For Molloy, Boyd’s a boon

It took Archbishop Molloy seven years to get out of the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan semifinals. Then Janelle Boyd came along, and not only led them to the finals, but lifted the Stanners to their first crown, leading them back from an 0-1 deficit in their best-of-three series against St. Francis Prep last May, beating the Terriers in the circle and at bat.
“Definitely,” Molloy Coach Maureen Rosenbaum said, “she’s been a strong addition to the whole softball program.
That glorious ending to her second year of varsity softball had its setbacks. As a junior, she was no longer an unknown.
“Now there are expectations,” said Boyd, who hails from Hempstead, Long Island. “Am I going to do it again?”
A fiery competitor, she has been up to the challenge. Boyd led the Stanners to a second place finish in Brooklyn/Queens, their only hiccups a pair of losses to bitter rival St. Francis Prep, games they had in hand until the late innings. After an early groin pull stunted her early-season development, Boyd has come on furiously. As the cleanup hitter and first baseman when she is not pitching, she batted .350, with three doubles, two triples, one homerun and 12 runs batted in.
This consistency at the dish was in stark contrast to her first two seasons, Rosenbaum said. Blessed with the strength of an ox, Boyd could change games with one swing of the bat. Yet Rosenbaum could not bat her in the middle of the order because of her inability to string together solid at-bats. Having matured and learned the strike zone, not to mention recognizing her own strengths and weaknesses better, Boyd has become the Stanners’ rock offensively.
“I like her patience,” Rosenbaum said. “She knows she’s good enough but she’s also at the point where she knows what she’s doing wrong. She can correct herself more.”
That growth has extended past the batters box, too. Only a junior, she has as much, if not more, varsity experience as any of the other Stanners. And Boyd uses that to encourage others. A captain as a junior, she is often the first to give pointers to a struggling batter or to give words of advice to Molloy’s second pitcher, Julianne Keyes. Boyd, she said, takes it upon herself to make sure her teammates are prepared.
“She has a strong personality,” Rosenbaum said. “She’s gotten more confidence every year.”
Added Boyd: “I have a great relationship with the girls on the team. It’s a natural thing.”
Molloy will likely be looking at her to lead them to yet another Brooklyn/Queens crown later this week. A rematch with St. Francis Prep looms. In addition, for Boyd, who is already starting to draw interest from Division I and II programs, the time is now. Last year, she said, is in the past.
“I want to make it back to the championship,” Boyd said, “and be victorious.”