NEPSAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNER Sara Moeller ’23 Leads Softball to Perfect Season

For Sara Moeller ’23, like so many others, the coronavirus pandemic meant lost opportunities. As a sophomore at Brooks School in 2020, Sara wasn’t able to play softball because of the pandemic shutdown — and her next season was similarly truncated with half as many games as usual.

But redemption in 2022 has been sweet. Sara transferred to Cushing in the fall of 2021 as a repeat junior and shone. As the starting pitcher in the spring, she helped lead Cushing to a 20–0 record on the way to the Western New England Preparatory School Athletic Association Class B Championship title. In July, Sara was named the NEPSAC Player of the Year.

Cushing has been a great fit for Sara. “I feel like it just clicked,” she says. “There are a lot of student athletes on campus and in the junior class, there are a lot of repeats like me, so I could connect with a lot of kids. When we started the season, I knew it was going to be a good season.”

Sara achieved a 17–0 record with an earned run average of 1.35 and 154 strikeouts in 98 innings. A highlight of the season was her final game against St. Luke’s School, which boasted a similar undefeated record and also had a strong pitcher. Sara pitched all seven innings to win the championship game 1–0.

Coach A aron Santos ’06 said Sara’s play was important to the team’s success. “She obviously impacts the program and the girls around her as well,” says Santos. “We’ve been competitive for some years, and we have girls that were happy that she was here to continue to grow the program and play at a high level.”

The depth of support at Cushing, both from her teammates and from the faculty, has made a difference. “The people on the team are amazing,” adds Sara, who also plays on the varsity basketball and soccer teams. “I couldn’t have done it without them.”