Mar 23, 2006 By Rob Burchianti 4 min read

GREENSBORO – There’s an old saying that goes, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.” Mapletown softball coach Kathy Cyr doesn’t quite agree with that sports quote, however.

At least not when it comes to her 2006 squad.

“I feel the potential is there for us,” said the third-year coach, whose Lady Maples are coming off a 3-15 season. “We have good athletes. The biggest struggle is trying to keep a positive attitude with the team. I hope that’s something we can gain this year by winning more games early in the year. That would help the girls feel better about themselves and give them a little more confidence.”

Poor starts in each of Cyr’s first two seasons resulted in the team struggling most of the year. However, the Lady Maples’ persistence paid off in the end as they won two of their final five games last season, and closed with back-to-back wins in 2004.

“You wish you could keep playing when you win a couple games late in the season like that,” Cyr said. “I would love to have some early success to get us rolling, and I definitely think we can improve our record this year.”

One reason Cyr is optimistic is more depth at pitcher. Mapletown depended almost exclusively on Ashley Chory’s arm last year, but the Lady Maples have a trio of freshmen who could give Chory some rest in her upcoming senior season.

“We struggled the last couple years because we had to rely on one pitcher,” Cyr said. “Ashley did well for us last year, but there was a lot of pressure on her. This year we have some girls who can help out on the mound a little bit.”

Cyr’s daughter, Chelsea Cyr, and Miranda Shipley are two of the three freshmen who’ll be given a good look, with Kaitlyn Novak also in the mix.

“Of course they don’t have any varsity experience, but if they keep practicing and step up, it would take a load off Ashley’s back. She got tired at times last year and I think she got a little frustrated, too.”

In addition to Chory, Mapletown has several other returning lettermen to lean on.

“Heather Shook is back at shortstop,” Cyr said. “She hit clean-up for us last year and did really well. Brittany Buckhalter is a senior who returns at first base, and Jessica Ocker, also a senior, is back at second base.

“We need our seniors to play well, and we also have to count on them for their leadership, too.”

One senior Cyr is especially pleased with is left fielder Deanna Ganocy.

“Deanna was our most improved player from the beginning of the season to the end last year,” Cyr said. “She went from batting around seventh or eighth in the lineup to being our lead-off hitter. She’s been here all three years with me and she’s improved tremendously.”

Another key player is Ashley Chory’s younger sister, Erica Chory, who starred on the Lady Maples’ basketball team this past season.

“We’re looking at Erica at third base,” Cyr said. “Last year she was great at the plate. We used her where we needed her on defense, mostly in the outfield in center.”

Like most teams’ the weather has hampered Mapletown’s progress in practice.

“The first week when practice started, we were outside everyday and we were all happy,” said Cyr, whose assistant coach is Melissa Swarrow. “Then the weather turned bad and sent us into the gym, and everyone knows that’s just not the same. The girls would much rather be outside, but everybody’s in the same boat. We were supposed to scrimmage a team on Tuesday, but it was freezing, so we couldn’t play.”

Mapletown will again compete in Section 2-A, which includes perennial powers Carmichaels and Chartiers-Houston.

The Lady Maples’ first scheduled game is Friday at Bentworth. The Lady Bearcats were a playoff team last year.

“We’re not afraid of them,” Cyr said. “We gave them a tough battle last year when we lost 7-6, which shows you our girls have the ability to play well against good teams.

“I truly believe we can do a lot better this season.”