Brian Fehnel came to the Salisbury softball team with a lot of coaching experience.

Having spent time as a travel coach, it was Fehnel who stepped up in 2022 to coach the Lehigh Valley Carpenter Cup team that was in danger of not competing because it lacked a coach. Last summer he led the team to the championship in Philadelphia.

When the opportunity to coach at Salisbury opened, Fehnel paid no attention to the fact that the team had just two seniors and no juniors on the roster, meaning that the team was very young and inexperienced at the varsity level.

For Fehnel, the lack of experience was a plus. He came in with a plan to help the younger players develop and to have fun. Seniors Amelia Swoyer and Zaira Stokes turned out to be helpful guides with the younger players and Fehnel went to work with the team.

“Sometimes I wish those two (Swoyer and Stokes) were a little meaner,” said Fehnel. “They’re both so nice. The fact is, though, that they have been great to work with, and the other players do respect them and maybe it’s because they are so nice.”

The young team that had lost 39 straight Colonial League games and went 1-47 in league play over the previous three seasons.

After a season-opening loss to Pen Argyl, the Falcons downed Dieruff 21-2 and then edged Allentown Central Catholic 6-5 to move to 2-1.

Palisades handed them their 41st straight league loss but two days later, the string was snapped when they downed league newcomer Jim Thorpe in an 18-12 slugfest.

One of the season’s highlights came in a loss, but it was somewhat of a moral victory.

The Falcons played Southern Lehigh on the road and played tough before falling 5-0. The Spartans went on to be District 11 5A champions this season and blew out a lot of teams that they faced.

A pair of wins against Catasauqua and Saucon Valley late in the season left Salisbury at 8-9 with a shot to make districts for the first time since 2021.

The young team had to again face Southern Lehigh and then Palisades, which went on to be Colonial League champions, and finish against Saucon Valley, another team fighting for a postseason spot. Those three games wound up being losses and Salisbury missed reaching districts, finishing 8-12 on the season.

The young players on the team will have a summer of club ball to continue to develop and even though they will still be a young team with no seniors coming into 2026, Salisbury will be in a position to surprise some teams and again challenge for a spot in the postseason.