In her early youth, Molly McFetridge admittedly was active in a number of sports, but she finally found her niche.

“From an early age, I knew I wanted to do sports coming from a very competitive and active family,” said McFetridge. “I tried a bunch of things, soccer, softball, field hockey, even dance, the only ones that I had a passion for were softball and field hockey.”

The Whitehall softball program certainly has been happy that McFetridge stayed with softball. Over the past two seasons, the junior has been a constant a second base. Heading into district play, McFetridge was hitting .333 with 14 RBIs.

“Molly really has come a long way,” beamed Whitehall head coach Jeff Vivian. “Last year, she was kind of thrown into the second base position because of an injury. This year, she has really stepped up and solidified that position.

“Offensively, Molly has continued to be a high contact hitter. You can see she really has developed a solid plan at the plate and she gets in and out of her adjustments quickly, which has resulted in better at-bats.”

Through the years, McFetridge has enjoyed the sense of togetherness and camaraderie with her teammates, many of whom have formed a lasting bond.

“I started at Egypt Cobras when I was five and loved the competitiveness, it also gave me a lot of close friends that I still have today,” she said. “We grew up playing softball and some of the girls I’ve played my first game at Egypt with I’m playing with at Whitehall.”

Along with a solid base of friends and teammates, McFetridge has enjoyed a strong support team.

“Over the years I’ve had many influences at different times,” she stressed. “It is hard to pick one.

“From the beginning my parents were always there for me, throwing in the backyard and being my biggest fans. When I got older I had coaches that influenced me like coach Jeff Vivian, coach Ed Stinner, and coach Kurt Fritzinger who always believed in me, constantly worked and pushed me to be the best I can be. Coach Vivian had so much faith in me, he put me in the district championship as a freshman in left field, that is something I will never forget.”

The seventh-seeded Zephyrs opened with the 10th-seed Parkland Trojans Monday in the Class 6A playoffs. The Zephs were 3-0 winners in the game. McFetridge believes she has developed her game and has watched her team evolve as well. Whitehall (13-7) has won seven of its last nine games coming into the playoffs. They will travel to take on Nazareth Thursday, May 22.

“I think we have excellent chemistry, we are all great friends and have a great coaching staff,” said McFetridge. “Most of us have been playing together since Egypt. Even though we’re a team I would consider us more as a family, we are constantly working together and picking each other up. No one fights alone it is a team sport and everyone contributes to do their part. I believe we have a great team dynamic.

“The beginning of the season had its ups and downs. Some things were out of our control and others we could improve on, but overall I think we’ve came together, had some great wins and finished strong. I really think our defense was on point, which helps us out a lot. My fielding has improved, I put a lot of work in preseason to get to where I am now and continue to give it my all. Even though we lost first round of the EPC (East Penn Conference), it gave us time off to practice and improve our game now that we’re heading into districts.”

McFetridge doesn’t plan to lose her focus.

“I don’t want to ever get to the point where I’m totally comfortable because on the field you need to be ready for anything,” added McFetridge. “I believe to be the best you need to constantly push yourself outside your comfort zone and give 120-percent.”