Kelsey Griffin intends to play division one softball
Kelsey Griffin intends to play division one softball
SHS senior commits to Iona College
By Emory Rounds
Special to the Leader
It was a small ceremony in celebration of a big career.
On the night of Monday, Nov. 13, friends, family and fans of standout pitcher Kelsey Griffin gathered in the cafeteria of Scarborough High School to witness a turning point in the young softball player’s life. Kelsey was signing her letter of intent, committing to play division one softball for Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y.
“We are very excited for her and her family,” said Scarborough High School athletic director Frank Spencer. “Obviously, she has made a huge commitment to the sport of softball, but what I think is even more impressive is the balance that Kelsey has exhibited over the past four years. It’s no secret that softball is her first love, but she is very well rounded – something we are seeing less and less of in interscholastic athletics. She is also a soccer player and a basketball player. There isn’t just one focus.”
According to Kelsey, a number of schools looked to sweep up the standout pitcher, and for good reason. In 2006, Kelsey had a 9-2 record, with just a 0.50 ERA and a .343 batting average. In the past two years, she has twice been selected as an SMAA first team all-star pitcher, as well as being named player of the year in 2006.
“This is a lot of weight off my shoulders,” Griffin said. “I just threw away all my college application stuff the other day – it’s a huge relief to know where I will be going. I had looked at a lot of division three and division two schools, but it had been my lifelong dream and my goal to play division one and that’s a large part of why I went with Iona.”
Kelsey’s devotion to the game is directly tied in with that of her father, Tom Griffin, who is the head coach of the Red Storm.
“This is something that we’ve been optimistic about for a very long time,” coach Griffin said. “We have spent so many hours together working towards this goal. It’s been really good for our relationship – all those hours spent in the back yard just pitching and catching.”
In Kelsey’s senior year, her father will look to lead Scarborough to a state title – something the team was deprived of last year by the slimmest of margins. Picked by many as the favorite headed into the post season, the Red Storm nevertheless lost in the semifinal round to upstart Biddeford.
“It’s hard to believe this is going to be the final year,” coach Griffin said. “Hopefully this is going to be the one. We would like to think this year is the year – but sometimes you get a few bad bounces or bad breaks and things don’t turn out the way you’d like. Last year we had a very young, very fast, very inexperienced team. This season they have a whole year of experience under their belts and I expect that we’ll make a run at it.”
Kelsey plans to major in elementary education at Iona. Last season the Gaels were 11-31 and the younger Griffin is cautiously optimistic she may get playing time her freshman year.
“I am not sure about starting,” she said. “I will have a better idea once I get there. Iona is in the MAAC [Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference] and there is no clear favorite from year to year. Now that I’ve signed, I can focus on my last season here. This is going to be a big spring for us and I hope that this is our year.”
SHS senior commits to Iona College
By Emory Rounds
Special to the Leader
It was a small ceremony in celebration of a big career.
On the night of Monday, Nov. 13, friends, family and fans of standout pitcher Kelsey Griffin gathered in the cafeteria of Scarborough High School to witness a turning point in the young softball player’s life. Kelsey was signing her letter of intent, committing to play division one softball for Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y.
“We are very excited for her and her family,” said Scarborough High School athletic director Frank Spencer. “Obviously, she has made a huge commitment to the sport of softball, but what I think is even more impressive is the balance that Kelsey has exhibited over the past four years. It’s no secret that softball is her first love, but she is very well rounded – something we are seeing less and less of in interscholastic athletics. She is also a soccer player and a basketball player. There isn’t just one focus.”
According to Kelsey, a number of schools looked to sweep up the standout pitcher, and for good reason. In 2006, Kelsey had a 9-2 record, with just a 0.50 ERA and a .343 batting average. In the past two years, she has twice been selected as an SMAA first team all-star pitcher, as well as being named player of the year in 2006.
“This is a lot of weight off my shoulders,” Griffin said. “I just threw away all my college application stuff the other day – it’s a huge relief to know where I will be going. I had looked at a lot of division three and division two schools, but it had been my lifelong dream and my goal to play division one and that’s a large part of why I went with Iona.”
Kelsey’s devotion to the game is directly tied in with that of her father, Tom Griffin, who is the head coach of the Red Storm.
“This is something that we’ve been optimistic about for a very long time,” coach Griffin said. “We have spent so many hours together working towards this goal. It’s been really good for our relationship – all those hours spent in the back yard just pitching and catching.”
In Kelsey’s senior year, her father will look to lead Scarborough to a state title – something the team was deprived of last year by the slimmest of margins. Picked by many as the favorite headed into the post season, the Red Storm nevertheless lost in the semifinal round to upstart Biddeford.
“It’s hard to believe this is going to be the final year,” coach Griffin said. “Hopefully this is going to be the one. We would like to think this year is the year – but sometimes you get a few bad bounces or bad breaks and things don’t turn out the way you’d like. Last year we had a very young, very fast, very inexperienced team. This season they have a whole year of experience under their belts and I expect that we’ll make a run at it.”
Kelsey plans to major in elementary education at Iona. Last season the Gaels were 11-31 and the younger Griffin is cautiously optimistic she may get playing time her freshman year.
“I am not sure about starting,” she said. “I will have a better idea once I get there. Iona is in the MAAC [Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference] and there is no clear favorite from year to year. Now that I’ve signed, I can focus on my last season here. This is going to be a big spring for us and I hope that this is our year.”
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