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MOORESTOWN – Lily Marta has blossomed into an ideal leadoff hitter for the Moorestown High School softball program.
The junior possesses all of the traits to be a perfect table setter atop the Quakers’ batting order.
And her most impressive skill is what she doesn’t do: strike out.
In her third season, Marta has went back to the dugout following a K just twice in close to 150 career at-bats.
“Everything she does on the field is just so natural,” Moorestown head coach Bill Mulvihill said. “Her ability to not strike out is just one of the things that's impressive about her game.”
Marta has produced a pair of multi-hit games in Moorestown’s first two contests this season, including Wednesday’s 10-7 victory over visiting Seneca.
Marta’s 65 career knocks put her on pace to challenge the Quakers’ all-time hit record, held by her older sister, Violet, who graduated last spring with 117 hits. Violet is playing at Drexel now.
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Lily Marta has embraced the role of hitting leadoff.
“Setting the tone for the game is super important,” she said. “You’re there to report back to your team about what you saw and what the pitcher gave you, just communicating and setting the tone.”
Marta isn’t afraid to work the count, even if that means getting buried with two strikes, something that happened in several at-bats against Seneca.
“I actually prefer the two-strike count,” she said. “You get two strikes and I’m just thinking you gotta get the job done.”
Marta has certainly produced at the plate. She hit over .400 in each of her first two seasons, including a .474 mark as a freshman. On Tuesday, she crunched her first scholastic home run in a game against Lenape. She’s 4-for-8 with four runs scored in two games this spring.
The only thing missing from Marta’s game is batting gloves. She goes old-school in the batter’s box, gripping the bat with her bare hands.
“I’ve had the same calluses forever,” she said with a laugh. “I’ve tried batting gloves and just hated them.”
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Staying cool at the hot corner
If Marta is a prototypical leadoff hitter, senior Mackenzie Seibel is the perfect third baseman.
A four-year starter, Seibel has delivered a big bat in the heart of the lineup as well as smooth fielding skills at the hot corner.
Against Seneca, Seibel went 4-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored. For her career, she’s batting .392 with 80 hits, including a whopping seven homers last season. With the glove, she has compiled a fielding percentage of .942 or better in each of her last two springs.
“She’s had a helluva career so far,” Mulvihill said. “She started at third base as a freshman after an injury (to the starter). She kinda got thrown into the fire and has been there ever since.”
Seibel calls softball a mental game and strengthening her mind has helped produce better results.
“(Earlier in my career) if I made a mistake, I would just shut down,” Seibel said. “Now, I know I have to just pick myself up and make the next play or get ready for the next at-bat.”
Away from diamond, Seibel’s smarts are off the charts.
She will attend Tufts University in the fall where she plans on majoring in biochemistry on the track to pre-med.
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Mr. 200
When Moorestown advanced to the state semifinal round last spring, Mulvihill was asked for his career record. Not knowing the number, he went to the team photos over the years which featured records and started adding up the wins.
His arithmetic came out to 199.
A 2-1 loss to Steinert put the milestone on hold until this season. Win No. 200 came on Wednesday against Seneca.
“It just means I’ve been here a long time, that’s all,” said the humble Mulvihill, who is in his 19th season as head softball coach. He's also closing in on 400 career wins as the school’s girls’ soccer head coach.
The players presented their coach with a poster in celebration of the milestone.
“It’s exciting for the whole team to help him get his 200th win,” Marta said.
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Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 35 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him by email [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Moorestown's Lily Marta and Mackenzie Seibel lead way as Bill Mulvihill earns 200th career coaching win in softball
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