Season Preview: Softball Begins New Era Under Kelly Mayette

The Whaler softball team finished last spring with three consecutive wins and scored 12 or more runs in each of their victories. It created some strong momentum to be carried over into the 2026 spring season, and now a new head coach is at the helm - ready and capable of helping the program return to the postseason.

Kelly Mayette is set to begin her first season as the softball team’s head coach on Saturday when the Whalers host Martha’s Vineyard at 10:45 a.m. Mayette played college softball at Stonehill as a Division 2 and Division 1 pitcher/first baseman, and she helped out last season as an assistant head coach for the Whalers. She said she has been impressed with the work ethic of her players and their dedication early on.

"They just have a lot of motivation and dedication and you can definitely tell they're picking up at the skill level that they were at towards the end of the season last year," Mayette said. "So it's exciting to see and encouraging for us as coaches that they want this, and we're just going to keep building 1 percent better each day, keep building on that intensity, and keep playing at a high level this this year.”

Mayette said she wants her team's identity to be that they are a group that plays with a lot of grit and effort each game.

"I don't care if we're losing 20 to nothing, we're going to remain consistent, we're going to remain positive, and we're going to get in that box and we're going to own it," Mayette said. "I'm all about your attitude. That's 90 percent of the game. So just having that grit, laying out for everything, getting in that box, being aggressive and just owning that game and that attitude.”

Mayette will be assisted by coach Jill Johnson, who played four years of college softball at Southern New Hampshire University. Both Mayette and Johnson are members of the Nantucket Police Department.

“She was an outfielder and a lefty slapper," Mayette said. “She's a huge asset. I was a pitcher and first baseman, so we're very different, which is huge. Just a greater spectrum of knowledge.”

The Whalers will have some depth on the mound with seniors Lil Wullschleger and Sophia Yelverton, as well as freshman Olivia Snell who continues to develop. These three are poised to make most of the starts for Nantucket this spring while also serving as contributors in the Whaler’s lineup.

Senior Annie Ard and junior Ava Watson figure to be key bats at the plate for the Whalers once again. Seniors Allyson Escobar, Aliza Mansfield, and Shelbi Harimon also return. Freshman Chloe Washington, a three-sport athlete, will also be a young player asked to assume a large role.

"Sophia and Annie both come in clutch," Mayette said. "The younger girls too, they just have that grit in them. They're motivated to get in that box. I don't care if it's a bunt, as long as you get on base. I don't really care about big hits. I just want you to get on base, be smart in that box, and be consistent. They're super aggressive on the basepaths without us even telling them. So it's really nice to see.”

As noted above, the Whalers will host the Vineyard at 10:45 a.m. You can view the full softball schedule here.