Serina D’Amico Wins 2015 Joseph D. Hayes Award

Congratulations to Serina D’Amico of Boston’s North End for winning the Joseph D. Hayes Award!

Here is the nomination letter from her softball coaches:

To Whom It May Concern:

            The Joseph D. Hayes Award is meant to recognize an individual who embodies sportsmanship, leadership, team spirit and talent, all while keeping in mind the reason we play softball in the first place, to have fun.

            To say that this young lady is hard working, pushes the limits, and motivates her teammates, barely scratches the surface on her admirable qualities as a player.  She takes charge on the field and is always the voice you hear when wondering how many outs there are or where the ball should be thrown on the next play.  It’s not out of character for her to call a quick huddle when the team is struggling to give the Blue Diamonds a chance to refocus.

            As we all know, focus can win or lose games, and a lack of it is contagious.  When the conversations on the bench strayed to what show was on TV tonight or the latest Ariana Grande song, this player’s infectious and, at times, deafening cheers would bring the girls back to the game.  This player’s “lead by example” philosophy did not end when the game did. After every single game and practice, she would take the time thank the coaches, leading her teammates to do the same.

            Not only does this player have the type of personality that coaches love to work with, but her exemplary talent makes her a natural nominee for this award. Never doubting her coaches’ instincts or her own skill, she quickly picked up on a new style of hitting and ended the season with one of the highest batting averages on the team.

            This player is a constant reminder for us to be supportive of each other, to work hard at everything we do, and to have fun doing it. The coaches can honestly say she is one of the only people we know who will drop and give you 10 with a smile on her face, and perfect form to boot.

            That’s why it was a unanimous decision among the coaches that Serina D’Amico be nominated for the 2015 Joseph D. Hayes Award.