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.
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.”
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 ...
