It may be Charlie Drane’s first year coaching basketball at Milton, but he’s familiar with the team’s best player, Victoria Fish.
Taking over Milton’s softball program in 2024, Drane has watched Fish’s competitiveness and athleticism on the diamond for the past two years.
A captain for softball, Fish, a Bay State Conference All-Star, will be the leader for a team that could run 12 players deep.
“I‘m excited with the depth and the the skill level of all of the players,” Drane said. “It’s going to take some time to figure out what the rotation looks like and who ends up stepping up and getting more playing time than other players.”
Sophomore Gabbi Vaughan returns alongside Fish in the front court. Milton hopes to feature both forwards heavily in the offense.
“I think you’ve got a match what you do offensively and defensively to who your players are,” Drane said. “Because of who we have and some of our strengths, we’re going to try to pound the ball inside more than they have in the past.”
Fish’s younger sister Sophie will be one of eight guards on the team that will be competing for time.
Much like Walpole, the tough schedule benefits Milton in the power rankings. Despite a 7-14 record, the Wildcats were four spots from a play-in game.
“I think one of the keys for this group is them to realize we are good enough to be in the tournament,” Drane said. “It shouldn’t be ‘We hope that we get to play in the tournament.’ That’s for this group, that’s ridiculous. It’s more of what do we have to do to get a better seed in the tournament.”
