Entering this spring, one of the largest schools in Section IV did not field a varsity softball team for the previous three years. That’s all changed this season at Ithaca High School as the program embarks on a rebuild.
Guiding the Little Red in its first season back on the diamond since 2022 is a familiar name in the local softball scene. Julie Farlow takes over the program following a 10-year stint as Cornell’s head coach. Although the Little Red has yet to record a win on the season, Farlow sees plenty of promise for what the future of the program holds.
“Since we haven’t had a varsity team in quite a few years, to then have that is exciting,” Farlow said. “But at the same time, it means that this current team is playing against programs that are pretty established and just a little bit more comfortable at that level maybe than we are right now. But I think there’s certainly a lot of excitement, and I think a lot of people are looking forward to the future.”
Farlow spent the last 10 years leading her alma mater and was the Big Red’s assistant coach between 2002 and 2015. It’s uncommon to see the transition from coaching in college to high school, but Farlow has embraced a new challenge in this next chapter of her career.
“I have really enjoyed kind of going back to the basics, where it’s not necessarily fine-tuning kids, but it’s teaching them something, whether it’s rules of the game or mechanics, strategy,” Farlow said. “It’s definitely going back a few steps, but then to see their excitement when something is learned and something is implemented is pretty rewarding.”
The Little Red also has first-year coaches at the younger levels. Julie Greco is at the helm of the junior varsity team, while Beth Myers takes over the modified team. Greco had previously led modified for the last two seasons when they didn’t have a coach and were in jeopardy of not having a season. She has full trust in Myers for continuing what she’s established. With 22 players on the modified squad, it’s a strong sign of a progressively healthier program, as a whole.
“I just think that her background as a as an elementary teacher, I think she’s really good because a lot of those players are coming new to softball,” Greco said. “There’s a lot of teaching, a lot of managing expectations, and a lot of other things that go into it other than just coaching how to hit. And I felt like that was a really great place for Beth to be.”
Greco herself has put in plenty of dedication to breathe new life into the sport throughout Ithaca. She runs both the U14 and U17 summer teams at the Ithaca Youth Bureau and created a summer program with IYB to work on skills and drills for first through sixth graders. All that hard work will undoubtedly produce more experienced players that will eventually rise through the ranks. In the meantime with a relatively inexperienced JV team, Greco is proud of the growth they’ve shown so far this season.
“The message that I keep giving my players is that we’re building towards something,” Greco said. “A lot of my players are still really new to softball, and so they’re trying to learn as much as they can, progress as much as they can, and they’re making big strides.”
There have been quite a few standout players in the eyes of both Farlow and Greco. At the varsity level, the senior trio of Haylee Benjamin, Farrah DeAveiro and Payton Yengo have added stability to the program before they head off to Tompkins Cortland Community College to continue their softball careers. As for next year’s returning players, junior Lily Cowder has been a versatile asset while junior Delaney Wilczynski has been a consistent defensive force at third base.
On the JV team, the pitching trifecta of freshmen Ren Folsom Amelia Purser and eighth grader Laila Israel have continued to improve in the circle. Freshman Emma Anderson and eighth grader Ella Greco have seen time at catcher, while freshmen Sasha Levine and Nora Lind have been two of their top hitters.
With the modified, JV and varsity teams all at full strength, a strong structure has been formed to help revitalize softball in town. But as with every sport, support from the community will go a long way in making the programs flourish even more in the coming years.
“My message to [the community] is to try to take advantage of these opportunities that we’re having for them,” Farlow said. “Get involved. Come to these clinics. If you’re thinking about softball, go to the modified tryouts. Just try to participate. Skills will develop over time, but there’s got to be that interest or curiosity at the beginning.”
