By; Matt Rothman
It is rare for a freshman to make an immediate impact on the varsity baseball team, but for Kate Maston, she not only had her first chance to pitch for Coral Springs Charter but picked up the win over Northeast High School 10-6.
With the Panthers leading 8-3 heading into the bottom of the third, Head Coach Charlie Fine went to another freshman on the mound. After getting a pop-up to start the inning, Maston allowed a couple of base runners to reach. After a mound visit, she stranded the bases loaded with two strikeouts.
Robert Boing came in and finished the game with four hitless innings. Freshman Aiden Tarshis made the start on the mound, while Kristopher Goldstein and Gavin Garguilo were the other two freshmen to impact the 2021 season. Senior Damian Rodriguez led the team offensively with four hits.
“I am extremely proud of Kate and all the freshmen for stepping up and showing no fear,” Head Coach Charlie Fine. “We had a lot of kids play well, and it’s impressive to see what our young kids have done this year under the leadership of our upperclassmen.”
Maston’s journey playing baseball began as a five-year-old for North Coral Springs Little League before playing in Margate. She always wanted to be better than her old brother, Richie, an incredible athlete and starting kicker for the Coral Springs Charter football team.
Maston has had to overcome multiple injuries as she suffered a dislocated hip as a child. At 12-years-old, Maston was told she suffered a potentially career-ending injury when three doctors told her she completely tore her UCL and would never play again.
She persisted in telling the doctors that she would be fine and even tried to start throwing right-handed, but after she met with Orthopaedic Surgeon and Sports Medicine Specialist Dr. James Andrews, she learned it was only a severe break and would need eight months of rehab before she was back on the mound.
Maston is honored to be on this team and credits all her teammates for helping her learn much already.
“Coach Fine shows he believes in me and has prepared me for this moment in practice day after day,” Maston said. “He pushes me and finds a way to get my best. My catchers, Leo Beltran and Nate Maestre, are always calming me down and helping me out.”
Maston has gone on and improved tremendously over the years. She will get an opportunity to hit on the junior varsity team and will likely see more time on the mound for varsity as the Panthers are now 4-2 on the young season.
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