The Herald-Courier

Lady Cards softball looks for new players



Coach Jeff Johnson and the Arcade Area Lady Cardinals are looking for new players for the 2022 season. The players recently worked on pitching and catching in a clinic with Ten Broeck Academy of Franklinville graduate and current pitcher for the St. Bonaventure University women’s softball team, Ally Haskell.

Haskell is the daughter of Jeff and Jill Haskell of Franklinville. She and her sister Dani played basketball and softball for the Panthers, Their father played high school basketball at Pioneer and coached basketball at both Pioneer and Franklinville.

The Lady Cardinals formed in 2018 to provide the game of softball to our area’ youth when there was none, said Coach Johnson. While baseball was plentiful in the Arcade area, there was nothing for the girls to call their own, so the Lady Cardinals were created.

After finding a single sponsor, along with a small fundraiser, a 12-and Under team was put together in 2018. The team had players ages 8-12 and played against teams from East Aurora, Elma, and Holland, with home games played on a small field in Delevan by the Village Hall/Fire House.

 “There was nowhere else to go due to baseball,” said Coach Johnson about the Delevan field. While the field was completely grass and set up for baseball, which is not how softball is played, Coach Johnson said that the Lady Cardinals played because “we were excited and didn’t care as long as we were playing.”

During the second season in 2019, the Lady Cardinals started to set up some practices during the winter at the Arcade Elementary School gym and held some free clinics in order to draw in some more girls, with the hopes of creating another team that would separate the 7-10 year-olds and 10-12 year-olds. The 10 year-olds would have the option to play on one team or the other, or both which is what many of the girls did.

Coach Johnson said that this was successful enough to create the 10-Under team. The Lady Cardinals also played some 8-Under games in East Aurora and 14-Under games in Lake View and Olean. All teams practiced again in Delevan due to field shortages, as the Lady Cardinals continued to compete against baseball for field space.

The Lady Cardinals expanded their playing area by now playing in Olean and Frewsburg, along with a couple of tournaments, which “showed what was really out there in regards to softball.” Despite the two teams, Coach Johnson said that no one wanted to come to us to play because softball is not a game played on grass, and that it is played on skinned fields, which is why the Lady Cardinals played many away games just to play.

“Not an easy thing to explain to parents, but we did it so the girls were able to play,” said Coach Johnson.

The third season (2020) began during the winter and the Lady Cardinals played in an indoor league to really upgrade “what we were doing for the girls of our area,” said Coach Johnson. Sahlen’s Indoor Park in Elma hosts the indoor league. Both the 10-Under and 12-Under teams were able to play in eight games throughout January and February, along with clinics and private lessons.

It was such a great start to the third season that the parents were excited and on board with two teams in place. Then COVID-19 hit, shutting everything down. The Lady Cardinals were not allowed to practice or get together. But they stayed together through Zoom meetings and even competed in a remote virtual softball tournament, in which the Lady Cardinals finished fifth out of over 100 teams from all over America.

But this was obviously not enough as many teams were shutting down and playing in season. But the Lady Cardinals pushed on in hopes of providing our girls with some softball during 2020.

Coach Johnson said that luckily, 2020 “honestly really helped us as an organization because everything turned out to be canceled and thus creating more places for us to play.”

“The place that was willing to work with us and allow our girls to play was Arcade. Of course we had to follow all guidelines, attend meetings to make sure everything is safe, but honestly they were so great and because of that we had a place to play when others didn’t,” said Coach Johnson.

The only negative was that the Lady Cardinals were still playing on baseball fields, as there were no true softball fields in the Delevan/Arcade area.

Entering the fourth season (2021), more discussions revolved around where the Lady Cardinals would play, especially because a third team had now been created for our local female athletes: a 16-Under team, which meant again, a play to play and practice was really necessary. Playing and practicing throughout the winter (following all guidelines) was again happening, but discussions took place with the Village of Arcade about possibly using a field that really had not been used in a long time.

While this was happening, all three of the Lady Cardinal teams (10-Under, 12-under, 16-under) were having their best seasons in both league play and in tournaments.

“Collecting wins is something teams strive for, but we really wanted to provide our girls with experiences they may not get unless they travel outside the area,” said Coach Johnson.

“Our girls deserve what everyone else has and that is when the ball park on Sullivan Avenue was transformed into a skinned field so our girls had a true place to call their own (the Maree Drennan Field).”

“This could not be possible without the support of Arcade, Village workers, and board members,” said Coach Johnson.

The field was playable for games once the fence and backstop went up, so as the Lady Cardinals hosted their annual “Play Day.”

“We were able to break in the new field with two games versus Letchworth.” said Coach Johnson.

Jace Drennan, son of the late Maree Drennan (a noted local women’s softball player), and Village of Arcade Parks Department employee, was a major force in helping to get the field ready that honors his mother’s memory.

“Now as we look to play our fifth season as a softball organization, we have added yet another team. We now have a 14-Under team that will compete,” said Coach Johnson. Winter practices have begun and the Winter League is fast approaching. The Winter League will include a 12-Under tournament at the Buffalo Bills Field House in Orchard Park by High Mark Stadium, and a summer full of tournaments (11 total, with two out of town sleepovers). The Lady Cardinals will continue to play league games in the GLOW League (Genesee Livingston Orleans Wyoming) and Metro League.

“And plenty of fun off the diamond as well,” said Coach Johnson.

The Lady Cardinals cannot believe how fast things are progressing, but still have room for anyone looking to join.

“No experience is necessary, just the desire to play and do your best every time that jersey is put on or stepping on the practice field,” said Coach Johnson. If you or anyone you know is interested, please reach out to Coach Jeff Johnson (716-258-8784) or find them on Facebook at Lady Cardinals Softball.

“Come join these already hard-working Lady Cardinals who recently were working on pitching and catching with Franklinville product and now Senior pitcher for St. Bonaventure University, Ally Haskell,” said Coach Johnson.

Photo courtesy Jeff Johnson
Members of the Arcade Area Lady Cardinals who worked at a clinic with Ten Broeck Academy of Franklinville graduate Ally Haskell, who is currently a senior pitcher on the St. Bonaventure University women’s softball team. The Wolves compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference and face teams such as Duquesne of Pittsburgh, Richmond, Davidson of North Carolina, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and others, plus “Little Three” games with Niagara and Canisius (Ally’s sister Dani, who was her catcher at Franklinville, plays women’s basketball for the Golden Griffs).

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