With senior pitcher Ashley Soares back on the pitcher's mound, Old Rochester varsity girls softball coach Don Dibiasio is hoping for—literally and figuratively—blue skies ahead.

"This weather is something else," he said on April 30. A spitting rain fell as the team faced off against Dighton-Rehoboth. "We've been rained out quite a few times."

April 30 marked Soares' return to the pitcher's mound—she was out with an injury for several games.

"Before [Soares] came back, I was playing a freshman pitcher," Dibiasio said. "She was good, but she doesn't quite have the experience that [Soares] does."

With the younger pitcher on the mound, the team's 2018 record was three wins, four losses. In the April 30 game, Dighton Rehoboth cruised to victory, 5-0, against the Lady Bulldogs.

Soares' first game back might've been a loss, but Dighton-Rehoboth is always a tough team to beat, Dibiasio said. "[Soares] has been around for a long time, having her back will definitely make a difference in the future."

The team's ultimate goal, he explained, is to win 10 games, which will qualify the team to compete in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association's (MIAA) state tournament.

"Of course we've lost a few games this season, which means we need to beat some really good teams for a shot," he conceded.

This year is also the year, Dibiasio added, to start solidifying new talent on the field.

"I have a few freshmen who are coming along well," he explained. "I have a freshman catcher, freshmen outfielders. I have two freshmen pitchers, that's huge. I have the opportunity to train them now, and then have three more really excellent years where those players will already be veterans."