Fallon O’Connor ’23 looks to throw the opposing player out.
Fallon O’Connor ’23 blasted a ball over the fence in the seventh inning of Andover’s opening game of the season against Nobles & Greenough. Despite the team’s efforts, the game ended in a loss for Andover.
According to Angie Ceballos Cardona ’25, She enjoyed the excitement both teams brought to the game, which motivated Andover to step up in terms of the plays. Still, Cardona believes there is much to do in conveying where the players should be for each play.
“I think today what we did well was have energy in the dugout. I think in any sport, when you have energy, you play better. And I think once our team saw the other team’s energy, and you know, just what it was gonna take to win, we all just kind of chipped in, even if we weren’t playing, we were all cheering and communicating with those on the field. [And] I think there were moments in the game, where maybe we weren’t sure of what the plays were [and where] the ball was supposed to go. So I think as a team moving forward, we’re going to really work on communicating with each other, making sure everybody knows what they need to do on the field,” said Cardona.
Additionally, Dani Sarno ’23 highlighted O’Connor’s home run. According to Sarno, O’Connor kept the same attitude throughout the game that allowed her to make impressive plays and get a lot of the opponent players out.
Sarno said, “I would say Fallon’s our pitcher [did well]. I think today [was] really tough. When you’re down 8-1. It’s really, really tough to keep going. And I think Fallon was a really, really good example. Because she kept pitching, she kept throwing strikes, and she didn’t let anything get in their head. She did hit a home run today…And I think that just her perseverance in pitching and on the field for all seven innings was super impressive.”
While talking about the leadership on the team, Cardona credited Buckley, Kiley Frank ’22, and Evalyn Lee ’23 in regards to their openness to grow with the team and lead by example. Cardona also believes that O’Connor has a great presence on the field and possesses many great traits that are admirable.
Cardona said, “Fallon, she’s our pitcher. So she has a ball in her hands, almost all the time, during a game, and she’s really in control of the game. And I think her composure in the circle is really what keeps us together, and what pitchers are supposed to do to keep us together. And I think playing behind her has been really inspiring, she [is] just so mature, so ready in the circle, and no matter what the score is, no matter how well she’s doing. Again, she always has that same face. And that’s the mentality I would like to achieve one day.”
Other than Buckley and Lee, Frank is also a captain who is injured for the season. But according to Buckley, her leadership is shown through her continuous dedication to the team; whether that is talking with the coaches, giving the new captains advice, or bringing the energy into the game.
“I think during practices, like me and Evalyn will talk if we want to do a certain drill or something like that, just communicating there and just making sure that we’re on the same page and on the same pages Coach Phinny and the other coaches as well. But then I also think Frank also plays an important role, even though she’s not on the field, but just she knows the game really well. So just being there. Like if I have a question, or if I want to check something with her, run it by her, she’s always there to do that. And she was also a really big help today, like during the game, just being in the dugout, and talking to Coach Phinny and talking to all the players as well.”
Although the team lost its first game, with all that talent, Andover hopes to have many wins on its way.
