Elena Sobilo, 2014 Bishop Noll alumni and former JV softball coach, has been named the new head varsity coach. Sobilo takes over for former coach Karly Tabernacki, who has been the coach since 2019. 

The softball team is entering conditioning with a late start as they awaited the announcement of a new head coach. Sobilo has also had to patch up a varsity team amidst the change of a new athletic director. The varsity team last year also had 8 seniors leave to graduate that they now have to replace. 

Last year, the softball team had a losing record of 8-15. Sobilo is looking to bring the program back to its glory days when she was a star infielder who led the team as captain to a semi-state run in 2014. 

“The goal for this season is collective improvement – individual improvement of skills and overall improvement as a team,” Sobilo said. “To do that, we have to stay committed to practicing and playing with a focused and determined mindset.” 

Varsity player Jalyssia Crawford is coming back for her second season hoping to keep her varsity spot on the team. She plays first baseman, third baseman, and also can play shortstop when needed. This season, she has a personal goal.

“Last year, I batted a .475 and I’m hoping to increase that to .600. Also, [a goal is] to bring a more dominant field presence than last year,” Crawford said.

Sobilo was head JV coach from 2018-2021. As a player at Bishop Noll, she played both the infield and outfield. Her freshman year, they had a lot of injuries on the team, so she was moved around a lot more. During her sophomore year, she was able to play shortstop and found her home there.

“My favorite memory is making  it to the semi-state championship during my senior year,” Sobilo said.

Crawford is excited for the rebound of the softball program and believes that COVID had a lot to do with the difficulties in the previous two seasons. 

“I hope we have a better outcome than last year and hope that we actually grow as a team and that we can bring the winning legacy that the softball program used to have back to Noll,” she said.

Softball tryouts are March 7-8 and their first game is March 31 at Andrean against Andrean.