and Slootmaker will continue their softball careers in college. Smith will play Division III softball for Union College in Schenectady, N.Y. Slootmaker heads to the Division III program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass.

The athletes continue their final high school season with a home game against Ridley on April 27.