(Article by Phil Stacey, Executive Sports Editor of the Salem News)
For their exploits both in the classroom and their respective athletic endeavors, Beverly High softball star Noelle McLane and St. John’s Prep tennis standout Charles Kirby have been selected as the Moynihan Lumber Student-Athletes of the Month for April.
Noelle, a 17-year-old junior, serves as both an excellent pitcher and a top notch slugger for the Panthers, who currently sport an 8-2 record this spring. She has started six of those games on the hill and has won all six with complete game efforts. In the month of April, she went 5-0 with a 1.20 earned run average, striking out 32 hitters in 35 innings while also hitting .350 and knocking in six runs.
“I did some pitching last year, but worked a lot more on it over the winter. I’m much more of a pitcher now,” said Noelle, who throws a fastball and changeup while experimenting with other pitches on the side as she continues to fine-tune her craft. Hitting her locations is vital, and mixing in her change is also helpful in terms of throwing off opposing hitters.
“We’re doing so well as a team, which is the most important thing.”
She began playing softball as an 8-year-old, looking for another sport to compete in along with gymnastics. She had enjoyed watching baseball, including her younger brother Colby (now on the BHS freshman baseball team) when he played, so softball seemed like a natural fit.
Her favorite game so far this season was the team’s opener, a 14-2 destruction of Marblehead, in which she pitched five solid innings while adding two hits and two RBI at the plate. “We really set the tone as far as how the season has gone this season,” said Noelle. “It was also my first game pitching since I had really worked at it over the winter, so it was good for me (personally), too.”
The daughter of Sue and Jamie McLane, she holds an outstanding 4.68 grade point average and was most recently ranked fifth in her class. The National Honor Society member enjoys science (particularly biology and anatomy) and math best, and is thinking of becoming a physician’s assistant, a nurse or a nurse practitioner as a vocation.
“Something in the medical field,” said Noelle. “If I could play softball in college that’d be cool, but I want to choose where I’m going to go based on academics first.
“I’m really honored to be getting this award from Moynihan Lumber,” she added. “It’s awesome because it recognizes well-rounded people who aren’t just focused on academics or athletics, but both.”
Charles, an 18-year-old senior from Marblehead, will graduate this spring as a member of the first class when entered St. John’s Prep as sixth grade middle schoolers. He’ll do so as valedictorian of the 267-member senior class.
“It’s more of a pleasant surprise; being valedictorian is nothing I set out to do,” said Charles. “I just make sure I get all of my work done on time and to the best of my ability.”
Owner of a 4.78 grade point average, he enjoys his physics class the most. He’s planning on studying both that subject and economics when he heads off to Duke University later this summer.
“My time here at St. John’s Prep is filled with great memories and a lot of friendship,” he said. “Now I’m excited for what college will bring.”
Charles has been playing tennis for the last decade, but didn’t become a ‘super competitive’ player until he reached high school, when he began to take it more seriously, he said. He has improved by getting physically stronger (helping his serve), getting more directionality on his shots, and playing more aggressively.
The third singles player for the Eagles currently has a 7-2 individual record. But when asked about his favorite match of the season so far, he gave a surprising answer.
“It’s actually one of my losses,” he said. “Against Concord-Carlisle my opponent and I went into double tiebreakers, so both games were 6-7, 6-7, and I lost the tiebreakers 5-7 and 8-10. Two points decided the entire match, which was very competitive.”
The son of Anne and Jay Kirby, Charles has an older sister, Kajsa. He said his mother, an avid tennis player, has always been an inspiration for him on the court.
Phil Stacey
Executive Sports Editor
The Salem News
300 Rosewood Drive, Suite 107
Danvers, MA 01923
978.338.2525
www.salemnews.com
Twitter: @PhilStacey_SN
