Fueled by tradition, Chandler Hamilton softball seeks third consecutive 6A state title

Hanging in the Chandler Hamilton softball dugout are bats, gloves and a slew of personalized tin lunch boxes.

The lunch boxes became a team tradition last season. Ahead of each game, one player would bring items for the entire team to signify something to focus on that day.

As the Huskies tallied 30 wins on their way to their second consecutive 6A state title, they accumulated a lot in their lunch boxes as well. Pencils and erasers to move past their mistakes. Glittered name tags to remind them they each shine in their own way. Rubber ducks to remind them to stay calm on the surface, even if they feel frantic underneath. Toy monkeys to symbolize the climb to the top.

And upon winning the championship 7-2 over Phoenix Pinnacle, the Hamilton players ran to their lunch boxes to pull out their first gifts of the season – Ring Pops.

“We had Ring Pops at the beginning to see the goal at the end,” said Abby Andersen, a senior pitcher and right fielder. “At the end, we got to eat our Ring Pops when we had reached our goal.”

The lunch boxes are back this year, and with 13 returning players, come championship time, the Huskies hope to feast once more.

“There’s pressure, obviously. Everyone who’s played us is going to want to beat us,” Hamilton head coach Rocky Parra said. “My girls, on the other hand, have already tasted it, and they want another one. They know what it’s like, and a lot of girls have already been there.

“So we’re not being bashful about it — we want another one. With the girls we have, someone will have to beat us.”

Training the pups

To get past the reigning state champs, opposing teams will face two All-Arizona players in pitcher Madison Seigworth and center fielder Taylor Gindlesperger. The rest of the lineup is strong as well, having only graduated their starting shortstop and second baseman.

“I have all my pitching back, my outfielder back, catchers — so we’re solid,” Parra said. “We’re probably close to as good as we have been in the past, so we should have a good year.”

The team is stacked with seven players who have already committed to play collegiately at the D-I level, and a few more will be deciding shortly. At Hamilton, receiving an offer to play in college does not guarantee one a starting spot. Parra feels it is one of his deepest teams, giving him flexibility to swap players around the field.

Still, even with all that returning talent, the beginning of a new season brings some retooling.

“The two state championships came, but the kids that are on this team now, a lot of them weren’t part of that,” Parra said. “They have to learn to fit into that, and they have to learn the role of the kids that went before them and keep that tradition going.”

To help new girls mesh with the team, the Huskies look to another tradition. Each veteran draws the name of a new player and takes her on as her “pup.” The husky and pup pairings start as secrets, as older girls leave gifts with clues for their pups, all leading up to a big reveal early on in the season.

Gifts like Gatorades and gummy bears help fuel the team and also lead to something more: They brings the Huskies together in an increasingly competitive softball landscape.

“I think we’d be a different team without it. We’re more comfortable with each other,” Andersen said.

“Even here, you’re at an intense level, and it’s important to know that the girls behind you have your back, and you’re not doing it alone. … The outcomes would be very different if we weren’t as close as we are.”

An increased rivalry

Hamilton made it to the state final for the first time in 2016, where they defeated the Pinnacle Pioneers, 3-0. The two teams would compete for the title a year later, with the Huskies once again taking home the hardware.

They met twice in the regular season last year as well, with Pinnacle winning both. The first game went to 11 innings before Pinnacle got hot and ran away with the 9-4 victory. 15 days later, the Pioneers would squeak out a run in the top of the seventh for the 1-0 win.

“I love playing them so much because it’s always a good game,” said Seigworth, who had 12 strikeouts in last year’s championship.

“Extra innings, 1-0, or neck-and-neck — I think those [games] are so much fun because you never know how it’s going to end. Hopefully, we want it to end with us winning, but you never know.”

The next meeting between Hamilton and Pinnacle will come March 2, at Pinnacle.

Look good, play good

Ahead of their season opener at Gilbert Highland on Wednesday, the Huskies opened up their lunch boxes again. Like last year, they started this season with candy, and each player received a Push Pop.

"Their message was everybody needs to push harder all year long," Parra said. 

That message resonated, as Hamilton would win their first game, 9-0.  

With the recent rings has come new recognition, and at practice, coaches have doled out more than just candy. In the offseason, Hamilton became one of just 10 high school softball teams across the nation to be selected for part of the Nike Elite program. The nod from Nike meant the team received a substantial sponsorship, complete with uniforms, shoes, apparel and gear.

Hamilton was the only team from Arizona to be selected, and Parra found it motivates his team to keep up their level of play.

“It’s a very nice reward for them. [Nike] did look us up, but once again, that puts a target on us,” Parra said of the three-year contract.

“[Nike] liked the program, where it was headed, and the caliber of the girls.”

To select teams, Nike looked at recent performances, national rank and where players were committing for college. On top of the gear, Hamilton players will get to meet with a softball player from Team USA for a photo shoot at school.

The 2018 Hamilton Huskies already have matching backpacks, visors, turf shoes and lunch boxes. Now all that’s left is matching rings.

2018 Arizona high school softball season

Teams to watch: Chandler Hamilton, Phoenix Pinnacle, Chandler Basha, Queen Creek, Chaparral, Tucson Canyon Del Oro.

Players to watch: Madison Seigworth (Chandler Hamilton); Marissa Schuld (Phoenix Pinnacle); Haley Denning (Arcadia); Natalie Del Ponte (Peoria Centennial); Kaylee Soto (Avondale La Joya); Mariah Lopez (Vail Cienega). 

State tournament: April 28, first round of playoffs

Defending champions: Chandler Hamilton, 6A; Vail Cienega, 5A; Tucson Canyon Del Oro, 4A; Tucson Empire, 3A; Benson High, 2A; Kearny Ray, 1A.